Charsadda
Charsadda is a town and headquarters of Charsadda District, in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. It is located at 34°8'43N 71°43'51E with an altitude of 276 metres (908 feet) and lies 29 kilometres from the provincial capital - Peshawar.Administration
As well as being district headquarters, the town of Charsadda is also headquarters of Charsadda Tehsil an administrative subdivision of the district. The town itself is administratively subdivided into 4 Union councils. The District Coordination Officer heads the District Administration and is the pivot of all activities of the district.History
The earliest archaeological deposits recovered at Charsadda are dated to ca. 1400 BCE, constituting a series of post holes in association with ceramic sherds and ash. Subsequent periods indicate that more permanent structures were built at Charsadda, including stone-lined pits. Between the 14th century BCE and the 6th century BCE, when an Achaemenid presence is represented at the site, the inhabitants of Charsadda developed an iron-working industry and used ceramics that are typical for this period in the Vale of Peshawar, Swat and Dir.The father of Sanskrit grammar, Panini was from this area and lived around 500-700 BCE. The later history of Charsadda can be traced back to the 6th century BCE. It was the capital of Gandhara from the 6th century BCE to the 2nd century CE. The ancient name of Charsadda was Pushkalavati, which means "Lotus City". It was the administrative centre of the Gandhara kingdom. Many invaders have ruled over this region during different times of history. These include the Persians, Alexander the Great's Greeks, the Mauryas, the Greco-Bactrians, the Indo-Greeks, the Indo-Scythians, the Indo-Parthians, the Kushans, the Huns, the Turks.
Charsadda is contiguous to the town of Prang;(city of jaguars) and these two places were identified by Alexander Cunningham with the ancient Pushkalavati, capital of the region at the time of Alexander's invasion, and transliterated as Peukelaus or Peukelaotis by the Greek historians. Its chieftain (Astes), according to Arrian, was killed in defence of one of his strongholds after a prolonged siege by Hephaistion. Ptolemy fixes its site upon the eastern bank of the Suastene or Swat. In the seventh century CE Hiuen Tsiang visited the city, which he describes as being 100 li (16? miles) north-east of Peshawar. A stupa, erected over the spot where Buddha made an alms-offering of his eyes, formed the great attraction for the Buddhist pilgrim and his co-religionists. The city, however, had even then been abandoned as a political capital in favour of Purushapura, Parashawara, or Peshawar.
It probably extended over a large area, and the entire neighbourhood is covered with vast ruins. Excavation was carried out in the neighbourhood of Charsadda for about two months in the spring of 1902-3. Some interesting finds of coins and pottery ornaments, including an engraved amethyst, were made, and the remains of the ancient Bala Hisar (Acropolis) were mapped.
On February 9, 2008, a suicide bomber killed over 20 people at a political rally for the Awami National Party.
Crops
The main crops of Charsadda are tobacco, sugarcane, sugarbeet, wheat and maize. Vegetables include potato, tomato, cabbage, brinjals, okra and spinach. Among orchards, apricot, citrus, plum, strawberry and pears are famous. Utmanzai is one of the important villages in Charsadda which is also the birth place of great Pushtoon leaders Bacha Khan, Wali Khan and Asfandiyar Wali Khan. Hayat Muhammad khan Shaheed and Aftab Muhammad Khan Sherpao are also the great leaders of Charsadda. And Alamzeb Umarzai Shaheed also was a good political leader.
Scenery
The land of Charsadda is very fertile and beautiful and closely resembles Damascus due to its beauty. There are three rivers flowing in Charsadda: the River Jindi, the Kabul River, and the Swat River; these are the main source of irrigation for Charsadda. The three rivers then merge and join the Indus River. The area surrounded by River Swat and River Kabul is called Doaaba and has a great importance in the District.
Serdheri Bazar
There is a lush green area named Serdheri bazar which is located on the main road of Mardan. This area bounds with limpid water, apricot, pear, plum, peach, strawberry gardens and pasture. Koda-Khel is one of the villages of Serdheri where Pakistan Tobacco company is located and plays an important role in the economy of the Charsadda. Mr. Naseem is well known English lecturer and permanent resident of Koda-Khel. He studied in Govt. High School Ibrahim Zia and did Master in English literature from Peshawar university. He published various books and articles about business communication.
Photos for Charsadda
