Gilgit Baltistan, which is located in the extreme north of Pakistan, has a unique geographical, historical, cultural, political, and strategic position. This region has been called by different names in different periods of history.
In the early period, this area was known as Dardastan, Baluristan in the Middle Ages, and Gilgit from the middle of the nineteenth century to the seventh decade of the twentieth century. It was known as Baltistan.
In 1972, the then government of Pakistan named it Northern Areas (Northern Areas) for administrative purposes. On August 29, 2009, the then federal government issued a Presidential Ordinance called “Gilgit. Baltistan Empowerment and Self Governance Ordinance 2009”. It was named Gilgit-Baltistan instead of the northern region by the patronage of.
Gilgit Baltistan covers an area of 27,188 square miles. This region is located between 32 to 37 latitude and 71 to 75 longitude. The climate in these regions varies from region to region and from season to season. In the upper regions, winters are very cold, the high mountains are covered with white blanket of snow all the time and in summers, pleasant hot weather is observed in these upper regions. While in the lowlands there is intense heat in summer and cold weather in winter also shows its strength. Gilgit Rainfall in Baltistan is less than normal with an average rainfall of about six (6) inches per year.
Gilgit This vast region of Baltistan is located between three of the world’s highest mountain ranges, which include the Karakoram, Himalaya, and Hindu Kush ranges. Dozens of snow-capped peaks rise in these mountain ranges, including the world’s second and third-highest peaks, K. Two (K 2 ), and the highest peaks of Raka Poshi and Mushar Brom including Nanga Parbat are more famous. Similarly, Siachen (72 km), the longest glacier in the world outside the poles, has other long glaciers like Biafo (62 km), Hesper (61 km), Balturo (58 km), Batura (58 km), Gushar Brom. (38 km) and Chogo Lungma (38 km) are also spread in this peninsula.
Also, the historical passes of Babusar, Barzal, Qumri, Karakoram, Mastagh, Haspar, Khanjrab, Muntaka, Kulq, Irshad, Qarambar, Darkot, Brughal and Shandur also connect this land with other lands. Similarly, the beautiful lakes here, like Sadpara, Kachora, Deosai, Rama, Naltar, Phandar, and Attabad lakes invite the tourists. It is also important to mention the famous rivers here, whose names are: the Indus River, Shivok River, Shigar River, Hunza River, and Gilgit River etc.
Apart from them, other small rivers, bill-feeding rivers, swinging streams, and beautiful and heart-warming waterfalls around the green fields, glaziers, and rows of green trees enhance the beauty of this land. If any skilled tourist sees them, he will surely hum this Persian poem.
If Firdaus is on the earth, it is the same, and the same is the same, and the same is the same
As far as Gilgit. As far as the history of Baltistan is concerned, its history is very ancient. Archaeological studies show that its history spans millennia. Rather, Razul Kohistani, who has written excellent works on the history, culture, linguistics, and sociology of this northern region, while determining the ancient history of the north, writes that “geologists date the oldest man of northern Pakistan from 15,000 BC.” 150,000 years ago when it used to live in caves and rock lairs. The age of later man is estimated to be 3000 to 6000 years based on ancient rock formations, which is evidenced by various ancient rock formations. 1
However, the known political history shows that between the 5th and 7th centuries CE, Tibetan rule was established here. Then, after the defeat of the Tibetans by the Chinese in the 8th century AD, the local Shen Dard Shahi government was established with the support of the Chinese, until in the first quarter of the twelfth century, the Tarakhans abolished the Dard Shahi government and established their own dynastic government. Gilgit There were more or less a dozen dynastic governments in other areas of Baltistan.
Then in the fourth decade of the nineteenth century, the governments of the Sikhs of Punjab (1842) and then the Dogars of Kashmir (1846) were established. However, Gilgit. The local dynastic states of Baltistan also continued to exist. In the closing years of the seventeenth decade of the nineteenth century, the British Government of India established a British agency in Gilgit to stop the Russian advance, and in 1876, Major John Biddulph, as an officer on special duty, reached Hunza and Nagar in Gilgit. In the second year i.e. 1877, he was appointed as the British agent in Gilgit.
In 1881, he was recalled from Gilgit, and the agency was reduced. Then in 1889, Gilgit Agency was established for the second time and Colonel Algernon Durand was appointed as the Political Agent. In 1891, under the leadership of Durand, the conquest of Hunza and Nagar took place. In 1893, a boundary between Afghanistan and British India was determined in the Hindu Kush, which is called the Durand Line. This line stretches for a long distance of 1200 miles from the Srikol mountain range in the Pamirs in the north to the Iranian border in the southwest.
Then in 1935, under an agreement, British India took Gilgit and its adjoining area from Maharaja Kashmir Hari Singh on a sixty-year lease. As a result, administrative affairs and military affairs came out of the hands of the Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir and came under the control of the Government of British India. Then the whole of Gilgit. British rule was established in Baltistan and Chitral.
After the establishment of Pakistan in 1947, Gilgit Scouts liberated this region from the domination of Dogars with the help and cooperation of the people and annexed it to Pakistan. From that time till now the government of Pakistan has been running here. Improvement of governance has been partially done and now a provincial setup has also been created, but there is a need to imbue this administrative structure with the spirit of the constitution and make it a full-fledged constitutional province.
Gilgit The ethnic history of Baltistan is also important. Gilgit Baltistan is inhabited by the Sheen, Yashkan, and Balti ethnic groups. The Shen, also known as Dard, belong to the Aryan race that took over and defeated the Brushu, also known as Yashkin. The conquerors called the conquered Broshu as Yashkin. But those Brushus who fled from Gilgit and settled in Hunza, Nagar, and Yasin were called Brushus and kept their language and culture alive.
As far as the ethnic background of the Baltis is concerned, they belonged to the Tibetan and Mongol races. It is said that the present Balti race and nationality were formed as a result of intermarriage between Mongols, Tibetans, and Dardas and their mutual cultural and ethnic relations and mixing. In this way, people of Chitrali, Wakhi, Kashmiri, Badakhshani, Kashghari, Iranian, and Arab origin have been settling here in different periods of history.
The land of the North is extremely diverse and diverse in terms of race and nationality. Along with different races, nations, and tribes, different languages were also formed. So at that time Gilgit. A dozen local and non-local languages are spoken in Baltistan. Among the local languages are Sheena, Balti, Brushski, Khowar, Vakhi, and Domaki while the non-local languages are Kashmiri, Gujri, Kashghari, Pashto, and Persian. All the people here understand Urdu as the national language of our country Pakistan and in our educational institutions i.e. schools, colleges, and universities, Urdu is also the academic language of the country as a medium of education and learning. Read and write.
A large number of educated people and especially a large number of the new generation also understand, read and speak English. Now the trend of learning the Chinese language is also increasing rapidly and Chinese language centers have also been established here. However, Shina has the status of a contact language or common language (lingua franca) among local languages.
Now Gilgit. The pre-Islamic religious history of Baltistan is referred to. The history of pre-Islamic religions is also very ancient, but it is as ancient as human history here. Among the ancient religions here, the first religion was Bonism. As a Pakistani writer, Nadira Zaidi, in her essay “Balti Adab”, which was published in the “History of Muslims of Pakistan and India”, writes about Baltistan: “Before Islam, the people of Baltistan were followers of Buddhism.”
Before that, goddesses were worshiped and the religion of that time was called Bon Chhos [i.e. Bon Mutt].” 2 According to Kachu Sikandar Khan Sikandar, the author of the book ‘Qadim Ladakh’ written in Urdu, the founder of Bon Mutt. “Shen Lord Meidu” was a person who belonged to the Shen race. 3 In this sense, Bonism is considered to be the local religion of Shen Dardas and the center of this religion is Gilgit. While the early religion of Tibet is also said to be Bon Mat.
Therefore, a Western writer and thesis writer L. Oh, Waddell (L. A. Waddell) writes that: “The aboriginal pre. The Buddhist religion of Tibet is called by the people Bon; and those who profess it are called Bon. pa, i. e. ‘The Bones’. 4 That is, “The native religion of Tibet before Buddhism is called by the people Bon, and those who believe in it are called Bon Pa, i.e. followers of the Bon religion. “
In Badi-Nazar, though, there is a difference of opinion as to whether the original homeland of Bonism is Gilgit or Baltistan (Tibet Khurd) or Ladakh (Tibet Kalan)? But a cursory look at history shows that Bonism was the early religion of the Shindars, as claimed by Kachu Sikandar Khan Sikandar. Also, A. H. A study of the book A History of Ladakh by A. H. Francke shows that when the Dardas migrated from Gilgit to Tibet in the early period of history, they took their native religion with them to Tibet and practiced Buddhism there. Keep it in practice till arrival.
5 From this, the hypothesis can be established that Bon Mat reached Tibet Kalan (Ladakh) with the Shen Dards and from there spread to Tibet Khurd i.e. Baltistan. The other situation was that in the early periods when the Dardas migrated from Gilgit to Ladakh, they also went from Gilgit to Baltistan. They also took with them the religious beliefs of Bonism.
As Colonel Muhammad Zakir writes in his book ‘Siachen Glacier’, “According to historical evidence, the human population in Baltistan began before the birth of Gautama Buddha by those nations who migrated from Gilgit through the Indus Valley into the Skardu Valley or through the Hunza. / Nagar settled in the Sugar Valley and from Ladakh in the Navam Valley.” 6 This is confirmed by Colonel John Biddulph’s book ‘Tribes of Hindukush’. Entries also occur. So from this evidence, it is known that Gilgit. The early and indigenous religion of Baltistan was Bonism and its birthplace was Gilgit, from where it was propagated in Tibet and Tibet clans through Shen Dards.
Also, the early history of the Dard tribes is very old. Modern archaeological research dates it to the Bronze and Iron Ages. So Mr. Nazir, a scholar of the Department of Archeology of Pakistan. Oh In 1994, a team led by Khan.
Gilgit in 1995. Prepared a detailed report on the archeology of Baltistan, according to which, in the areas of the northern regions where people of the Dard race live today, traces of such graves have been found, which belong to the Bronze and Iron Age, and there is little doubt in this. There is a possibility that these graves were built by the ancestors of Dardas. 7 The Bronze Age spans several millennia, and it expanded to Europe in the 5th century BC. So, in view of these facts, it would be correct to say that the history of pain and religion goes back to the unknown history of BC.
After Bon Buddhism, Buddhism spread in this region. Buddhism, according to Alexander Cunningham, spread to Tibet in the middle of the 7th century AD. 8 And from here it spread to Gilgit. It started happening in Baltistan too. Because at that time these areas were under the control of Tibet. This is also confirmed by the statement of the German researcher Dr. Karl Zetmar, in which he writes that:
It is quite possible because the area had remained under Tibetan overlordship.
Translation: “This is possible because the area was under the control of Tibet.”
Similarly, the British Political Agent in Gilgit, Colonel Algernon Durendas, while describing the status of Buddhism in the Dardastan region, writes: “It seems that Buddhism would have gained a lot of power during this period. As is evident from the abundance of tall altars and other Buddhist temples throughout the Hindu Kush’s dimensions. Chitral, Pinyal, Gilgit, Nagar, and Baltistan have a large number of Buddhist stupas and statues of Gautama Buddha, which means that this religion flourished in the region for centuries.” 10
The Hunza Valley in particular has been a center of Buddhism due to its geographical location which is evidenced by history. In this regard, a Pakistani researcher Iqbal M. Shafi writes:
“Before the advent of Islam towards the end of the eighth century, Hunza had been a stronghold of Buddhism, preceded by Hinduism.” 11
Translation: Before the arrival of Islam in the late 8th century, Hunza had been under the stronghold of Buddhism, which was furthered by Hinduism.
Because the route from Taxila, the center of Buddhism, to China, was through Hunza. Chinese pilgrims used to go to Taxila and Gandhara to preach and teach Buddhism through this route. While Buddhism was spreading widely in China at that time. Therefore, Iqbal M. Shafi’ writes: “Buddhism traveled to China through this route and famous early travelers such as Fahyan (400 AD) and Hien Tsang (7th century AD) during their visits to the centers of Buddhist learning at Taxila, Chandra and Narada visited them. used to travel from the regions.” 12
After Buddhism, the beliefs of Hinduism also spread here. Hinduism was the religion of the Shandars in particular. As John Biddulph opines on the basis of some evidence: “The Shins introduced Hinduism into Gilgit and the surrounding valleys during their reign.”13 While Durand elaborates on this point of view. What is described by He writes: “The fact that the religion of the Shin tribes was Hinduism does not require any explanation or proof.” Their sanctity of the cow, their strict caste distinction, and their carelessness in preserving the ancient relics of Buddhism are clear proofs that the Shin people were Hindus.” 14
Apart from these religions, traces of Zoroastrianism, Magi, and Shamanism are also found here. There is also evidence of paganism, pluralism, or pantheism. According to historians, in the ancient era, not only Iran but also Central Asia, Wakhan, Gilgit. The entire region up to Baltistan and Chitral was once the cradle of Zoroastrianism. Thus John Biddulph writes: “The Amu Valley has been the cradle of Zoroastrianism, and the valleys south of the Hindu Kush are unlikely to have escaped its influence.
In Wakhan there are many towers and structures attributed to fire-worshippers, and the tradition of this worship is also present in Yasin.” 15 Biddulph, on the same page of his book, describes Gilgit’s ritual of tilini (charaghan or torch-carrying procession) in December. Nos) writes that: “In the part of the tilini [ritual] in the festival of Nos, we probably see traces of the Magian worship in these countries.” While Prof. Also determines the era of Zoroastrianism.
He writes that 500 BC. Around 1000 BC, our region was engulfed by occultism, and at the same time, the Zoroastrian culture and civilization spread. 16 The above opinion of the said professor regarding the determination of the history of Zoroastrianism and Zoroastrianism in these areas seems to be correct. Before the invasion of Alexander the Greeks over all of India and Central Asia but also Gilgit. Baltistan was also ruled by the Achaemenids of Iran, whose official religion was Zoroastrianism. As the well-known Pakistani historian and archaeologist Dr. Ahmed Hassan Dani writes:
This region of Gilgit was a territorial part of the Achaemenid. 17 That is, “This region of Gilgit was part of the Achaemenid Empire.”
Gilgit Shamanism has also been dominant in Baltistan and its surroundings. Because the land from here to the Mongolian region has been a place of shamanic ideas and culture for centuries if not millennia. Shaman is called Kahan in Urdu, Dhinal in Shina, and Bitan in Brushski. In the past, priests were strong in Gilgit, Hunza, Nagar, and other adjacent areas. Local traditions say that fairy palaces are built on great snow-capped peaks like Nanga Parbat and Rakha Poshi, from where fairies visit nearby human settlements and exert their influence on human beings, whether male or female. Due to this those humans gradually take the form of priests and through these fairies, they bring news from the world of jinn, which can also be called the invisible world or in a sense spiritual presentation. They make predictions.
This is the reason why priests have had a profound influence on the political, social, religious, and even health and economy of this region. In the past, the shaman or priests here used to tell the fate of people, but also the news of life and death. Rajas Maharajas Mirans and Mehtarans also consulted priests for their military campaigns. There have been many famous priests in this region, among which Dhinal Khimto in Gilgit and Shon Gukur in Hunza are more famous. According to elders, many of his predictions have come true.
Similarly, pluralism, which should also be called pantheism, was also common in these areas. Sometimes animals were worshipped, sometimes stones and trees were worshiped and prayers were sought from them. So in each valley of Diamar, there were gods with different names who were worshipped. According to Carl Jutmar, Taiban was worshiped in Gor and Naron in Chilas. 18
The Hunza Valley, as mentioned above, like other valleys, was dominated by Buddhism but also had traces of Hinduism and Manifestism. Places where the dead were cremated are also identified here. The people of Hunza used to worship a special animal called “Boyo” in the local language. People used to ask for their needs from these animals. These animals were similar in shape to a dog’s paw.
Those who worshiped them used to take offerings of ghee and milk etc. to the appointed place, the sign of acceptance of the need was that these animals would leave this place and lick the needs of those who offered the need, and the need was not accepted. In this case, these animals did not come out of this particular place and did not meet the needs of the needy. 19 According to Müller, the book is a juniper, a spring-like tree [called “chili” in Sheena and “gal” in Burushski], growing out from under the rocks.
These loud trees were also called ‘boyo junipers’. According to Müller Hay, cutting down these trees was considered very unlucky. 20 According to this tradition, along with animal worship, tree worship was also prevalent in this region. This is also confirmed by a tradition from Biddulph. Regarding the beliefs of Gilgit and the surrounding Dard areas, he writes: “The Shin people introduced tree worship along with Hinduism. 21
Not only in the regions of Gilgit and Hunza, the practice of tree worship was common, but in the Himalayan country as a whole, this ritual was prevalent and the juniper tree was considered sacred. Because this evergreen tree grows and thrives on the tops of mountains. Similarly, a local flower called “Mir Mukhuti”, which grows and blooms on the high peaks of the mountains was also considered sacred. In the context of this sanctity lies the secret that on the tops of high mountains, there is the abode of fairies i.e. Prastan and these fairies are said to be invisible beings and are pure and free from physical luxuries and impurities. And are holy.
Their sacred tree is juniper and their favorite flower is “Mir Makhoti”. Thus, in this entire Himalayan region, the sanctity and sanctity of trees and flowers is Muslim. A European tourist. T. G. T. Vine, who visited these regions in the first half of the nineteenth century AD, writes that Dr. Royle (Dr. Royle) named a particular type of juniper as juniper religiosa. is given So generally the inhabitants of the Himalayas consider it sacred. Because it grows and flourishes at a very high altitude, where, according to the imaginations of these natives, the abodes of jinns and spirits reside. 22
Gilgit With the advent of Islam in Baltistan, the above religions, which were all uninspired religions, became extinct. Currently, four sects of Islam are prevalent here: Ahle-e-Sunnah wa-ul-Jamaat, Twelver Shia, Ismaili Shia, and Noor Bakhshiya Shia. Brief accounts of these four Muslim sects will be described in chronological order in another paper.
References
1. Razol Kohistani. “Archaeology of Northern Pakistan.” A Brief Review”, ‘Sarbuland’, Volume: 1, Issue No: 1, Editor: Zubair Torwali, Institute of Education and Development, Swat, March 2021, p. 29
2 Nadira Zaidi. “Balti Adab”, “History of Muslim Literature of Pakistan and India”, Volume 14, Regional Literature of West Pakistan, (Volume II), Editor: Syed Faiz Mahmood, Punjab University, Lahore, p. 12; Syed Alam Astori. ‘Linguistic Review of Northern Regions’, Islamabad, 1990, p. 32
3. Kachu Sikandar Khan Sikandar. ‘Ancient Ladakh: History and Civilization’, Kacho Publishers, Leh, Ladakh, 1987, p.
4. L. A. Waddell. “Tibet”, Encyclopaedia of Religion and Ethics, edited by James Hastings, volume xii, T & T. Clark, Edinburgh, second edition, 1934, p. 333
5. A. H. Franke. A History of Ladakh, Book Traders, Lahore, 1995, pp. 27. 38
6. Muhammad Zakir ‘Siachen Glacier’, Skardu, Baltistan, 1991, p. 29; June Biddulph. ‘Tribes of Hindu Kush’, translated by Javed Shaheen, Sang-e-Mail Publications, Lahore, 1991, p. 67. 75
7. Ahmad Hasan Dani. History of Northern Areas of Pakistan, Sang. e. Meel Publications, Lahore, 2007, p. 422
8. Alexander Cunningham. Ladakh, London, 1954, pp. 356. 359
9. Karl Jettmar. Bolor and Dardistan, Islam Abad, 1980, p. 5
10. Colonel Algernon Durand. ‘The Search for Borders’, Translator: Lt. Col. (Rtd) Ghulam Jilani Khan, Dost Publications, Islamabad, 2009, p. 209. 210
11. Iqbal M. Shafi. Silk Road to Xinjiang, Lahore, 1988, p. 41
12. Also, p. 42
13. June Biddulph. ‘ Tribes of the Hindu Kush ‘, p. 147
14. Durand. ‘Searching for Frontiers’, p. 210; Jon Biddulph also seems convinced of the same point of view. She writes: There are good reasons for believing that the religion of the Shinas was Hindu in nature. (John Biddulph. Tribes of the Hindu Kush, translated by Javed Shaheen, Sang-e-Mail Publications, Lahore, 1991, p. 145)
15. J. Biddulph. Tribes of Hidukush, Karachi, reprint, 1977, originally published in 1880, p. 108. 109
16. Usman Ali “Karakoram Region: Languages and Society”, Maqbool Academy, Lahore, 1996, p. 18
17. A. H. Dani. History of Northern Areas of Pakistan, Sang. e. Meel Publications, Lahore, reprinted 2007, p. 123
18. Karl Jettmar. Bolor and Dardistan, Islam Abad, 1980, p. 64; This is described by Biddulph. See Biddulph. Tribes of Hidukush, p. 15
19. Fida Ali Isar. ‘Ismaili Dawat in the Northern Regions: A Historical Review’, Atrab, Karachi, 1991, p. 17; Müller. Hunza, p. 211
20. Müller. Hunza, p. 211
21. Biddulph. ‘Tribes of the Hindu Kush’, p. 147
- GT Vigne. Travels in Kashmir, Ladakh, Iskardo, vol. 2, London, 1872. First published in 1845, pp. 222. 223
Bibliography
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Itsar, Fida Ali. ‘Ismaili Dawat in the Northern Regions: A Historical Review’, Atrab, Karachi, 1991.
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Zakir, Muhammad. ‘Siachen Glacier’, Askrid, Baltistan, 1991
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Corbin, H. “Nasir-i-Khusrow and Iranian Ismailism”, Cambridge History of Iran. Vol. 4, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1975
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reprinted 2007
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