User:Fayaz shahmansoor

THE PROFILE OF SHAHMANSOOR DISTRICT SWABI KHYBER PAKHTUNKHWA

 union council and historical village of district Swabi, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pakistan.

HISTORY GEOGRAPHY CULTURE PROMINENT PERSONS ECONOMIC SYSTEM RELIGIOUS ACTIVITIES MODERN AMENITIES SUPERSTITIONS IMPORTANCE

1-	HISTORY

Shahmansoor is a traditional and historical village of district Swabi, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The inhabitants of Shahmansoor belong to Mandanr clan, a sub clan of Yousafzai clan. It is named after a chief of Yousafzai clan, Malak Shahmansoor Khan, son of Malak Suleiman Shah and cousin of Malak Ahmed. It was under the unflinching and undaunted leadership of Malak Ahmad, that the Yousafzai tribe came from Afghanistan and settled down first in Quetta and then in Swat and Peshawar valley. In 1526, when Mughal Emperor Baber attacked India, he faced a strong resistance at the hands of Malak Shahmansoor. This tough resistance compelled Baber to conclude a peace agreement with Malak Shahmansoor. The kings of those times, in order to get the allegiance of a tribe would made matrimonial relationship with that tribe. So, Baber married Bibi Mubaraka, the daughter of Malak Shahmansoor and succeeded in gaining the support of Yousafzai tribe for a short period. However, this alliance could not produce the expected results and both Yousafzai and Mughal remained at dragger drawn with each other for a long time. It is said that Bibi Mubaraka remained barren because other wives of Baber fed her some medicines to make her infertile. But true to her Pakhtun’s traditions, she remained loyal to Baber throughout her life. The history of present day Shahmansoor is almost five hundred years old but the presence of mounds, ruins and old relics of ancient Gandhara civilization in the village, testify the fact that this place had been inhabited for thousands of years with different names. The coins and ornaments digging out of the Bottaka Dherai belong to the kings of Kushan period, King Vasu Dev and King Kidara (150BC-250BC). Similarly, coins of Muslim period have also been dug out from the Bottaka Dherai, which reveal that it had remained with the name of Bottaka Dherai for more than 800 years. The remnants and signs in the Bottaka Dherai reveal that it might be devastated by earthquake. Chatha Dherai is another archaeological site situated in Shahmansoor’s Meera. The excavation in Chatha Dherai includes ornaments, coins, statues and utensils which confirm that it was inhibited by Hindus. The prime location of Chatha Dherai depict that once it was the capital of the adjacent area and a great center of civic activities. The prominent learned and pious chief of Yousafzai (Mandanr) clan, Malak Gaju Khan Baba stayed in his last days in Chatha Dherai. His tomb lies in Chatha Dherai and attracts a lot of tourists. In the period of Gaju Khan Baba, imminent Sufi and Alim Molana Abdul Wahab popularly known as Akhun Panju Baba was born Chatha Dherai in 1538 AD (945 Hijri). Akhun Panju Baba after staying at different stations finally reached Nowshehra, where he established a madrassa and settled down there. He died in 1630 AD (1040 Hijri) and were buried there in Nowshehra. His tomb is crowded all the time with men and women from all walks of life. Furthermore, there are other places in Shahmansoor like Shingrai, Ilyasi Dherai, Kanro Dherai and Budh Serai which speaks of its historical glory and grandeur. The successive disasters at the hands of Pathans tribes compelled the Mughal emperor, Aurangzeb to come to the spot (Hasan Abdal) and direct the operations in person. With his arrival many Pathan clans were won over by grants of presents, pensions and jagirs and posts in Mughal army but these tactics were ineffective in securing the obedience of the Yousafzais. In 1667, Aurangzeb, himself led the famous expedition against Yousafzai tribe and stayed in Hasan Abdal. This battle was fought at Chapai in Shahmansoor. The Yousafzai fought very bravely under the leadership of Bhagu Khan and inflicted a crushing defeat on Mughal army. Although the Yousafzai suffered a heavy loss in men and money yet did not surrender to Mughals. The people of Shahmansoor also took active part in Jihad movement against Sikhs and provided full support to Syed Ahmed Shaheed Barailvi. In this connection a famous battle was fought in Shahmansoor at the spot where now Judicial Complex and District Headquarter is situated. In those days the people of Shahmansoor have had their barley-mows and granaries in the said place, which was attacked by the Sikh’s army to plunder the grain. The people of Shahmansoor fought gallantly and cut the Sikhs soldiers in to pieces. Some Sikhs fled away from the battlefield to save their lives. Beside the contemporary weapons, the people of Shahmansoor used pitch-forks (Sangai) so excessively that they are said to have killed three Sikhs with one stroke. Due to their gallantry and utmost courage at the battlefield it has almost become proverbial about Shahmansoor that “Shahmansoor kalay bahadar day guzar yao kri lagi dri” means that the people of Shahmansoor are so brave that they can shot dead three person with one stroke. This hotly-contested battle was led by Malak Najeeb Ullah Khan of Shahmansoor, who displayed splendid feats of bravery in the battlefield. He is the great grandfather of prominent writer Noor ul Amin Yousafzai and socialworker, Hamdullah Yousafzai.