Kulachi
Encyclopedia
Kulachi is a city and the headquarters of Kulachi Tehsil
(an administrative subdivision) of Dera Ismail Khan District
in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan
. It is located at 31°55′49"N 70°27′31"E at an altitude of 209 metres (688 feet). It is situated 45 km from Dera Ismail Khan
in the Damaan valley of the Sulaiman Range, and lies on the banks of the Gomal River
(local name "Luni" or "Khuarha"), a tributary of the Indus
.
The city is surrounded by a wall, and has a planned design that includes four bazaars in the shape of a cross. The centre of the bazaars is known as Chowgalla (Square).
The city's population is about 35,000 and is composed mainly of Pashtun
and Saraiki people
. Two languages are spoken: Pashto
and Saraiki
(locally called Hindko, though it is not Hindko as spoken in Peshawar
and elsewhere.
According to Gazetteer of Dera Ismail Khan Gandapurs were a poor Pawindah tribe , mainly dependt on their flocks . They lived in the hills east of Kandhar , but were driven out by the Kakars . For the some time they led a wandering life , till eventually about the beginning of 17th century , they were persuaded to settle at Rori by Khan Zaman Chief of Dalutkhel , who wanted their assistance against Marwats . They soon afterwards established themselves at Luni and gradually by ousting the Dreskhels and Balochs , they got possession of their present country from Takwara to the Miankhel Border .
The Imperial Gazetteer India, Volume 16, Page 13 describes Kulachi as follows:
Herbert Edwards while ending his chapter on Kulachi writes, "Let me remind my readers that they need not go to Kulachi, unless they are in search of two things; very brave soldiers and very sweet melons".
tribe. Thus Kulachi is now divided into the following Mohallahs:
Inside the walled city
Outside the walled city
Pirates. The city wall is known as "Kot" (a common word for forts or walls of forts in the Indus valley). It has six gates, most in good condition. The gates are named after the Mohallahs where they are located (such as Shakhi Gate), or given the name of a nearby village if they are built on the road leading to that village (such as Maddi Gate). The gates are fine examples of 19th century Mughal
and Indian Architecture.
Starting clockwise from Shakhi Gate, the names of the six gates are as follows:
. The system of irrigation is called Rod Koh
i, a system of mountain channels or hill-torrents inundating the whole valley of Damaan ("Rod" means "channel" and "Koh" means "mountain" in Persian
). The Rod Kohi system based on "Kulyat Riwajat" (Fromulae and Traditions) governed the irrigation system eversince the Pathan tribes had moved into Damaan. The British officers reduced all these to writing during their Land Settlemts in the later part of nineteenth century. The Bolton Irrigation Notes of 1908 are still considered as the Bible of Rod Kohi Irrigation.
The quality of soil being very good in good years when the Rod Kohi dams work and there are sufficient rains and floods; the area had been the most productive area in food grains in the district. (Now the area of two districts D,I,Khan and Tank. However the system of Rod Kohi irrigation is now in shambles due official neglect, political interferences and non allotment of sufficient funds by the Provincial Government. However, the work on the Gomal
Zam Dam Project was resumed in 2001 after almost forty years and the Dam being constructed by a Chinese Firm, will change the economic scenario of the area and its principal city.
The First World War, poor crops in Bengal, low prices of agricultural products, misbehaviour of the Powindahs, higher rates of interest (75-225 % per annum), general trade depression and activities of the All Indian National Congress led to the downfall of cloth hawking and usury business of Gandapurs and Powindahs.
The most notable among them are: tomb of Mian Baraan Dadaa (in Pashto, Dadaa means grandfather or respectable elderly gentleman), tomb of Maddey Khan, tomb of Khair Shah, tomb of Bukhari Dadaa, tomb of Bahadur (Baz daada), tomb of Hazrat Syed Karam Shah (Lakhan Khatman Wala) (recited Quran more than 100,000 times), tomb of Razau Dadaa and tomb of Noor Muhammad (Noori Darbaar). Most of these tombs have surrounded the walled city of Kulachi.
Religious Scholars
Sports
mountains. After the development of two important routes, South Waziristan–Tank–Dera Ismail Khan and Zhob–Daraban–Dera Ismail Khan, Kulachi has been left in a triangle with no real means of progress.
The future of agriculture is still hostage to the delay in construction of the Gomal Dam. With poor agriculture, and cut off from important trade routes, the city is on the decline. There has been great migration of people to nearby Dera Ismail Khan thus leaving the city with fewer resources and capable people.
Kulachi Tehsil
Kulachi Tehsil is an administrative subdivision in Dera Ismail Khan District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. -Administration:The tehsil is administratively subdivided into 15 Union Councils, once of which form the headquarters - Kulachi.-History:...
(an administrative subdivision) of Dera Ismail Khan District
Dera Ismail Khan District
Dera Ismail Khan is one of the 24 districts in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. The capital of the district is the town of Dera Ismail Khan...
in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
. It is located at 31°55′49"N 70°27′31"E at an altitude of 209 metres (688 feet). It is situated 45 km from Dera Ismail Khan
Dera Ismail Khan
Dera Ismail Khan is a city in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Province, Pakistan. It is situated on the west bank of the Indus River, west of Lahore and northwest of Multan. The city is the capital of the district and tehsil of the same name. In Pakistan, its name is often abbreviated to D. I...
in the Damaan valley of the Sulaiman Range, and lies on the banks of the Gomal River
Gomal River
Gomal River is a river in the historical region of Pashtunistan, consisting of areas in Afghanistan and Pakistan, inhabited by the Pashtuns...
(local name "Luni" or "Khuarha"), a tributary of the Indus
Indus River
The Indus River is a major river which flows through Pakistan. It also has courses through China and India.Originating in the Tibetan plateau of western China in the vicinity of Lake Mansarovar in Tibet Autonomous Region, the river runs a course through the Ladakh district of Jammu and Kashmir and...
.
The city is surrounded by a wall, and has a planned design that includes four bazaars in the shape of a cross. The centre of the bazaars is known as Chowgalla (Square).
The city's population is about 35,000 and is composed mainly of Pashtun
Pashtun people
Pashtuns or Pathans , also known as ethnic Afghans , are an Eastern Iranic ethnic group with populations primarily between the Hindu Kush mountains in Afghanistan and the Indus River in Pakistan...
and Saraiki people
Saraiki people
The Saraiki people or Multani people are an ethnic group from the central and south-eastern areas of Pakistan, especially the former princely state of Bahawalpur and the districts of Multan, Lodhran, Vehari, Khanewal, Rahim Yar Khan, Rajanpur, Dera Ghazi Khan, Muzaffargarh,...
. Two languages are spoken: Pashto
Pashto language
Pashto , known as Afghani in Persian and Pathani in Punjabi , is the native language of the indigenous Pashtun people or Afghan people who are found primarily between an area south of the Amu Darya in Afghanistan and...
and Saraiki
Saraiki language
Saraiki , transliterated as Sirāikī and sometimes spelled Seraiki and Saraiki, is a standardized written language of Pakistan belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages. It is a language spoken in the heart of Pakistan...
(locally called Hindko, though it is not Hindko as spoken in Peshawar
Peshawar
Peshawar is the capital of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and the administrative center and central economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan....
and elsewhere.
History
The city was developed by a Kulachi Baloch named Hussain Khan, who had fallen out with his tribe living in the area now included in the District of Dera Ghazi Khan. He with some of his supporters came here and the area was given to them by the Nawab Of Dera Later on this area was invaded by Gandapur tribe , the Kulachi Balochs were expelled from their hamlets and villages , they took refuge in wilderness of Daman , some of them crossed the Indus and settled in Thal desert and others made Kachi their home. The account of English writers support this expulsion of Sarakis from Kulachi . However few people are trying to falsify the history so that they could claim that Ganadpurs were natives of this areaAccording to Gazetteer of Dera Ismail Khan Gandapurs were a poor Pawindah tribe , mainly dependt on their flocks . They lived in the hills east of Kandhar , but were driven out by the Kakars . For the some time they led a wandering life , till eventually about the beginning of 17th century , they were persuaded to settle at Rori by Khan Zaman Chief of Dalutkhel , who wanted their assistance against Marwats . They soon afterwards established themselves at Luni and gradually by ousting the Dreskhels and Balochs , they got possession of their present country from Takwara to the Miankhel Border .
The Imperial Gazetteer India, Volume 16, Page 13 describes Kulachi as follows:
Herbert Edwards while ending his chapter on Kulachi writes, "Let me remind my readers that they need not go to Kulachi, unless they are in search of two things; very brave soldiers and very sweet melons".
City Sectors
Various Mohallas (sectors/hamlets) of the city were named after sub-tribes of the GandapurGandapur
The Gandapurs are a Pashtun tribe inhabiting the environs of Dera Ismail Khan, a major commercial center on the west bank of the Indus River, in the southern region of the Khyber Pukhtoonkhwa of Pakistan, near the frontier with South Waziristan. The Gandapurs reside principally in the small town of...
tribe. Thus Kulachi is now divided into the following Mohallahs:
Inside the walled city
- Mohallah ShakhiShakhiShakhi is a sub cast of Pashtoons/Pakhtoons residing in the north part of Kulachi city, Pakistan.Shakhis live in Mohallah Shakhi inside Shakhi Gate.Shakhi Gate is of one of six gates of Kulachi city,located at the northern side of the city.It was named after Shakhi tribe residing inside the Shakhi...
- Mohallah Ibrahim ZaiIbrahim ZaiIbrahim Zai is one of the largest sub-tribes of the Gandapur tribe of the Khyber Pukhtoonkhwa of Pakistan. They are the descendants of Ibrahim, the second son of Gandapur. They have been leading the Gandapur tribe for a very long time only to be over taken by Bara Khels.Large sections of the tribe...
- Mohallah Hussain ZaiHussain ZaiHussainzai is a Pashtun sub-tribe. They are the descendants of Hussain, the third son of Gandapur. Hussainzais are a small segment of the whole tribe of Gandapurs. Most of them live close to Mosa Zais in Kulachi, Dera Ismail Khan....
- Mohallah Yaqub ZaiYaqub ZaiYaqubzai are a Pashtun tribe of Gandapur living in Afghanistan and Pakistan.- History :Yaquzais are the descendants of Yaqub, the eldest son of Gandapur. Yaqub though the eldest one, was not the most brilliant of his four sons and hence the whole family of Gandapur was led by Ibrahim Khan the...
- Mohallah Musa Zai [Shumali/North]
- Mohallah Musa Zai [Janoobi/South]
- Mohallah Bara Khel
- Mohallah Jafar Zai
- Mohallah Kamal Khel
- Mohallah Khader Khel
- Mohallah Jattan Walla
- Mohallah Usman Khel
- Mohallah Nathoo Zai
Outside the walled city
- Mohallah Rana Zai
- Mohallah Zarni Khel
- Mohallah Behlol Khel
- Mohallah Khud Basti (Lowland town)
- Mohallah Chhoti (Small) Luni or Qasim Abad (established by Qasim Khan, who had migrated with his families from Luni village after a bloody feud with other people in Luni; hence his new abode was called "small Luni")
- Mohallah Haroon Abad (established in the 1980s by Maulana Haroon Behlol Khel, grandson of great Sufi Mian Baraan)
Walls and gates
The city wall was constructed to safeguard the city from invading tribes such as the MahsudMahsud
Mahsud is a Pashtun tribe in South Waziristan, a tribal region in Pakistan. Mahsud are considered to be one of the bravest and toughest Pashtun Tribes. The Mahsud tribe lives in the centre of South Waziristan valley, surrounded on three sides by the Darwesh Waziris, and being shut off by the...
Pirates. The city wall is known as "Kot" (a common word for forts or walls of forts in the Indus valley). It has six gates, most in good condition. The gates are named after the Mohallahs where they are located (such as Shakhi Gate), or given the name of a nearby village if they are built on the road leading to that village (such as Maddi Gate). The gates are fine examples of 19th century Mughal
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
and Indian Architecture.
Starting clockwise from Shakhi Gate, the names of the six gates are as follows:
- ShakhiShakhiShakhi is a sub cast of Pashtoons/Pakhtoons residing in the north part of Kulachi city, Pakistan.Shakhis live in Mohallah Shakhi inside Shakhi Gate.Shakhi Gate is of one of six gates of Kulachi city,located at the northern side of the city.It was named after Shakhi tribe residing inside the Shakhi...
Gate - Maddi Gate
- Usman khel Gate
- Jattan Wala Gate
- Mithu Gate
- Maday Khan Gate
Economy
Kulachi is an agricultural city. The area lies at the foot of the Sulaiman Range and hence is irrigated by flood water from Sulaiman MountainsSulaiman Mountains
The Sulaiman Mountains are a major geological feature of southeastern Afghanistan and northern Balochistan province of Pakistan. In Pakistan, it forms the eastern edge of the Iranian plateau where the Indus River separates it from the Asian Subcontient...
. The system of irrigation is called Rod Koh
Rod Koh
Rod Koh or Rod Kohi is a form of irrigation system in Pakistan. Rod means channel and Koh means mountain in Persian). The Rod Kohi system based on Kulyat Riwajat governed the irrigation system ever since the Pashtun tribes had moved into Damaan...
i, a system of mountain channels or hill-torrents inundating the whole valley of Damaan ("Rod" means "channel" and "Koh" means "mountain" in Persian
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
). The Rod Kohi system based on "Kulyat Riwajat" (Fromulae and Traditions) governed the irrigation system eversince the Pathan tribes had moved into Damaan. The British officers reduced all these to writing during their Land Settlemts in the later part of nineteenth century. The Bolton Irrigation Notes of 1908 are still considered as the Bible of Rod Kohi Irrigation.
The quality of soil being very good in good years when the Rod Kohi dams work and there are sufficient rains and floods; the area had been the most productive area in food grains in the district. (Now the area of two districts D,I,Khan and Tank. However the system of Rod Kohi irrigation is now in shambles due official neglect, political interferences and non allotment of sufficient funds by the Provincial Government. However, the work on the Gomal
Gomal
Gomal may refer to:* Gomal River, flowing from Afghanistan to Pakistan**Gomal Dam, located on the Gomal River in South Waziristan, Pakistan* Gomal District, a district of Paktika Province, Afghanistan* Gomal University, located in Dera Ismail Khan, Pakistan...
Zam Dam Project was resumed in 2001 after almost forty years and the Dam being constructed by a Chinese Firm, will change the economic scenario of the area and its principal city.
Crafts
Kulachi is famous for various artefacts and handicrafts.- Kulachiwal Chaakku (Knife). Small knives with ornamental design are manufactured on a small scale by artisans in the Porta Bazaar (West Bazaar). This beautiful art is on the verge of extinction due to lack of patronage.
- Handicrafts. Various forms of beautiful handicrafts, similar in style to Multani handicraft, are made in the area.
- Ornamental Shoes. Popularly known as "Tillay dar chaplai", the ornamental shoes made by the local cobblers are very popular in the area. They are best suited for long walks in the fields of Damaan.
The pre-independence cloth hawking and usury business
Captain J. A. Robinson in his book Notes on Nomad Tribes of Eastern Afghanistan, published in 1934, writes,The First World War, poor crops in Bengal, low prices of agricultural products, misbehaviour of the Powindahs, higher rates of interest (75-225 % per annum), general trade depression and activities of the All Indian National Congress led to the downfall of cloth hawking and usury business of Gandapurs and Powindahs.
The City of Saints
Kulachi is famous for the presence of tombs of various Sufi saints.The most notable among them are: tomb of Mian Baraan Dadaa (in Pashto, Dadaa means grandfather or respectable elderly gentleman), tomb of Maddey Khan, tomb of Khair Shah, tomb of Bukhari Dadaa, tomb of Bahadur (Baz daada), tomb of Hazrat Syed Karam Shah (Lakhan Khatman Wala) (recited Quran more than 100,000 times), tomb of Razau Dadaa and tomb of Noor Muhammad (Noori Darbaar). Most of these tombs have surrounded the walled city of Kulachi.
Grave yards
Kulachi has a number of famous grave yards depicting its history and culture of tolerance. Following is the list of graveyards;- Bukhari Sahab Graveyard (Mohallah Rana Zai)
- Karam Shah Graveyard (Kulachi-Maddi Road)
- Landey Shah Graveyard (Mohallah Hussain Khel)
- Razau Sahab Graveyard (Mohallah Usman Khel)
- Shaheedan Graveyard (West of Mohallah Zarni Khel)
- Kakar Graveyard (Mohallah Yaqoob Zai)
- Jandoley Dada Graveyard (Mohallah Hussain Zai)
- Mullah Shakoor Graveyard (Mohallah Khud-Basti)
- Kamal Khel Graveyard (Mohallah Kamal Khel)
Sons of the Soil
Poets- Saeed Ahmad AkhtarSaeed Ahmad AkhtarSaeed Ahmad Akhtar, was born on March 3, 1933 in Pishin, Pakistan. He did his masters in English Literature from Peshawar University in 1958 and then masters in Urdu Literature from the same University in 1965...
Urdu - Shah Alam Khan Gandapur Pashto poet
- Atta Ullah Khan Atta Gandapur Persian Pashto as well as Urdu
- Abdur Rehman Khan Gandapur Kamal Khel
- Faiz Ullah Lala Ibrahim Zai
- Amin Ullah Khan Musa Zai Gandapur
- Sana ullah Shamim Khan Advocate Bara Khel Pashto Poet
- Tahir Kulachvi Great Pashto Poet.Wrote 3 books in Pashto poetry "Da meene Ghezh" "da Hussan Laman" "Mizrab"
- Dr Inayat ullah khan Mian khel Pashto Poet
- Allah Nawaz Ufaq saraiki and urdu Poet
Religious Scholars
- Faqir Nur Muhammad Qaderi (late) author of "Irfan" also translated into English.
Sports
- Brigader Abdul Hameed Khan Hameedi(Olympian Hockey Gold Madalist)
- Abdul Rashid Junior (Olympian Hockey Gold Madalist)
- Abdul Wahab Khan (Badminton & Table Tennis All Pak Tournment Organisor
The future of the city
Kulachi was once the mart of the entire area. It was the first stop when nomads used to come down from SulaimanSulaiman
Sulaiman was the scriptural figure identified as either the Jewish king of Israel or a Muslim prophet.Sulaiman is an English transliteration of the Arabic name that means "man of peace" and corresponds to the English name Solomon....
mountains. After the development of two important routes, South Waziristan–Tank–Dera Ismail Khan and Zhob–Daraban–Dera Ismail Khan, Kulachi has been left in a triangle with no real means of progress.
The future of agriculture is still hostage to the delay in construction of the Gomal Dam. With poor agriculture, and cut off from important trade routes, the city is on the decline. There has been great migration of people to nearby Dera Ismail Khan thus leaving the city with fewer resources and capable people.