Behali, Pakistan
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (December 2015) |
Bahali
Behali | |
|---|---|
Union council and town | |
 | |
| Country | Pakistan |
| Region | Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa |
| District | Mansehra District |
| Villages | Matehal, Rehar, Karer, Behali (Capital of Union Council), Ogra, Hussania, Potha, Matihaal |
| Time zone | UTC+5 (PST) |
Bahali | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Country |  Pakistan |
| Province | Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa |
| Population (200000) | |
| • Total | 200,000 |
Bahali is a village and union council (an administrative subdivision) of the Mansehra District in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan.[1] Bahali is part of Mansehra Tehsil and is located at the boundary area of the Mansehra district and the Abbottabad district, west from the Karakurram highway at Qalanderabad. It is a valley surrounded by mountains. It is inhabited by Turks, Tanolis, Awan, Gujjar, Syeds, Pathan a few other smaller tribes.
Etymology Behali is actually a distortion of the word Bahali, which means "restoration." Tradition holds that the reason the village was named Bahali was due to its successive destruction by various tribes and Sikhs and its final restoration by Karlugh Turks, descendants of the former rulers of Pakhli Sarkar. These Karlugh Turks are still one of the influential tribes in the Hazara area. History After the fall and disintegration of the Turkic Pakhli Sarkar, the Turks continued their rule in the areas between Sherwan and Mangal till the arrival of the Sikhs in 1817-18. They were deprived of further areas during the 1872 settlement. Under the settlement, they continued to possess about thirty thousand (30000) kanals, equivalent to 7,500 acres (30 km2) of lands between RichhBehn (Abbottabad) and Bahali (Mansehra). The Turks constructed a fort between Kakot and Mochikot, called the Mochikot fort. This fort proved to be a very strong place of resistance for Turks because of its hilltop location.
Rehabilitation
Raja Asalat Khan was the first person who settled in Behali in around 1795. However, the Turks were dislodged from Behali by Sikhs in 1817. These Bahali Turks migrated to Kashmir and stayed with their relatives in Thangar Shawai Turkan. After General Hari Singh Nalwa invited them back to resettle in Behali, they finally returned around one and a half years later. Disputes developed again with the Sikhs and the Behali Turks took asylum in the Mochikot fort. Raja Asalat passed his last days in Richhbehn. He is buried in Sohlan Bala near Kot-reen graveyard. Raja Paras Khan, with the help of his brother Raja Maazullah Khan (both brave sons of Raja Asalat Khan), established control over the jageer on strong footing and started residing permanently in Behali. Sikh rule was generally miserable for the Turks of Behali so the Turks joined British forces to overthrow Sikhs like all other tribes of Hazara. After Raja Maazulla Khan was murdered under mysterious conditions, Raja Paras Khan continued to fight against adversaries and rose to prominence. He succeeded in regaining Turks lost authority and finally the Turks got permanent control of a small region between Behali and Richbehan.
Nowadays, Gujjar, Turks, Tanolis, Syed, Swati and Awan are the dominant tribes in terms of political sway at the local level. Previously, Raja Masood ur Reman (Turk) was UC Nazim and now position is held by Muhammad Afsar Niazi (Tanoli). After devolution, the first Nazim was Ghulam Mustafa (Gujjar).
References
See also
- Imperial Gazetteer of India, volume 13
- History of Tanolians
- Ain-e-Akbari
- Tareekh e Farishta
- Land Revenue Record
