Kalat (Brahui: Kalát, Urdu: قلات) or Qalat is a historical town located in Kalat District, Balochistan, Pakistan. Kalat is the capital of Kalat District and is known locally as Kalat-i-Baloch and Kalat-i-Sewa.[1]
Qalat, formerly Qilat, is located roughly in the center of Balochistan, Pakistan, south and slightly west of the provincial capital Quetta. It was the capital of the Kalat Khanate.
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The population is mostly Muslim, with a Hindu population of two percent.[2] In addition, there are some Hindu Hindkowan merchants who have settled in Kalat.[3][1] As such, there is a Hindu mandir below citadel of the city, dedicated to the Kali; this mandir dates to the pre-Islamic era of Indian subcontinent.[1]
| Kalat, Pakistan | |
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| Religion | Sunni Muslims |
It has been known in earlier times as Kalat-i-Seva (from a legendary Hindu king) and Kalat-i Nicari which connects it with the Brahoi tribe of Nicari , which is generally accepted as belonging to the oldest branch of the indigenous Brahois[4]
The town of Kalat is said to have been founded by and named Qalat-e Sewa (Sewa's Fort), after Sewa, a legendary hero of the Brahui people
The origins of the Brahui speaking tribes are uncertain, but their language indicates they are a Northern Dravidian people whose language has been modified by residence in the proximity of largely Iranian peoples, most notably the Baloch with whom the Brahui have been greatly mixed. The Brahui people had already long been resident in the Qalat area when the Balochi speaking tribes arrived from the west. The Balochis established a large kingdom in the 15th century, but it soon declined and the region fell to Afghan and Iranian invaders. The Brahui Khans of Qalat were dominant from the 16th century onwards until the arrival of the British in the 19th century. A treaty was signed in 1876 to make Qalat part of the British Empire.
In 1947, the Khan of Kalat reportedly acceded to the dominion of India. But his accession papers were returned by Jawaharlal Nehru, the Prime Minister of India.[5][6][7]
In 1947, the Khan of Qalat, Mir Ahmad Yar Khan, decided to join Pakistan on request of Muhammad Ali Jinnah(founder of Pakistan), and decision was made that defence, currency, foreign office and finance will be controlled by federal govt. rest the province will control by itself. but later, after death of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, formation of one unit changed this situation and it was merged into Pakistan like other areas.
In 1948, Qalat became part of Pakistan when the British withdrew. The last Khan of Qalat was formally removed from power in 1955, but the title is still claimed by his descendents. The current Khan of Qalat is Mir Suleman Dawood Khan.