- Pakhli
Pakhli was an ancient
sarkar (an administrative unit used during Mughal times) of the Indian Subcontinent. The area of Pakhli Sarkar was a part of theHazara Division of theNorth West Frontier Province ofPakistan .Location
Pakhli Sarkar roughly corresponds with the ancient Urasa (Hazara), which
Ptolemy places between the Bedaspas (Jhelum) and theIndus . Its king was named Araskes in the time of Alexander.Hiuen Tsiang found it a tributary to the Kingdom ofKashmir . In the Kashmir chronicle called theRajatarangini , it appears sometimes as a separate kingdom, at others as a tributary to the state. Its main city wasAgror , the ancient Atyugrapura. InBabur 's time this tract was held by theKhakha and Bambha tribes, whose chiefs had been the ancient rulers of the country east of the Indus but had been driven out by the Gibari orJahangiri Sultans of Bajawar and Swat.In the
Ain-e-Akbari , it is described as bounded on the east by Kashmir, on the south by the country ofGakhars , on the west by Attock, and on the north by the Kator Chitral. Under Durrani rule Saadat KhanSwati was chosen as chief of Pakhli then a dependency of Kashmir. He founded the fort of Garhi Saadat Khan, which was the headquarters of the Azad Khan's rebellion against Timur Shah. Early in the nineteenth century Pakhli comprised three districts: Mansehra in the south and south east, Shikiari in the north east, and Berkhund in the centre. The valleys ofKaghan , Bhogarmang and Agror were dependencies.History
Arrival of Karlugh Turks
Around 1472 Karlugh Turk Prince Shahab-ud-Din came from
Kabul and established his rule in the entire Pakhli (Hazara) region. This state came to be known as Pakhali Sarkar with Guli Bagh as its capital. According to Raja Irshad (Tareekh-e-Hazara by Raja Irshad), Prince Shahab-ud-Din was a Karlugh Turk and his family tree linked toTimur . Karlugh Turks ruled Pakhli Sarkar until 1703.Mughal era
Pakhli Sarkar was the only state in Mughal Empire which was exempted from any tax payments to Delhi. This is attributed to the fact that, just like the Mughal emperors, the rulers of Pakhli were of Central Asian origin.
During
Akbar 's era, Sultan Hussain Khan of Pakhli revolted against him on the basis that the Delhi Sultanate was interfering into Pakhli's internal affairs. Akbar defeated him, but restored him in his position later on. This special treatment again may be due to their similar Central Asian background.Decline and fall of Karlugh Turks
The last Karlugh Turk ruler of Pakhli Sarkar was Sultan Mehmud Khurd. The Karlugh Turk rule of Pakhli Sarkar came to an end when, in Sultan's absence, his son-in-law, Syed Jalal Baba hatched a conspiracy and invited Quraish khankhails, Swatis and Syeds to attack Pakhli Sarkar.
After the Karlugh Turks were overthrown, the tribes Quraish khankhails, Swatis and Syeds established their rule in the plains of Pakhli and mountains of
Kaghan valley.These areas were then divided between the above mentioned tribes. Region ofMansehra toSum Elai-Mang was handed over to the Quraish khankhails. Kaghan valley was given to Syeds andOgi andSwat was delivered to the Swatis. The Karlugh Turks had already lost their control over the areas of Abbottabad due to their internal feuds. Sultan Muqarrab was Waali (Governor) of these areas, who revolted against his own brother Sultan Mehmud Khurd. Though Sultan Muqarrab was defeated with help from Delhi, the Karlugh Turks never regained their previous strength. Ultimately, Jadoons from Swabi subjugated the Rush areas. Sultan Qyas-ud-din, younger brother of Sultan Mehmud, was Waali (Governor) of Tanawal. In Tanawal areas, Karlugh Turks retained their power for another 90 years. But ultimately, they were restricted to a small area of lower Tanawal fromSherwan (Abbottabad) toBehali (Mansehra).Descendants
Descendants of these last Karlugh Turkish rulers still live in Bahali (Mansehra), Richh Behn (Abbottabad), (Manakrai), Haripur and some other villages of these districts.
References
* Imperial Gazetteer of India.
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