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Chitral چترال
Town
Clockwise from top: view of Chitral valley and snowcapped peak of Tirich Mir, Chitral's Shahi Qilla, Shahi Mosque, Chitral Fort
ChitralLocation of ChitralShow map of Khyber PakhtunkhwaChitralChitral (Pakistan)Show map of Pakistan
Coordinates: 35°50′46″N 71°47′09″E / 35.84611°N 71.78583°E / 35.84611; 71.78583
Country	Pakistan
Province	Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
District	Chitral District
Government
• Body	MNA
• MNA (NA-1)	Abdul Akbar Chitrali (MMA)
Area
• Total	57 km (22 sq mi)
Elevation	1,494 m (4,902 ft)
Languages
• Official	Khowar
Time zone	UTC+5 (PST)
PIN	1720 – 0xx
Website	chitral.gov.pk

Chitral (Pashto/Template:Lang-ur; Template:Lang-khw, Khowar for "field") is the capital of the Chitral District, situated on the Chitral River in northern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Chitral also served as the capital of the princely state of Chitral until 1947.

History

Early history

The Kho Chitralis came to Chitral as part of the Indo-Aryan migration into South Asia. They settled in northern parts of Chitral near the Torkhow and Mulkhow Region. The earliest form of Vedic Hinduism was practiced by these early settlers. The culture of the area flourished in the Vedic period of ancient India.

Ancient era

The ancient era of Chitral is linked to three different tribes and regions.

Proximity to Gandhara

The existence of Gandharan Grave Culture in Chitral, found in various grave sites scattered over its valleys indicate its proximity towards the Gandharan culture alongside giving insightful knowledge of its inhabitants between the Indus Valley civilization era and the following Hindu Mahajanapada era and Persian rule.

Proximity to Daradas

Chitral is also associated with the Iron Age tribes known as Daradas. The Darada country stretched from Chitral in the west to the Kisanganga valley in the north of Kashmir. The Daradas are said to have gone to war against Arjun according to the Hindu Epic Mahabharata. The Pandava hero Arjuna had visited this country of Daradas during his northern military campaign to collect tribute for Yudhishthira's Rajasuya sacrifice.

Proximity to Kamboja

Chitral is also attributed to be the seat of the ancient realm of Kamboja, which contains mentions in Hindu epics.

Achaemenid era

The area which now forms Chitral was reportedly conquered by the Persian Achaemenids and was a part of one of their easternmost satraps. Chitrali culture and vocabulary is heavily influenced by Persian and is said to show a mix of both Avestan and Sanskrit.

Imperial Magadha

The region came under the influence several Magadha dynasties of eastern India. The first was that of the Nanda Empire of ancient India from 300 BCE, and with the rise of Chandragupta Maurya, the region came under the complete control of the Mauryan Empire. After the victory of the Mauryan Empire against the Greeks in the Seleucid–Mauryan war, much of the region came under the rule of Chandragupta Maurya of ancient India. Chandragupta and Seleucus made a peace settlement in 304 BCE. Selecucus Nucator ceded the satrapies, including those in Chitral to the expanding Mauryan Empire. The alliance was solidified with a marriage between Chandragupta Maurya and a princess of the Seleucid Empire. The outcome of the arrangement proved to be mutually beneficial. The border between the Seleucid and Mauryan Empires remained stable in subsequent generations, and friendly diplomatic relations are reflected by the ambassador Megasthenes, and by the envoys sent westward by Chandragupta's grandson Ashoka. Afterward, the region was briefly and nominally controlled by the Shunga Empire. However, with the decline of the Shungas, the region passed to local Hindu and Buddhist rulers, and interrupted by foreign rulers. Many of these foreign rulers, like the Indo-Parthians, Sakas, and Kushans converted to Hinduism and Buddhism, and promoted these Indian religions throughout Central and South Asia. The region reached its height under the Buddhist ruler Kanishka the Great. After the fall of the Kushans, the region came under the control of the Gupta Empire of ancient India. During the period, Hindu and Buddhist art and architecture flourished in the area.

Kushan era

In the third century CE, Kanishka, the Buddhist ruler of the Kushan empire, occupied Chitral. The inhabitants of Chitral at this point were primarily Buddhists, while the remainder were Hindus. Under the Kushans, many Buddhist monuments were built around the area, mainly Buddhist stupas and monasteries. The Kushans also patronised Buddhist art, some of the finest examples of the image of Buddha were produced in the region under the Kushan rule.

Hindu Shahi

With the decline of the imperial Guptas, the Hindu Shahis came to rule the area. The Hindu Shahis built massive forts and temples in the region. These Hindu Shahi forts were known for high towers and steep defensive walls. The Hindus also built many Hindu temples around the area, however, much of them are now in rubble. Rock inscriptions found near the village of Barenis indicate that the area was once part of the Hindu Shahi under its fourth King. The Hindu Shahis remained in control of the area until their defeat by the Turkic Muslim army of Ghaznavids.

Kator era

From 1571 onwards Chitral was the dominion of the Kator Dynasty until 1947.

Accession to Pakistan

In 1947 following the division of the British colony of India, princely states were offered the choice to either remain independent or to choose one of the two new dominions. The Mehtar of Chitral who was a friend of Quaid E Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah acceded to Pakistan and thus Chitral was completely incorporated and became an administrative district of Pakistan.

Role in the First Kashmir War

Chitral played an instrumental role in the first Kashmir war. Immediately after acceding to Pakistan, Mehtar Muzaffar Ul Mulk proclaimed Jihad to liberate Kashmir from the Dogras. At this point, the Gilgit scouts were retreating and the enemy had made gains in the Burzil pass. Under these circumstances, the Chitral scouts relieved the Gilgit scouts in Domel and Kamri sectors whilst the Chitral Bodyguard force went towards Skardu. The Chitral bodyguards under the leadership of a Chitral Prince lay on the longest sieges of military history which ended with the fall of Skardu, surrender of the Dogras and the liberation of Baltistan. During this time, the Chitral scouts assimilated with the Gilgit scouts and went on towards taking the Kargil pass.

Geography

The city has an average elevation of 1,500 m (4,921 ft).

Climate

Chitral has a Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csa), with warm summers and mild winters.

Demographics

According to 1981 census, Khowar is main language and spoken by 98% of population and Pashto is also spoken by small population.

Administration

Chitral is represented in the National Assembly and Provincial Assembly by one elected MNA and one elected MPA.

See also

• Chitral Tehsil
• Arandu
• Drosh
• Badakhshan Province
• Chilas

References

1. "Personal Profile". na.gov.pk. National Assembly of Pakistan. Retrieved 29 May 2017.
2. Ahmada, Munir; Muhammadb, Dost; Mussaratb, Maria; Naseerc, Muhammad; Khand, Muhammad A.; Khanb, Abid A.; Shafi, Muhammad Izhar (2018). "Spatial variability pattern and mapping of selected soil properties in hilly areas of Hindukush range northern, Pakistan". Eurasian Journal of Soil Science. 7 (4): 355. doi:10.18393/ejss.466424. Retrieved 29 August 2019 – via dergipark.org.tr.
3. "INDO-IRANIAN FRONTIER LANGUAGES". Encyclopaedia Iranica. 15 November 2006. Retrieved 6 November 2015.
4. "Post Codes". Pakistan Post Office. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
5. "Languages of Chitral" (PDF).{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
6. Schug, Gwen Robbins; Walimbe, Subhash R. (13 April 2016). A Companion to South Asia in the Past. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 978-1-119-05547-1.
7. "Mera Chitral: History of chitral". Mera Chitral. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
8. Saklani, Dinesh Prasad (1998). Ancient Communities of the Himalaya. Indus Publishing. ISBN 978-81-7387-090-3.
9. Proceedings and Transactions of the ... All-India Oriental Conference ... etc. 1933.
10. Notes on Chitral. L.D. Scott. 1903.
11. Kosmin 2014, p. 34. sfn error: no target: CITEREFKosmin2014 (help)
12. ^ Kosmin 2014, p. 33–34. sfn error: no target: CITEREFKosmin2014 (help)
13. https://www.google.com/books/edition/Ancient_Pakistan/R4jiAAAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=Dera+Ismail+Khan+hindu+shahi&dq=Dera+Ismail+Khan+hindu+shahi&printsec=frontcover
14. Gurdon's Report on Chitral. Gurdon. 1903.
15. Khan, Hussain (June 2003). Chronicles of Early Janjuas. iUniverse. ISBN 978-0-595-28096-4.
16. https://www.google.com/books/edition/Ancient_Pakistan/R4jiAAAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=Dera+Ismail+Khan+hindu+shahi&dq=Dera+Ismail+Khan+hindu+shahi&printsec=frontcover
17. "Chitral, a Study in Statecraft" (PDF). IUCN. Retrieved 6 November 2015.
18. Osella, Filippo; Soares, Benjamin (2010). Islam, Politics, Anthropology. John Wiley & Sons. p. 58. ISBN 978-1-4443-2441-9.
19. "Full text of "An Illustrated History of Chitral Scouts 1900-2015"". archive.org. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
20. "Climate: Chitral". Climate-Data.org. Retrieved 18 November 2017.
21. "Population Demography". Kpktribune.com. Retrieved 18 November 2017.
22. Archived 17 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine
23. Archived 17 June 2009 at the Wayback Machine
24. Khan. "Chitral to lose one of its two provincial assembly seats". www.chitraltoday.net.

Bibliography

• Decker, D. Kendall (1992). Languages of Chitral. ISBN 4871875202.
• Durand, Col. A. (1899). The Making of a frontier.
• Leitner, G. W. (1893). Dardistan in 1866, 1886 and 1893: Being An Account of the History, Religions, Customs, Legends, Fables and Songs of Gilgit, Chilas, Kandia (Gabrial) Yasin, Chitral, Hunza, Nagyr and other parts of the Hindukush, as also a supplement to the second edition of The Hunza and Nagyr Handbook. And An Epitome of Part III of the author's The Languages and Races of Dardistan (First reprint ed.). New Delhi: Manjusri Publishing House. ISBN 4871877787.

External links

• Official website
• Government of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa
• Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Government website section on Lower Dir
• United Nations

v t e Administrative divisions of Upper Chitral District
Headquarters	Buni
Tehsils	Buni Mastuj Tehsil Mulkhow
Union councils	Akhlan Terich Barenis Birmoghlasht Brep Harchin Karimabad Khouzh Kosht Kuragh Laspur Lotkoh Mulkhow Owir Qaqlasht Reshun Sonoghur Sor Laspur Tirich Mir Union Council Khot Warijun Yarkhun

• Chitral
• Chitral District
• Tehsils of Chitral District
• Union councils of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
• Populated places in Chitral District
• Union councils of Chitral District
• Hill stations in Pakistan
• Populated places along the Silk Road