Historical & Archaeological Spots:
ASHOKA'S EDICTS:
Ashoka, a great king of Mourya dynasty, used various medias to communicate his message to his subject. The rock inscriptions is one of them. These lie at Lohar Banda (Mansehra) on both sides of Karakurum Highway. There are thirteen edicts on three rocks which contain his code of conduct and proposed behavior of his subjects. These inscriptions were incised in beautifully cut letters but were exposed to centuries of wind, sun and rain and now are barely visible. Recently Archaeology department sheltered them by tin sheets for preservations.
These rocks were placed on main thoroughfare to Kashmir at the base of Holy Bareri Hill. These are similar in meaning to the Ashoken Edicts at Shabaz Garhi in Mardan. According to Akbar S.Ahmed these inscription are among the most remarkable historical remains in the world.
The Barreri hills are a regular and interesting feature of Mansehra landscape but it's historical importance is far greater than the geographical one. Barreri, Kashmir Durga or Bhattarika Devi is a female deity in the Hindu mythological pantheon. Here the Bareri Mata is a combination of rocks situated on top of hill. There are two main rocks, one of them of 30-40 feet. One of them takes the shape of basin which collects rain water when the water is poured from the rocks fissure, it was treated as Holy milk by the believers. The other rock lies supine and jutting outward. A fair Durga Ashttami was held twice a year, once in chat (March-April) and the other in Assu (October). This practice is cut down after the creation of Pakistan.
It is also of the important remains of Hindu civilization in this area. Chitti Gatti is a small village, where lies a Hindu temple (Stupa). The temple contains the Shiva's Lingam, a male deity corresponded to the female Barreri Mata. It is a shadow of Penis which reveal one of the basic beliefs of Hinduism. Accordingly" The man is a creature devoted to penis and the belly". According to Al-Beruni," The Lingam is the image of penis of Mahadeva which explains the significance and symbolic representation of sexual enjoyment in the basic features of Hinduism and worship of Lingam is centered around this faith". Lingam at Chitti Gatti is carved from a unique smoothened white stone. It was a place of a festival, held twice a year, once in Baisakh (April) and the other in Phagan (February). In 1946 Hindu-Muslim riots, the people tried to destroy it but was preserved.
It was a beautiful and lively city of Medieval age and was a cantonment and capital of "Pakhly Sarkar". It was a planned city and constructed by wood work. There were double and storey buildings in this ancient city. When swati lashkar attacked this state in 1703, they burnt the whole city into ashes. There are some relics of the city but no authentic and informative thing about that period is available except the tomb of Diwan Raja Baba. This is a squared shaped Mausoleum with a round dome and was in this premises of firoza fort. There is an emerald green well called Bara Dab which was a source of water and now considered as a peninsula for many skin diseases. A fair is held near the shrine on both Eids.
Balakot is not a new name for the students of history. It has a great significance in many respects. It was the former headquarter of Mujahideen Movement and Syed Ahmed Shaheed along with his three hundred lieutenants bravely sacrifice their lives near this village. The shrines of Syed Badshah and his chief lieutenant Shah Ismail Shaheed lies in the heart of this village. There is another shrine, the origin of which is not clear but according to Hindus it was the sitting place of Bhai Bala, a disciple of Grunanik, while the Muslim derived its origin from Hazrat Hayat-ul-Amir, a saint of old times. The nearby spring is considered as a treatment for Leprosy. A leprosy hospital is also established by the government.
Beside its historical importance, Balakot is a beautiful tourist resort on the left bank of Kunhar. It is a gateway to far famed Kaghan Valley. There is a stone weighing about 240 pounds in the rest house of Balakot, according to folk story( lorey) a Gujari Maryan used to swim through Kunhar river with this stone. Inevitable she drowned into river.
Besides these places there are many spots in this District which can be of archaeological importance but have remained unexplored so far. Recently research is started near Shinkiari in some old relics. Similar results can be obtained in other areas in the District.
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