Gilgit-Baltistan is an administrative territory of Pakistan that borders the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to the west, Azad Kashmir to the southwest, Wakhan Corridor of Afghanistan to the northwest, the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China to the north, and the Indian-administered region of Jammu and Kashmir to the south and south-east.
The early recorded history of the region is linked with Western Tibet. The region appears to have been part of the Tibetan Empire, with Buddhism flourishing in the region by 5th century. Later, Buddhist Patola Shahis ruled the region. However, by the 13th century, the region came under Islamic influence, notably under the Maqpon Kings of Baltistan and Trakhan dynasty of Gilgit. This resulted in local ethnic groups, Shina, Burusho and Kho converting to Islam in almost their entirety and the separation of the Balti people from the Buddhist Ladakhi neighbours. The Baltis increasingly converted from Buddhism to Islam, resulting in increased interaction and conflict with their Kashmiri Muslim neighbours. Muslim rule in the area ended with the expansion of the Sikh Empire followed by the Dogra dynasty. After the defeat of the Sikhs in the Anglo-Sikh wars, most of the region was ruled by the Dogras under British paramountcy. The region became part of the newly formed state of Pakistan after the Gilgit rebellion in the first Kashmir war.
Sources
Ancient history There exists no indigenous written record of the region for its ancient history; however, rock art (petroglyphs) and inscriptions are abundant, especially along the Karakoram Highway, such as those at Shatial, which have been used to reconstruct a rough history.
Medieval history No extant manuscripts pertaining to the history of the region from premodern times have been located. A Persian chronicle, Shigarnama, dates to the 17th century and is one of the few sources on the history of the region written prior to the advent of British colonial rule.
Ḥashmatullah Khan's Mukhtaṣar Tarikh-e Jammun va Kashmir (1939) and Rajah Shah Rais Khan's Tarikh-e-Gilgit (unpublished manuscript; 1941, later edited, translated and published by A. H. Dani in 1987) remain the chief sources. H. Khan was a Dogra official, who oversaw the administration of Gilgit-Baltistan and drafted a gazetteer of the entire region, borrowing from official documents, local clerics, epic literature, oral folklore, and ruins, etc. Notwithstanding the briefness, his chronologies are internally inconsistent and Dani advises caution in using the material. Despite, it has become an authoritative reference for local historians. Shah Rais Khan was a descendant of the Trakhan family and compiled what was essentially a family history. Dani found it to be heavily biased towards the Trakhans and severely contemptuous of neighboring powers. Other important sources are 19th-century Tarikh-i-Chitral and Shahnamah-i-Chitral, which primarily deal with the Kator dynasty of neighbouring Chitral, but also the areas which came under its sway such as Yasin, Punial, Ghizer and Ishkoman.
Early history There are more than 50,000 pieces of rock art (petroglyphs) and inscriptions all along the Karakoram Highway in Gilgit Baltistan, concentrated at ten major sites between Hunza Nagar and Shatial. The carvings were left by various invaders, traders, and pilgrims who passed along the trade route, as well as by locals. The earliest date back to between 5000 and 1000 BCE, showing single animals, triangular men and hunting scenes in which the animals are larger than the hunters. These carvings were pecked into the rock with stone tools and are covered with a thick patina that proves their age.
The ethnologist Karl Jettmar has pieced together the history of the area from various inscriptions and recorded his findings in Rock Carvings and Inscriptions in the Northern Areas of Pakistan and the later released Between Gandhara and the Silk Roads: Rock Carvings Along the Karakoram Highway.
The rock carvings found in various places in Gilgit-Baltistan, especially those found in the Passu village of hunza Nagar, suggest a human presence since 2000 BC. It is believed that the Burusho people were the indigenous of the region and were pushed higher into the mountains by the movements of the Indo-Aryans, who traveled southward sometime around 1800 BCE. Within the next few centuries of human settlement on the Tibetan Plateau, this region became inhabited by Tibetans, who preceded the Balti people of Baltistan. Today Baltistan bears similarity to Ladakh physically and culturally (although not in religion). Dards are found mainly in the western areas. These people are the Shina-speaking peoples of Gilgit, Chilas, Astore and Diamir, while in Hunza Nagar and the upper regions, speakers of Burushaski and Khowar (another Dardic language) predominate. The Dards find mention in the works of Herodotus, Nearchus, Megasthenes, Pliny, Ptolemy, and the geographical lists of the Puranas. In the 1st century, the people of these regions were followers of the Bon religion while in the 2nd century, they followed Buddhism.
Medieval history
Patola Shahis
Between 399 and 414, the Chinese Buddhist pilgrim Faxian visited Gilgit-Baltistan, while in the 6th century Somana Patola (greater Gilgit-Chilas) was ruled by an unknown king. Between 627 and 645, the Chinese Buddhist pilgrim Xuanzang travelled through this region on his pilgrimage to India.
According to Chinese records from the Tang dynasty, between the 600s and the 700s, the region was governed by a Buddhist dynasty referred to as Bolü (), also transliterated as Palola, Patola, Balur. They are believed to be the Patola Sāhi dynasty mentioned in a Brahmi inscription, and are devout adherents of Vajrayana Buddhism. At the time, Little Palola () was used to refer to Gilgit, while Great Palola () was used to refer to Baltistan. However, the records do not consistently disambiguate the two.
In mid-600s, Gilgit came under Chinese suzerainty after the fall of Western Turkic Khaganate due to Tang military campaigns in the region. In the late 600s CE, the rising Tibetan Empire wrestled control of the region from the Chinese. However, faced with growing influence of the Umayyad Caliphate and then the Abbasid Caliphate to the west, the Tibetans were forced to ally themselves with the Islamic caliphates. The region was then contested by Chinese and Tibetan forces, and their respective vassal states, until the mid-700s. Rulers of Gilgit formed an alliance with the Tang Chinese and held back the Arabs with their help.
Between 644 and 655, Navasurendrāditya-nandin became king of Palola Sāhi dynasty in Gilgit. Numerous Sanskrit inscriptions, including the Danyor Rock Inscriptions, were discovered to be from his reign. In the late 600s and early 700s, Jayamaṅgalavikramāditya-nandin was king of Gilgit.
According to Chinese court records, in 717 and 719 respectively, delegations of a ruler of Great Palola (Baltistan) named Su-fu-she-li-ji-li-ni () reached the Chinese imperial court. By at least 719/720, Ladakh (Mard) became part of the Tibetan Empire. By that time, Buddhism was practiced in Baltistan, and Sanskrit was the written language. Buddhism became firmly established in the region. Great monasteries were established, with education in Sanskrit language regarding Indian religions and philosophy. Trade expanded between Ladakh in India and Gilgit-Baltistan. The rulers of Leh in Ladakh, India became increasingly influential in Balti culture and customs, and the chiefs of the region became vassals to the Ladakhis and Tibetan paramountcy.
In 720, the delegation of Surendrāditya () reached the Chinese imperial court. He was referred to by the Chinese records as the king of Great Palola; however, it is unknown if Baltistan was under Gilgit rule at the time. The Chinese emperor also granted the ruler of Cashmere, Chandrāpīḍa ("Tchen-fo-lo-pi-li"), the title of "King of Cashmere". By 721/722, Baltistan had come under the influence of the Tibetan Empire.
In 721–722, Tibetan army attempted but failed to capture Gilgit or Bruzha (Yasin valley). By this time, according to Chinese records, the king of Little Palola was Mo-ching-mang (). He had visited Tang court requesting military assistance against the Tibetans. Between 723 and 728, the Korean Buddhist pilgrim Hyecho passed through this area. In 737/738, Tibetan troops under the leadership of Minister Bel Kyesang Dongtsab of Emperor Me Agtsom took control of Little Palola. By 747, the Chinese army under the leadership of the ethnic-Korean commander Gao Xianzhi had recaptured Little Palola.
Great Palola was subsequently captured by the Chinese army in 753 under the military Governor Feng Changqing. However, by 755, due to the An Lushan rebellion, the Tang Chinese forces withdrew and was no longer able to exert influence in Central Asia and in the regions around Gilgit-Baltistan. The control of the region was left to the Tibetan Empire. They referred to the region as Bruzha, a toponym that is consistent with the ethnonym "Burusho" used today. Tibetan control of the region lasted until late-800s CE.
Gilgit Ahmad Hasan Dani notes local tradition to mention a Trakhan dynasty succeeding to the Patola Shahis, and ruling uninterruptedly until the 19th century for over a millennium. He put forward a tentative reconstruction of the dynasty, deriving from H. Khan and Rais Khan's histories of the region. Historical evidence — coins, inscriptions etc. — corroborating the narrative was absent during Dani's time and those which have been since discovered, reject the presence of any such dynasty.Vohra, Rohit. Early History of Ladakh: Mythic Lore and Fabulation in ed: Henry Osmaston, Philip Denwood (1995) Recent Research on Ladakh 4 & 5: Proceedings of the Fourth and Fifth, Motilal Banarsidass, p. 231
List of Trakhan rulers +RulerReignLineage and notesShri Badat760s–780Local Buddhist king before Azur Jamshid. Probably of Turkic origin.Azur Jamshid780–796Kayani prince of Persia who is said to have fled here after the Arab conquest of Persia. Existence disputedNur Bakht Khatun?–? Daughter of Shri Badat, wife of Azur Jamshid Kark (or Gark)?–? Son of Azur Jamshid. Ruled 55 years Rajah Sau Malik?–?Rajah Shah Malik?–?Son of Rajah Sau Malik. Also known as Glit Kalika (or Malik), i.e. Malik of Gilgit Deng Malik?–?Son of Glit Kalika (Rajah Shah Malik) Khusraw Khan?–997Son of Deng Malik. Married a princess from Badakhshan. The presence of a Badakhshani princess must have led to the strengthening of northern influence in the royal house of Gilgit through this Turkic family which came from the north, by the end of the tenth century.Rajah Haydar Khan997–1057Had a struggle for reign with his cousin Shah Hatam (or Shah Tham) who governed the Nager and Hunza valleys. Shah Hatam was defeated and fled to BaltistanNur Khan1057–1127Son of Rajah Haydar KhanShah Mirza1127–1205Son of Nur KhanTartora Khan1205–1236Son of Shah Mirza. Poisoned by his queen who is a commander of Darel valley.the Dareli queen (name unknown)1236–1241Tried to kill her stepson Torra but failed.Torra Khan1241–1275Formed the name Trakhan for the dynasty which is known Kayanıs before.Shah Ra’is Khan1275Shah Ra’is Khan refuged to Badakhshani ruler Tajdar-i Moghul. Tajdar-i Moghul invaded Gilgit, dethroned Torra Khan and placed Shah Ra’is Khan to the throne. This was the beginning of the Ra’isiyya dynasty.Sau Malik II1276–1345Son of Torra KhanChilis Khan1345–1359Married Malika Hashim Begam, a daughter of Shah Ra’is KhanRajah Firdaws Khan1359–1397He had the Qilca-yi Firdawsiyya built in Gilgit.Khusraw Khan II1397–1422He added a tower to his father’s fort at Gilgit, which was known as KhusrawKhan-i Shikar.Rajah Malik Shah1422–1449Son of Khusraw Khan IITorra Khan II1449–1479Son of Rajah Malik Shaha quick succession of rulers1479–?Shah Ra’is Azam?–1561?1561–1821Trakhan dynasty lasted with a series of unknown local rulers until 1821
Baltistan