THE CHITRALIANS

Little is known of the early history of Chitral and rock inscriptions and early traditions give little evidence on this subject. This mountainous country which was first referred to as Kohistan or land of the mountains was said to be inhabited by a race called "Khows" speaking a separate language Khowar, or language of the Khows. Some people say that it was Khowistan - the abode of the Khows. Separate parts of the country came to be called Torkhow - Upper Khow, Mulkhow - Lower Khow, names which persist to the present day. An early Sanskrit inscription at a village called Barenis (27 miles away from Chitral) of about AD 900 records that the country was Buddhist, under King Jaipal of Kabul. It is believed that Upper Chitral was under Buddhist influence in the past and even today there are a few rocks in Torkhow area known as "Kalandar-i-Bohtni" (Mendicant of Stone). It is a figure of a stupa; the upper part of which has been cut into the figure of Buddha and may be

Chitral is undoubtedly the most romantic, captivating and enchanting place in the majestic Hindukush range. It is a mountainous area in the extreme north of Pakistan. The landscape of Chitral is extremely mysterious with its steep harsh mountains, lush green valleys, beautiful meadows and big glaciers which have made it one of the most difficult and inaccessible areas of the world. Chitral is divided into small valleys by the mighty Hindukush range. The highest peak in this range is Terichmir, which lies at a height of 25,263 feet, just 36 miles away from Chitral town. It is also called the palace of fairies. No mountain in the region is less than 4,000 feet and over 40 peaks have an altitude of 20,000 ft.Chitral is surrounded by the Wakhan, Badkhshan, Asmar and Nooristan provinces of Afghanistan in the north, west and south-west. On its southern boundary lies the upper district of Dir, while in the east is Gilgit-Baltistan and in the southeast the valley of Swat and Kohistan dist