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Sawal Dher (Urdu: ساولڈھیر) is an historic village in Mardan District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, that contains the remains of an ancient city. The village is located 10 kilometers southwest of Katlang-Jamal Ghari, most of the relics of this site are now in Museum. This site is situated at a distance of 4 kilometers in the southwest of Jamal Garhi. Most of the sculptures of this monastery are preserved in Peshawar and Lahore Museums. It is 19 km away from the district capital Mardan.
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Map of Sawal Dher, Pakistan
The following Pakhtun tribes live in Sawal Dher: Khattak, daavi, Yousafzai, Awankhel, Roghanis, Babar Khail and Gujar or katan khail,. It has an ancient history. Most of the sculptures of this monastery are preserved in Peshawar and Lahore museum. A grand mosque and Hujra were constructed by forefathers of the village long before on a high plat of land. It is a very spacious Grand Masque named as(Masjid-e-Bala/ Bara jummat) and a traditional gathering place(Hujra)named as Bara Hujra. It is said that this place is 5,000 years old and relating to the Buddha era. Moreover, it is believed and reported that this Grand Mosque of the village was constructed on the ruins of a Buddhist Stupa. Sawal Dher was built and developed by Khattak family, they came from various parts of Pakhtun Land and settled here. After some time people of nearby Katlang, a big town in area, try to kick out the people of Sawal Dher, but the brave khattak become united against those invaders and ousted them. Later on, the people of village Sawal Dher also win a lawsuit in British Raj Courts against the establishment of the village. Settlement of the irrigated land was done during the British Raj. People in the village live on the principles of harmony, equality and brotherhood. Sawal Dher has a unique status in Pakhtun Land Few families have higher amount of land than average, include wazir dad and known as barbarian. In 1840 he fought against British raj.
A small and low-level woodcutting industry exist the village and Wazir dad and Haji Zamir gull are the well known person regarding to the wood cutting business. The population of Sawaldher, according to the 1998 census, is about 40,000. Main occupations are farming, business and employment. Moreover, the linked villages(also part sawal dher) Guli Bagh and Musa Khatt are situated 3 kilometres north east and are famous for their gardening and plantation sales outlets.
There is one higher secondary school for boys and one Government Degree College for girls, besides several primary schools. There is one RHC Hospital at village Sawal Dher. Sui Gas supply is also available in SawalDher.
The main sources of the irrigation are canals. The Upper Swat canal irrigates Sawal Dher, besides, irrigation is done by tube-wells and lift irrigation. The major crops grown in the village are wheat, sugarcane, tobacco, maize, rice, rapeseed, and mustard. Fruits and vegetables are also grown. The important fruits are orange, plum, peach, apricot, pear and rare mango but on very limited scale. The most common diet is bread, which is made of wheat or maize flour. The people of the area are fond of meat; various forms of beef cooked in the shape of chapli kebab, seekh kebab, tikkas.
The maximum temperature recorded in the summer season is 39.5 °C (103.1 °F). A steep rise in temperature is observed from May to June. Due to intensive cultivation and artificial irrigation, the tract is humid and heat is oppressive. However, the average daily temperature falls quite steeply from October onward. The coldest months are December and January. The mean minimum temperature recorded for the month of January, Sawal Dher's coldest month, is 0 °C (32 °F). Most of the rainfall occurs in the months of July, August, December and January. August is the wettest month, with the highest recorded precipitation at 125.8 mm. Towards the end of the cold season there are occasional thunderstorms and hail storms. The relative humidity is quite high throughout the year, while 73% maximum humidity has been recorded in December.
Occupations
Most of the people in the village are farmers. However, most of the educated class is employed by the Education Department. This village is very very beautiful and also a historical place in Mardan division. In the center of village Sawal dher there are 5,000-years-old remains relating to the Buddha era. It has a very spacious Masque Masjid-e-Bala(Bara Jummat) and a traditional gathering place(Hujra)Bara hujra, built by Dumba khel tribe.
It has many hospitals as well. The Nishtar Hospital is one of the best hospitals in the region which provides the medical aids to the people of this village and of nearby villages in an efficient way.
Center for Information Sawal Dher (CIS)
In a group of young Sawaldherians gathered to investigate the history of Sawal Dher & to work for the development of Sawal Dher. Most of the CIS members are university graduates & are highly motivated. They are firmly committed to make the village a model for other villages and towns. The development section has developed a comprehensive plan for the development in education, health & poverty reduction; expected to be funded by UN & the local government.
Education
The village of Sawal Dher is very fertile in education. In early there were no idea about the importance of education but now the people are aware of this importance. The education ratio is increasing day by day. For primary education, there are a number of schools in public sector as well as private schools. There is also a Higher Secondary School for girls and a High School for boys, which helps in educating the villagers.
Most people of the village are not educated. There are private and government schools for boys and girls. for higher education the boys and girls of the village get their education facilities from the institutions of mardan. the literacy rate of the village is increasing day by day. The government of the Khyber Pukhtoon Khwa decided to operate a girls college in the village. currently the education status is much better than past.