Thandiani

History

Thandiani was originally granted as a lease to some members of the Battye family in British India, who were Christian missionaries and also found in civil and military service, and who produced scions such as Wigram Battye and Quintin Battye. The Battyes subsequently gifted the location to the church authorities, where a sanatorium and various other facilities were set up during the British rule, mostly for the convenience of missionaries, Anglican church personnel and officers stationed at the neighbouring cantonment of Abbottabad. It also contained some private European houses, a camping ground, a small bazaar, and the small seasonal church of St. Xavier in the Wilderness which were occupied only during the summer months.

Location

Thandiani is located in the northeast of Abbottabad District at 34°13'60N 73°22'0E and is about 31 kilometres from Abbottabad in the foothills of the Himalayas. To the east beyond the Kunhar River lies the snow-covered Pir Panjal mountain range of Kashmir. Visible to the north and northeast are the mountains of Kohistan and Kaghan. To the northwest are the snowy ranges of Swat and Chitral. The hills of Thandiani are about 9,000 feet (2,750 m) above sea level. Most of the people residing here belong to the Sadaat (Syed), Qureshi,Abbasi,Jadoon Gujjar, and Karlal tribes. The nearest villages are Bandi Sarara Mara Rehmat Khan, Inderseri, Birnagalli, Chattri, Chamaili, Sialkot, Pattan, Okharela, Dheri, Darer and Kukmang.

Tourism

Thandiani is characterized by excellent weather and lush greenery in the summer months, and snow-covered vistas and hills in the winter. Many tourists from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and all over Pakistan visit here, especially in the summer season. Being at a high altitude, with attractive scenery and several hiking trails into the forests and other nearby locations, it is a very attractive prospect.

A beautiful trek leads to Thandiani from Abbottabad that passes through Dagri naka.

Forests and wildlife

The mountains around Thandiani are quite thickly forested compared to most other hill stations in the locality, which have suffered some degree of deforestation over time. The local wildlife includes leopards, monkeys, several kinds of pheasants and the increasingly rare flying squirrel and pine marten, to name only a few.

2005 earthquake

The area and its surrounding villages were damaged by the 2005 Kashmir earthquake.