Mansehra

Mansehra Urdu: مانسہرہ) is a town located in Mansehra District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan.

History

Maurya Dynasty

During the Maurya dynasty, Ashoka the Great was the governor of this area where he was a prince. After the death of his father, the Mauryan emperor Bindusara, Ashoka ascended to the throne around 272 B.C. and made this area one of the major seats of his government. The Edicts of Ashoka inscribed on three large boulders on the side of a rocky outcrop near Mansehra serve as evidence of his rule. The Mansehra rocks record fourteen of Ashoka's edicts, presenting aspects of the emperor's dharma or righteous law, and represent some of the earliest evidence of writing in South Asia. Dating to middle of the third century BC, they are written from right to left in the Kharosthi script.

Sikh Rule

The fall of the Durranis led way for the Sikhs to rise to power under Ranjit Singh. The Sikhs gained control of the area in 1818. The actual town or city of Mansehra founded by Man Singh, a Sikh governor. Soon after the Sikh rule, popular uprisings against the Sikhs began. However, the uprisings failed. The rule of the Sikhs ended in 1849. This is when the area came under the British rule.

Mansehra District

Mansehra District (مانسہرہ) is in the Hazara division of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. Mansehra district and town are named after Man Singh, a leading general of Mughal Emperor Akbar. It is considered as an important tourist location due to Kaghan Valley area being located in the district and the Karakoram Highway passing through the district. Its population in 1998 was 1,152,839.

Constituencies

The district is represented in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly by six elected MPAs who represent the following constituencies:

The district is represented in the National Assembly of Pakistan by two elected MNAs who represent the following constituencies:

Geography

Mansehra is located at the eastern border of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, four hours away from Peshawar and three hours away from Islamabad. The district is located at 34° – 12' and 35° – 50' and 47° – 07' longitude. It is closely linked to Afghanistan in the west, which has increased the number of Afghan refugees in Mansehra over the past years.

Mansehra (Rural)

Mansehra (Rural) is a Union Council (an administrative subdivision) of Mansehra District in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. It is located in the south of the district and to the southeast of the district capital, Mansehra.

References