Major Henry George Raverty’s brief work with the title, ‘An account of Upper and Lower Suwat, and the Kohistan, to the source of the Suwat River; with an account of the tribes inhabiting those valleys’ was published in the Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal (Volume XXXI, No.I. To V. 1862) Calcutta in the year 1862. That work of Major Raverty is produced here on this website for the interest of the readers and research scholars. Raverty wrote: (PART 9)
After leaving the village of Shankar-dar we passed Ghali-gaey, which from some accounts, is said to have been the native village of Durkhana’i, and that her people had taken their flocks to graze in the Baz-darah valley, where Adam Khan met her; and that Adam Khan himself dwelt at Bari-kott. The clan to which Adam belonged is still to be found in Suwat, but Durkhana’i cannot be so easily determined; for on account of the notoriety of her love for Adam, which these stupid people deem a disgrace, no one would acknowledge her as having belonged to his clan, even were such the case. Some say she was of the Kha’ist-khel, others say it was the Khazi-khel, and some say she was of the Rarrnizi tribe. However there is no doubt but that her husband, Piawaey, was of the Khazi-khel, and doubtless Durkhana’i was of the same clan also.
We now reached the village of Manyar, where there are two small ancient towers or topes facing each other; and then passed on to Gog-darah, Panji-gram, and Waddi-gram, which latter place is nine coss, or thirteen and half miles from Tarnah; and here we halted for the reminder of the day.
To the east of this village, on the central summit of a mountain, there are a great many ruins, consisting of dwellings, and a very large range of buildings like a fortress, enormously lofty, which can be distinctly seen for a long distance. I did not go myself to examine these ruins, because it would have been necessary to have remained at the village for two or three days for the purpose; and to do so, in a country like Suwat, would have raised suspicion, therefore the KHAN SAHIB would not consent. I was told, however, that the children of the village, as mischievous in Suwat as in other countries, had left nothing in the shape of carvings or images within it. There is also an immense cave in the side of one the mountains, which cannot be entered from below; and from above,even by the aid of ropes, it cannot be reached, or at least, those who have attempted it have not succeeded. I was told by some of the Waddi-gram peoples that several persons did once set out to make an attempt, and lowered down a rope, so as to reach the mouth of the cave; but it was not long enough, and they returned. No other attempt appears to have been made. The tale goes, that the cave belonged to the Kapirs of old, who had a secret path or entrance; and having deposited treasures within it, concealed the path and shut it up altogether. Whoever finds that path, will get the treasure.
I saw a few ancient copper coins here, but they were not worth purchasing; and moreover, the Suwatis, particular the Hindus, say that from every cooper coin of the ordinary size, two mashas of pure gold can be extracted, worth three rupees or six shillings, who was the price they asked for them. Throughout the whole of Suwat, at present, whenever any old coins are discovered, they are immediately sold to the Hindus or Paranchah traders, who transmit them to their agents at Peshawar; and on this account, old coins are not easily obtainable, unless a person remain some time. The people of the villages also told me, that there had been idols found in the neighborhood; but they had, as a religious duty, broken them to atoms, and not a remnant of them now remains. Between the village of Man-yar and Waddi-gram, there is a rudely carved idol by the side of the road, cut out of the white stone of the cliff itself, and in the figure of an old man in a sitting posture. Every one that passes by throws a stone at it; so there is an immense heap of them near.
I examined the whole of the Pushto books of the villages between this and Tarnah, which were chiefly on theology; but at Waddi-gram I found three others – the poem of Yusuf and Zulikha, by Eadb-ul-Kadir Khan; and the poems of Shahai Dali, and Adam and Durkhanai, by Sadr Khan, his brother, all of which you have copies of already.
Reference (Source Details):
‘An account of Upper and Lower Suwat, and the Kohistan, to the source of the Suwat River; with an account of the tribes inhabiting those valleys’ was published in the Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal (Volume XXXI, No.I. To V. 1862) Calcutta, pages 239-241.
TO BE CONTINUED…
Comment here