Mirpur

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Mirpur میر پور
General Information
Country	Pakistan
Province	Kashmir
Altitude	metres AMSL
Time zone	PST (UTC+5)
No. of Towns
Estimate	[1] 2006
Government
No. of Union Councils
No. of NGOs Working

Mirpur (Urdu: میر پور) is a city of Pakistan-administered Kashmir. The name means city of Mir. Many of the people of this area are farmers. Since the 1960s, a large number of people from this district have gone abroad, especially to the United Kingdom and the Middle East, for economic reasons. As such they are today the major foreign exchange earning source for Pakistan-administered Kashmir. Around 50,000 people were moved from this district in the mid-sixties to make way for the construction of the Mangla Dam. Most of these people settled in new Mirpur whilst some moved elsewhere in Pakistan or to the UK.

Contents 1 Mirpur City 2 Surroundings 2.1 Mangla 2.2 Khari Sharif 2.3 Bhimber 2.4 Jandi Chontra 2.5 Baghsar 2.6 Bandala 2.7 Chah Mochian 3 Sources and references

[edit] Mirpur City

Mirpur city is situated at 459 meters above sea-level and is linked with the main Peshawar-Lahore Grand Trunk road at Dina Tehsil. It is the headquarter of Mirpur District, which comprises three sub-divisions, Mirpur, Chaksawari & Dadyal[1]. The building of the new city in late sixties paved the way for new Mirpur situated on the banks of Mangla lake. In fact the remains of the old city (old Mirpur) are underneath the waters of the Mangla Lake, during colder months the water level decreases such that you can see the tops of minarets from the old mosques, and also the remnants of a Sikh gurdwara, a glimpse of pre-independence times when there were many faiths co-existing in Kashmir as a whole. Mirpur was well planned and the buildings are mostly of modern design, in addition there is significant inward investment from ex-pats now living in the UK & the Middle East. The city has sufficient number of quality hotels, restaurants, shopping malls and other urban facilities.

Mirpur is developing into an industrial city very rapidly. Foam, Polypropylene, Synthetic yarn, Motorbikes, Textile, vegetable ghee, logging and sawmills, soap, cosmetics, marble, ready-made garments, matches, rosin, turpentine and scooter industrial units have already been established in the area. However, much of the infrastructure still needs further development in order to compete on a national level. As part of the relief/compensation package in the wake of Mangla Dam Raising Project, a New City is being developed along the southeastern outskirts of Mirpur. Civil works at huge scale are going on around the whole district, by the Pakistani & Chinese contractors for raising the dam. Four towns in the district have been planned besides the new city, to resettle the population affected by the project.

[edit] Surroundings

[edit] Mangla

Mangla is a small but beautiful modern town situated 16Km from Mirpur at the mouth of the Mangla Dam. The construction of the Dam reservoir, which has a perimeter of 400Km, has turned it into a place of interest. A castle situated on the lake-side serves as a historical back-drop.There is also a power station situated in the Mangla dam which is the second largest power station of Pakistan.

[edit] Khari Sharif

Located 8Km from Mirpur is Khari Sharif. Known for housing the Shrine of the Sufi Saint known as Baba Pir-e-Shah Ghazi (Damrian Wali Sarkar). The place acts as a great seat of learning for students of Islam. Darvishs (disciples) of the Saint can be seen today wandering not just in Pakistani Kashmir but throughout Pakistan. Also at Khari Sharif is the Shrine of the late Mian Mohammed Baksh who wrote the famous tale Saif-ul-Muluk. This tells of a Prince who fell in love with a fairy called Badi Jamal who he saw in a dream. The story chronicles his travels in search of the fairy and the spiritual lessons he learns on the way.

Also close to Khari Sharif is a local trading town called Jatlaan which is situated 3 miles from Khari Sharif and this place is well known for it riches and deals. There is also a religious shrine called Peer-moliya which is located not far from this town, this shrine is dedicated to Islam and it is told that who so ever goes to this shrine with true heart and asks for something their desires will be fulfilled.

[edit] Bhimber

Bhimber is southernmost district of Pakistan-administered Kashmir, situated 50Km from Mirpur. It has three sub-divisions Bhimber, Samahni and Barnala. The area is very rich in archaeological remains. Bhimber falls on the route that was followed by the Moghul rulers of India for their frequent visits to the Kashmir Valley.

[edit] Jandi Chontra

Jandi Chontra is a scenic spot located 17Km from Bhimber and 67Km from Mirpur. The area is known for its panoramic views. The Shrine of the Sufi Saint Baba Shadi Shaheed is also located here.

[edit] Baghsar

Baghsar is situated at 975 m above sea-level in the Samahni valley. The Sar, local name for a lake, is nearly half kilometre long sheet of clear water that soothes the senses of the visitor. On top of a hill is the famous Moghul Fort over-looking the lake that adds grandeur to the area. This four storey massive structure of granite is a feat of Mughal engineering that has stood the ravages of time. It has also played important roles in history during the times of Ahmed Shah Abdali, Ranjit Singh and Gulab Singh. It is said that the Mughal Jahangir, on his way back from the Kashmir Valley, fell ill and ultimately died in this fort.

[edit] Bandala

Bandala is one of the most beautiful valleys of Jammu & Kashmir. It is located about 80 km from Mirpur and 26 km from Bhimber. The valley stretches from river Tawi in the east to the Samahni valley in the west. The Reech Pahari(bear mountain) runs parallel on the northern side and the Baghsar mountain on the southern side. The valley is about 10 kilometres long and about 1.5 kilometres wide. It joins the valley of Samahni at Sara e Saadabad and Chitti Mitti. Many streams flow through the valley producing extremely beautiful cascades,rapids,falls and natural swimming pools.

[edit] Chah Mochian

This village is one of the most beautiful small villages in the Mirpur District this is because of it vast wildlife and vast designs of buildings which make this village special. This village has a meaning to its name, It is said that once this village was woodland and there was a wedding party going through this wood, when the bride was thirsty. the bride asked her father for water as there was no water there this old man took the name of Allah and hit his stick on the ground and there was a water spring. This was the first spring of its kind in this woodland and so because of this miracle a shrine was dedicated to him in this village and the village took its name from the saint.

[edit] Sources and references

• Mirpur Times - The Voice of Kashmir & Mirpur (Pictures, History etc)
• WorldSatesmen- Pakistani polities
• Pictures of Mirpur