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It has been suggested that Hazara Division and Talk:Hazara (Pakistan)#Merger proposal be merged into this article. (Discuss) Proposed since February 2008.

Hazara is a valley and region located in the North-West Frontier Province of Pakistan. Until the year 2000 the region was an administrative subdivision of the NWFP known as Hazara Division - headquartered at the city of Abbottabad. However in 2000 divisions, as part of an administrative shake up, were abolished - although the division has been abolished by the government, the identity and name has still retained been and is used in other areas. For example the University of Hazara based in Mansehra provides higher education to people of the region.

History

Mahabharata evidence , combined with evidence from 7th c Chinese traveller Hiuen Tsang attests that Hazara District of Kashmir had formed part of epic Kamboja and that the Kamboja rulers of this region observed republican system of government .

Hazara has several places of significance for the Hindus related to the Pandavas .

'There are the five Pandavas , the heroes of the Mahabharat favourite objects of worship in the east and sometimes addressed as the Panj Pir. Many are the legends current about these heros and they are localised at quite a number of places . The Hill of Mokshpuri , just above Dunga Gali has an elevation of 9232 feet . Its name means 'the hill of salvation' and on its summit is a Panduan da Sthan , or place of the Pandavas , where it is said they were visited and tempted by Apsaras who still frequent the place .

Geography and climate

Hazara is bounded on the north and east by the Northern Areas and Azad Kashmir. To the south are the Islamabad Capital Territory and the province of Punjab, whilst to the west lies the rest of the North-West Frontier Province. The river Indus runs through the division in a north-south line, forming much of the western border of the division. The total area of Hazara is 18,013 km².

Because it lies immediately south of the main Himalaya Range, and is exposed to moist winds from the Arabian Sea, Hazara is the wettest part of Pakistan. At Abbottabad, annual rainfall averages around 1,200mm (47 inches) but has been as high as 1,800mm (70 inches), whilst in parts of Mansehra District such as Balakot the mean annual rainfall is as high as 1,750mm (68 inches). Due to its location on the boundary between the monsoonal summer rainfall regime of East Asia and the winter-dominant Mediterranean climate of West Asia, Hazara has an unusual bimodal rainfall regime, with one peak in February or March associated with frontal southwest cloudbands and another monsoonal peak in July and August. The driest months are October to December, though in the wettest parts even these months average around 40mm (1.6 inches).

Due to the high altitude, temperatures in Hazara are cooler than on the plains, though Abbottabad at 1,200m still has maxima around 32°C (90°F) with high humidity in June and July. Further up, temperatures are cooler - often cooler than the Northern Areas valleys due to the cloudiness. In winter, temperatures are cold, with minima in January around 0°C (32°F) and much lower in the high mountains. Snowfalls are not uncommon even at lower levels.

Population

The population of the Hazara region was estimated to be over 4.5 million in 2005. The total area of Hazara is 18013 km²: See table below.

Demographics

Approximately half of the population speaks Gujri and Hindko and most of the rest speak Pashto. Small numbers of people speak other languages, but there is considerable bilingualism and multilingualism amongst the population. The districts of Haripur and Abbottabad have higher literacy rates than most districts of the province.

In addition, Afghan refugees, although predominantly Pashtun (including the Ghilzai and Durrani tribes), and other smaller groups found throughout the Division.

The population of Hazara was estimated to be over 4.5 million in 2005.

The University of Hazara provides higher education to people of the region.

Transport

Hazara lies close to the crossroads formed by the river Indus and the Grand Trunk Road. The Karakoram Highway begins at the town of Havelian and goes north through the division towards China via the Northern Areas.

See also

• 1974 Hunza earthquake

References

1. Hazara -Nordisk familjebok
2. MBH 7.4.5; 7/91/39-40.
3. Watters, Yuan Chawang, Vol I, p 284.
4. See refs: Mahabharata 7/91/39-40; Political History of Ancient India, 1996, p 133, 218/220, Dr H. C. Raychaudhury, Dr B. N. Mukerjee; History of India – 1944, P 94; Narendra Krishna Sinha, Anil Chandra Banerjee; Chilas: The City of Nanga Parvat (Dyamar) – 1983, Page 120, Ahmad Hasan Dani; Indological Studies – 1950, P 18, Dr B. C. Law; A Companion to Middle Indo-Aryan Literature – 1977, P 168, Suresh Chandra Banerji; A Companion to Sanskrit Literature: spanning a period of over three thousand years, containing... – 1971, P 486, Sures Chandra Banerji; Asoka - P 31, Dr R. G. Bhandarkar; J.N. Banerjea Volume: A Collection of Articles by His Friends and Pupils, 1960, p 18, University of Calcutta. Dept. of Ancient Indian History and Culture. Alumni Association.
5. A glossary of the tribes and castes of the Punjab and North -West provinces , compiled by H A Rose , vol I Page 120

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