The Story of A Photo

By Alamgir Khan

13th Dec 1949, the first day of Miangul Abdul Haq Jahanzeb as Wali of Swat State.

On 12th Dec 1949 the then Prime Minister of Pakistan Liaqat Ali Khan tied the ceremonial Paggri on his head.

 A rare example in the history of kings and princes  of  a father leaving the throne to his son, when actually he could very well have ruled for at least another ten years.

In the picture Miangul Abdul Wadud Bacha Sahib, Prime Minister Liaqat Ali Khan, and Miangul Abdul Haq  Jahanzeb are speaking on the occasion.

Today we the people of Swat need to exhibit the same spirit of selflessness to regain our lost paradise.

Elum Trekking

Starting point of the trek to Elum
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Elum on Fire

By: Alamgir Khan

Elum is one of the highest mountain peaks of Swat. It is situated at the administrative boundary of Swat and Bunir. Due to its height, beauty and fame many interesting stories have often been told by the people of the area about it since long.

Once a man asked his friend, “Pirbaba is greater or Elum?” The man thought, “If I say Elum is greater,   Pirbaba is also not an ordinary entity, and if I say Pirbaba is greater Elum also has its greatness. At last he replied, “May God puzzle you as much as you have puzzled me”.

Another story is like this, “A man went to Buner and told the People there that he could lift Elum on his shoulders if he was fed on butter, chickens, cream, meat etc for three months. The People agreed.  At the appointed time the man was taken to the bottom of the hill to lift it. The man said confidently, “Put it on my shoulders”.

Elum is not only famous for the height of the peak; it is also one of the most beautiful valleys of Swat. People from far and wide come here to enjoy the tranquility of nature. It is located on a walking distance of four to five hours from Marghazar, another scenic vale of the region, serving as base camp for Elum top which is locally known as ‘Jogyano Sar’. It is said that Ramchandar Ji, a Hindu, meditated here. Every year in October a large number of Hindu pilgrims visit the place of his worship.

The whole trek has amazing and picturesque variety of natural beauty. At night sitting beside the stone and clay mosque half way up the trek towards the Peak in complete darkness and you see the full moon emerging slowly and majestically from behind ‘Halak Sar’, another peak opposite Elum, is a spectacle which can’t be described in words.

Besides nature another feature of Elum is its local inhabitants. You experience a rare glimpse of human simplicity, sincerity, and unique hospitality. They not only provide a place for the night but also butter, cream, ‘Mastha’ and ‘shomley’. They treat you like a guest. Their treatment refreshes your faith in humanity.

The part of the trek near the hut of Banjaar, a local entertainer, gives a breath taking view of Elum valley from a height of thousands of feet. It looks like a bowl made up of hills and green fields with scattered huts of the residents. It is just like a fairy dream land.

Climbing up the hill in the midst of forest trees with whistling sound of the leaves produced by the breeze is so refreshing and life giving. It is an experience of its own kind.

Reaching the top a vast green meadow spread like a carpet with the ringing bells hanging on to the necks of Buffaloes and cows grazing the grass welcomes you. The first look at all this stuns and then comforts and soothes you after a tiring and exhausting climb of more than five hours. It fills you with a new spirit of exploring the world of nature. It is a place where the most sinful of men can find himself closer to the Creator of all beauty. One wants to become a permanent part of all this. It compels you to come here again and again. And that is why we went there in August 2003 for the fifth time. But it proved to be our last visit.

There were no signs of the forest. It was virtually shaved off. Elum was left naked. How it shocked and tortured us is something which can’t be told. ‘A fire broke out here and lasted for two weeks’, was all that we could hear from a local man.

mile stone of swat state era

Swat Not Switzerland

Dear Friends! we are not here to say, 'Swat is a Paradise on Earth' or ' Swat is Switzerland of the East'. We are here to say, 'what are our responsibilities towards this charming valley as it is this valley which is benefiting us with the beauties and bounties bestowed upon the valley by The Creator. Is our way of living here in this valley constructive or destructive of the natural balance of the valley. It is our way of living that makes the valley the once Udyana and then Wadudyana. We are here to discuss how to live in perfect harmony with nature in this valley. What to take from this valley and what to give to it. To know about the Art, history, culture, literature and people of this valley. We are here to be grateful to the creator of this valley for all things created for us and alongside we are here to acknowledge the role of those who have lived here and done things for the people and land of the valley in consonance with nature. We are here to learn from our past how to make and sustain this valley as a real paradise for our coming generations and humanity. Thanks.

Attitude of the people towards Buddhist Archeological Remainsin Swat Valley

By Alamgir Khan

My knowledge and understanding of Buddha and Buddhism has its bases in the discussions my father had with my younger brothers and me when I was six or seven years of age. We would go with our father for evening walk daily. On the way we would see two carved Buddha’s on a rock beside the road. They were about two feet in size. That is the first ever impression of Buddha in my memory. On another occasion my father took us to visit the Buddhist remains at Gulkada. My father would tell us what these structures were and who was Buddha.
I still remember how much I liked those two small carved Buddha’s on the rock and the patterns made of stones on the Stupas at Gulkada. I showed them to my friends with great excitement. I wanted to know more about them. I liked the walls made of stones with beautiful and unique designs. I wanted to express in words what I felt about these unusual structures. I wanted to analyze and criticize them like experts do on TV. But I had no solid notion of what they really were about; it was rather their form that fascinated me most.
Unfortunately I couldn’t give much thought to them because I had to give most of my time to my school studies and I had no subjects related to cultural or historical heritage there. With the passage of time newer and newer subjects were occupying my mind. Still I read a few books on Buddha and sometimes getting a chance to visit some other Buddhist remains in Swat Valley.
As a result of these intermittent studies and tours I came to realize certain ideas about the condition of Buddhist remains in the valley and the attitude of the People and state departments towards them.
Most of the Buddhist sites in Swat Valley are not fully excavated yet. Though work on them was started during the State era about 1950. After their discovery in that time they are left unguarded. There are no boundary walls or fences round them. At most one watchman is appointed for their safety. But one watchman is not sufficient care to save them.
They are not safe from persons involved in the antiques- business. They search these sites for coins, pots and other remains. What is unearthed is further sold to other business men at national and international level. So a lot of evidences that may have been helpful in understanding and unlocking the mystery of these remains and compiling the authentic history of those ancient people are going into illegal hands and scattered places around the world.
Moreover no serious excavation efforts have been seen during the last forty years or so after merger of Swat state with Pakistan. I have seen several partially unearthed sites in the valley but I have neither read about them anywhere nor heard their names in documentaries on ancient remains. So they are in even more danger of being defaced as people may think they are not recorded in the lists of the authorities concerned. 
Along with the structural preservation of these remains what is of more importance and urgency to me is shaping the attitude of the common people towards them.
At present the common man of these areas does not have a friendly and tolerant understanding of what all these remains and monuments are about. They have got the wrong notion from somewhere that these strange or odd structures represent idolatry. They name them as Butkhana and "da kafiro korona" meaning infidels-houses. And so they think it as their religious duty to demolish them.
Thus beside illegal diggers this attitude of the people is posing greater threat to the safety of these remains.It is often heard that Mr. so and so has found idols, statues, while constructing his house and has then destroyed them. There are innumerable instances of such acts throughout Gandhara region.
The need is that the common man should be made realize that these are not mere idols but sacred religious monuments of the people of that faith. And that they must give protection and honor to them as they desire for their own religious monuments elsewhere in the world.This shift in people’s attitude if brought about will hopefully be more beneficial than the safety measures taken by the archaeology department.
Things were going in the right direction though when Swat was still a state. “The taking out of the state any antiquities of ancient Buddhist sculptures is strictly forbidden”, writes Mr.George Getley in his book, SWAT-Switzerland of the East published about 1960. And a museum had been established by the ruler of the state for these remains.
The question is that how to bring this change. The answer is through Teachers and Parents. These two are the forces having great influence on the minds of the common man. In my own case I have a tolerant view of the Buddhist remains just because of what my father told me about them. And if supported by Media the results may be more rapid and lasting.
To preserve these ancient remains and promote interfaith harmony the governments of the countries having Buddhist followers in the majority should play a more active role in negotiating this matter with the government of Pakistan and other non government actors. This will be a great contribution to world peace and international understanding.

Forts of Swat State Era Part I

During the consolidation phase of the State The Ruler of Swat State had to construct Forts at strategic points of the State. These Forts had a simple yet grand and elegant structure. This fort came to be part  of the State Emblem.
Most of these beautiful structures have been demolished with different motives. Only one at Ghazikot Buner and the remains of another at Nimogram can still be seen.

Fort at Ghazikot Buner
Photo: Prof. Liaqat Ali

Fort at Lilonai Shangla
Photo: Sir Aurel Stein 1926

Fort Gharai Kalay Manglawar

Fort at Daggar Buner

Photo: Qasim Ali Lahore