Murree
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Murree (hills and City) (Urdu: مری) is a very popular Hill station and a city of Pakistan in the province of Punjab. Murree is a thriving summer resort for the residents of Islamabad, the nearby capital of Pakistan.
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[edit] Description
Murree is the largest of the resort towns of the Galyat and adjoining and proposed tehsil Circle Bakote[1] district Abbottabad region and is a tehsil of the Rawalpindi District. It was originally established at 7,000 feet during the British Raj, but today it is situated at an altitude of 2,300 m (8,000 ft) above sea level.
From the center of the Islamabad-Rawalpindi area, Murree is reachable by a well-conditioned main road. Most of the familiar fruits of Britain, including cherries, raspberries, and strawberries, thrive locally, and the hill station still has a distinct flavour of British times. There is a church, built in 1857, in the centre of the town, which is still in use. Many of the houses above and behind the church are still standing, often as hotels in various states of repair. Old restaurants have been replaced by fast food shops and newly built restaurants. Some old accommodation like the Rich Villa Inn and Gulberg Hotel have completely disappeared. A typical hotel usually provides a motel type accommodation with breakfast and communication access. Newly built hotels are also accessible.
Murree has expanded since 1947 much faster than its infrastructure can sustain. Securing water and electricity supplies has been a constant challenge. The jam-packed bazaar has burned down a number of times in the last century. The growth of tourism and a construction boom have left bare hills in their wake.
[edit] History
Murree is an example of the hill stations set up by the British in the hills of Hazara and Galyat during the mid 19th century. Founded in 1851 by the Governor of Punjab, Sir Henry Lawrence, Murree was originally established for the British troops garrisoned on the Afghan frontier in Rawalpindi.
The permanent town of Murree was constructed at Sunnybank in 1853. The church was sanctified in May 1857, and the main road, The Mall, was built. Opposite the Church were established the most significant commercial establishments, the Post Office, general merchants with European goods, tailors and a millinery. Until 1947, access to the Mall was restricted for non-Europeans.
Until 1876, Murree was the summer headquarters of the [Punjab] Local Government, which was later moved to Simla.
The railway connection with Lahore, the capital of the Punjab Province, made this a place of frequent resort for Punjab officials. The villas and other houses erected for the accommodation of English families gave it a European aspect. It was described in the Gazetteer of the Rawalpindi District, 1893-94:
- "The sanitarium of Murree lied in north latitude 33 54' 30" and east longitude 73 26' 30", at an elevation of 7,517 feet above sea level, and contained a standing population of 1,768 inhabitants, which was, however, enormously increased during the season [May-November] by the influx of visitors and their attendant servants, and shopkeepers. Part of the station, especially the Bhurban, Rawat, Osia, Dewal, and adjoining Circle Bakote 1st Union Council Birote, are also well wooded and pretty."People who plan to go to Murree, usually also go to Nathia Gali, Ayubia, Dunga Gali, Khaira Gali, Changla Gali, Patriata, Bhurban, Jhika Gali, Mohra Sharif Murree Abbottabad and Thandiani.
[edit] 1857 War of Independence
- See also: 1857 War of Independence in Murree
In the summer of 1857, local tribes, including the Dhond Abbasi, Satties, Karhral, Dhanyals, Awan, Syeds, Gakhers, as well as a few Gujjars, planned to attack Murree. The campaign was to be led by the chief of Dhond Abbasi, Sardar Sherbaz Khan as well as the elders of the Satties, but this intelligence leaked out. Sardar Khan was captured and executed.
[edit] Culture of Murree hills
The following is an historic description, of the inhabitants, items of clothing mentioned here like the pagri (a kind of Turban) are no longer worn.
Hunger and starvation pushed many towards the plains or into the army, police and other services. Farming and cattle breeding, the two main occupations of the hill people have not undergone any change for the better. Farming is the main occupation of the hill people in spite of low returns. Farmers in the hilly tracts have no idea of double cropping, as the climatic and irrigation water conditions do not permit high returns. The seriousness of this restriction imposed by nature itself is further compounded by the fact that a hill farmer is the owner of an average holding of four or five acres land. In view of such small land holdings, he had to struggle and toil to earn a living for himself and his family.
The second occupation cattle breeding was not done for profit. Cows were kept for supplying milk for the daily use of the household. Bullocks were used to work the plough. Hill cows are hardy but small. An indigenous breed would give up to a maximum of one seer of milk.
Donkeys were used to carry water from the spring (Choha) and the people of Pothawar were also using the donkeys to carry stuff for military people from the Rawalpindi Railway Station to Murree Hills and food stuff for the residents of hills. People were using their own traditional floor mills (Jandar) which were on the water falls for crushing grains. In the winter, most of the hill people in the area keep stuck themselves in the mud houses in front of fire. During the British Raj, the hill people have changed construction pattern of their houses, and now they have adopted European style of houses.
When the Murree Sanatorium developed, a great demand for milk was created. It stipulated the local zamindars to import milch-kine from other districts. Buffallows could give from two seers to 12 seers of milk. The profit in milk sale was considerable as it was sold at the fixed price of one anna per seer. But these windfall profits lasted only till the end of the season. As for large flocks of sheep and goats, they were valued more for providing manure than for milk, meat or skin. In those days it was a common custom to get the Gujjar herdsmen to collect their flock on the unsown fields at night. In return the farmers provided food to the herdsmen. The droppings of sheep and goats fertilised their fields with the best manure that could be made available in the hills. Coming back to the profitability of the two main occupations of the hillmen, it would suffice to say they were adequate only if the zamindars had some additional source of income, but that was not the case with the majority of people. In the absence of an industrial base, local potential was neither exploited nor gainfully employed.
The British Raj quickened the pulse of the district a little when it took control of the Murree Hills, but the quiet routine of the ordinary hillman was never seriously interrupted or changed. During the Raj, the hills and valleys of Murree had more dense forests than today even there was lot of variety of wild life. It is difficult to say when, where and how the first human dwelling started on Murree hills. From the layman’s point of view, it happened roughly a thousand years back. This assumption is based upon the study of old graves and centuries old plants found growing in their vicinity. The construction and style of graves, the direction in which they are made also help in determining their age.
The forefather of the Dhoond Abbasi tribes, Shah Wali, alias Dhoond Khan, came to Murree in the middle of the 12th century and Mohazzam Shah alias Dhanni Pir, forefather of Dhanyal tribe who came Murree nearly in 1190 from Dhan (Chakwal). His parents had ruled Multan State for about 190 years and these Alvis were migrated from Iraq in nearly early 8th century. of, and on Mohazzam Shah supported Shahabuddin Ghouri to curb the activities of Rajputs who were against his leadership. In 13th century Mohazzam Shah fought with Hindu Rajputs and secrifices his life and a separate tribe "Dhanyal" was established. The followers of Mohazzam Shah had made his shrine on Lehtrar Road, a rural area of Islamabad where Dhanyal tribe chiefly found since then. All Dhanyals are the Alvis they are generation of Mohassam Shah. Because he had control over the area of Kashmir, Murree and surroundings, the tribe is famous to be called Raja, a king tribe in the locality. Between Dhanyals, they have seven or eight offshoots of the tribe living in Hazara, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Murree, Bagh Azad Kashmir, Sialkot, Chakwal, Multan and other parts of Pakistan all are sunni muslims followed by silsila-e-Qadria. They never participated in National Politics of Pakistan, by nature, they are proud to be in Pakistan Forces. Hundred of Dhanyals secreficed their lives in 2nd World War, 1947 War, 1965 War and 1971 War. Until now their technical mind has not been explored or used by Government of Pakistan.
Calculating from then onwards it comes to about nine hundred years. The rural population of Murree lived in far-flung, small hamlets called dhoks and Grann. Each dhok consisted of one to 50 houses at the most. A hamlet comprised fewer than a dozen houses. Each family had its own house and cattle sheds constructed in the middle of its own fields. This isolation was self-desired and voluntary and inspiration of their elders. The need for mutual protection often force the rural population of the countryside to congregate and live in large villages. The hill people felt no such compulsion. Their priorities lay in two entirely different directions. People of the hills gets marry each other i.e. Dhanyals, Abbasis, and Sattis.
The quality of soil in the hills is not the same at every place. The zamindars do not get the best land in one village. It may be in patches that are scattered at great distances from each other. Hence the difference between manured and unmanured soil determined their choice of residence. They distributed their dwellings with the view of readily obtaining manure for land that appeared potentially fertile. Actually the soil of Murree and Patriata and Karore spurs was considered best in the tehsil. It was deep and earthy. High return crops could be grown in it with the help of ample rainfall and a lot of hill manure. When compared with the rich soil of the Punjab plains it is not that good, but from hill standards this was the best. It is for this reason alone that the Murree, Patriata and Karore spurs are densely populated as compared to the other spurs.
The mixture of the Hindu, Sikh and Muslim population in the Murree hills some sixty years back was also a significant feature. The great bulk of population in the rural areas was of Sunni Muslims. In a rural population of around 10,000, there were 9,000 Muslims, more than 500 Hindus and nearly 450 Sikhs. When both the urban and rural population is taken together, out of a total of every 10,000, there were a little more than 1,000 Hindus, nearly 500 Sikhs and approximately 8,500 Muslims. In spite of their predominance, the Muslims were not an overbearing presence. They were tolerant of other religions and lived with them in great harmony uptill now. If they felt some animosity, it was only towards the Sikhs. Under the rule of the Sikhs, the Muslims suffered a lot due to inaccurate assessment of land revenue.
The atmosphere was of mutual tolerance between the three groups. In those days the Hindu population was more concentrated in Potah Kotli Sattian, Phapprial, Angoori, Kallan Bassan and Deval. This lastly mentioned village had derived its name from the fact that it had a small temple. In the Hindi language “deval” means the abode of gods or a temple. Other Hindu sites were concentrated in Murree Station. At the far end of Lower Bazar, the Hindus had their own locality called Mohallah Shiwala."
[edit] Dhond Abbasi
[edit] Kethwal
Kethwals are the second tribe of the area whose origins lie in Kerman Persia, they had travelled eastwards and settled the hills and established self-government. The Kethwals are spread over almost all over Pakistan, this tribe are well established in Tehsil Murree in Charhan, Ghel, Ban union Councils, and in Tehsil Kotli Sattian Dhir Kot Kethwalan, Challawara, Balawara, Kotli sattian, Perchan, Phofandi, Karl, Dornoian, Saanth Anwali, Saanth Sarrullah, Burhad,Badnian, kamra,Thoon, Kolyari, Dera Danoi, Andralian,Gola, Cela Saydan, Karur, in Kahutta Tehsil Punjar, Narr, Kautta City, Monhand, Kalar Saydian, in Rawalpindi Tehsil Shakrial, KuriRoad,Saadar, Raja bazar, Pir Wadai, Mughalabad, Dhamyal, Chakri Road, Adyala Road, Chantra, Morgah etc In Islamabad Kuri Shar, Nilore, Chirrah, Ali Pur, Pend begwal, Jang Kethwal, Bhara Kau, Dhoke Mango, Aabpara, Shakar Parian, Poona Fiqran, Ogrian Kurd and Kalan, Pindora. Wah and Taxila, Abbottabad Mansehra, Haripur, Galyat,Khewra, Penddaden Khan Jhelum, Deena, Mir Pur, Kotli Nankial, Sialkot, Shakar Ghar, Gujrat, Lala Musa, Kharian, Wazir Abad, Gujranwala, Mandi Bhaoddin, Sargodha, Jhang, Mochi Wala, Kala Shah Kaku, sheikhupura, Faisalabad, Pindi Bhattian, Sahiwal, Chicha Watni, Kot Uddu, Layya, D G Khan, and it's recognized to be one of the highest cast in Murree even in all over Pakistan located in bahawalpoor, Hyderabad, Jacobabad, Thatta, Badin and Karachi.
Raja Khaliquzzaman is the MPA in Junejo Government 1985-1988 from Wazirabad.
[edit] Satti
Before the creation of "Kotli Sattian" as a separate Tehsil from Murree - the Satti tribe was the second largest. Now they form a much smaller proportion of the population of Murree Tehsil, limited mainly to the 'Gehl Sattian' areas and a few groups living in Circle Bakote.
The Satties form a large part of the population in the following areas
- Kotli Sattian
- Dhanda
- Chahjana
- Whagal
- Dhir Kot Sattian
- Sari
- Bhan
- Sarmandal
- Balawara
- Perchan
- Durnoian
- Santhanwali
- Santh Sarrullah
- Malote Sattian
- Thoon
- Lehtrar
- Narr (in Khautta Tehsil)
Satties are famous for their bravery and served in the British Army before independence. Although the majority of the tribe live in Tehsil 'Kotli Sattian' - they have had influence elsewhere - such as in Murree's village of Ghel Sattian, Subedar Aalim Sher Khan Satti and Dafidar Khan Muhammad Satti played an active role politically during pre and post independence era in their village.
[edit] Dhanyal
Dhanyal is the third largest tribe in area.
[edit] Journalism History of Murree Hills and Circle Bakote
The local people of Murree Hills entered in journalism through newspaper selling profession in 1936.
There are four Daily Newspapers Daily Ousaf, Daily Musalman Daily Azkar and Daily Nawa-i-Hazara publishing from Islamabad by the editors of Murree Hills and Circle Bakote, named Raja Mehtab Khan of UC Phagwarhi, Tikka Khan Abbasi (well known Akhbarfrosh leader and ex-federal minister) of UC Jhika Gali, Ilyas Abbasi of Namb Romal and Khurshid Abbasi from Bakote.
There are also two weeklies are publishing regularly named Hill Post and other is Hill News.
The first high educated and fulltime journalist of Murree is Jawed Siddique (Jawed Akhter Abbasi) of Rawat, now resident editor of Daily Nawa-i-Waqt Islamabad. He started his carrier as journalist with Weekly Hurmat Islamabad, and then he joined Daily Jang Rawalpindi as political reporter, chief reporter Daily Nawa-i-waqt Rawalpindi, executive editor Daily Ousaf Islamabad till 2003.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
