Mangla (منگلا) is a
town
A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world.
Origin and use
The word "town" shares an ori ...
situated in District Mirpur within the region of
Azad Kashmir
Azad Jammu and Kashmir (; ), abbreviated as AJK and colloquially referred to as simply Azad Kashmir, is a region administered by Pakistan as a nominally self-governing entitySee:
*
*
* and constituting the western portion of the larger Ka ...
. The village is located in the west of the foothills of Mangla's fort (which also derived its name from the same village). It is surrounded on three sides by the semicurvature of river Jhelum flowing North to South. It is bordered with
Jhelum district
Jhelum District (Urdu and pnb, ), is partially in Pothohar Plateau, and partially in Punjab Plain of the Punjab province of Pakistan. Jhelum is one of the oldest districts of Punjab. It was established on 23 March 1849. According to the 1998 ...
and with the right bank of Mangla between the State of
Jammu Kashmir and
Punjab
Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...
province of Pakistan.
Etymology
The town of Mangla was named after Mangla Devi, Khokhar Rajput tribe lady. Mangla Devi was the daughter of Khokhar Kshatriya Raja Porus. It has been narrated to be the site of the crossing of the Jhelum river by the forces of
Alexander the Great
Alexander III of Macedon ( grc, wikt:Ἀλέξανδρος, Ἀλέξανδρος, Alexandros; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the Ancient Greece, ancient Greek kingdom of Maced ...
facing
King Porus
Porus or Poros ( grc, Πῶρος ; 326–321 BC) was an ancient Ancient India, Indian king whose territory spanned the region between the Jhelum River (Hydaspes) and Chenab River (Acesines), in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent. H ...
.
History
At the time of construction of the
Mangla Dam
The Mangla Dam ( ur, ) is a multipurpose dam situated on the Jhelum River in the Mirpur District of Azad Kashmir. It is the sixth-largest dam in the world. The village of Mangla, which sits at the mouth of the dam, serves as its namesake. I ...
, the villages of Sultanpure,
Thill
Thill, also known as Thill Sharif or Thil, is a village in Jhelum District, Punjab, Pakistan. It is located at 32°42'0N' 73°20'0E with an altitude of 279 metres (918 feet). It is situated between the Jhelum River and Pind Dadan Khan Teh ...
, Baral and Baruti across the river in Jhelum District were developed as residential colonies and offices for foreign workers and officials.
Prior to the construction of Mangla Dam, in March 1962, almost all the inhabitants of the ancient Mangla village moved to Mangla Hamlet, therefore this town represents Mangla in a true sense. Mangla is located from the city of
Mirpur, at the mouth of the Mangla Dam. The dam reservoir has a perimeter of 400 km, and is a place of interest. It hosts the Mangla Power Station, which is the second largest in Pakistan.
Mangla Fort
Mangla is the site of the historic Mangla Fort.
The fort is situated on a high hill overlooking the Jhelum river, dividing the Mirpur and Jhelum districts. A part of Mangla fort was razed during the construction of the Mangla Dam, however, a large part remains and serves as a public recreation place.
Mangla Cantonment
After the completion of Mangla Dam, most of the Baral and Sultanpure Thill area was taken over by
Pak Army
The Pakistan Army (, ) is the Army, land service branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The roots of its modern existence trace back to the British Indian Army that ceased to exist following the partition of India, Partition of British India, wh ...
and
converted into a
Cantonment
A cantonment (, , or ) is a military quarters. In Bangladesh, India and other parts of South Asia, a ''cantonment'' refers to a permanent military station (a term from the British India, colonial-era). In military of the United States, United Stat ...
whereas a small section within the compound walls of Pakistan Army's officers residences, known as Baral Colony, was allotted to
WAPDA
The Pakistan Water & Power Development Authority (WAPDA; ur, ) is a government-owned public utility maintaining power and water in Pakistan, although it does not manage thermal power. WAPDA includes Tarbela and Mangla dams among its resources. ...
named as WAPDA Officers Colony.
References
External links
More information about mangla* Guide t
Kashmir
{{Coord, 33.1167, N, 73.6500, E, source:wikidata-and-enwiki-cat-tree_region:PK, display=title
Populated places in Mirpur District