![View from Sakeser top](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/95/View_from_Sakeser_top.jpg)
Sakesar (
Punjabi, ur, ), is the highest mountain in the
Salt Range
The Salt Range ( pnb, ) is a mountain range in the north of Punjab province of Pakistan, deriving its name from its extensive deposits of rock salt. The range extends along the south of the Potohar Plateau and the north of the Jhelum River. The ...
in
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 a ...
Pakistan. Its height is 1,522m.
It lies on the outer fringes of the
Soon Valley
Soon Valley ( Punjabi, ur, ) is in the north west of Khushab District, Punjab, Pakistan. Its largest settlement is the town of Naushera. The valley extends from the village of Padhrar to Sakesar, the highest peak in the Salt Range. The valley ...
in
Khushab District in the
Punjab Province.
Uchhali Lake
Uchhali ( ur, اوچھالی) is a saltwater lake in Soan Sakaser Valley in the southern Salt Range area in Pakistan. This lake is formed due to the absence of drainage in the range.
Sakaser, the highest mountain in the Salt Range at , looms over ...
is just below it. It is a good picnic spot and moderately tough walking point.
History
The mountain used to be the summer headquarters for the deputy commissioners of three districts -
Campbellpur (now Attock),
Mianwali
Mianwali (Punjabi/ ur, ) is the capital city of Mianwali District in Punjab, Pakistan. The 81st largest city of Pakistan, it is known for its diverse population of, Punjabi and Pashtun ethnicities.
History
Mianwali District was an agricult ...
and
Sargodha
Sargodha (Punjabi and ur, ) is a city and capital of Sargodha Division, located in Punjab province, Pakistan. It is Pakistan's 12th largest city by population and one of the fastest-growing cities of the country. Sargodha is also known as t ...
.
In view of Sakesar's ideal location and height, the
PAF selected it in the late 1950s as the site for a high-powered radar which would provide air defence cover for the northeastern part of the western wing. The hilltop of Sakesar is located in the Salt Range - starting from Sohawa (in
Jhelum District) in the east and spreading westward.
Important lakes
*
Khabikki Lake - 37 km
*
Uchhali Lake
Uchhali ( ur, اوچھالی) is a saltwater lake in Soan Sakaser Valley in the southern Salt Range area in Pakistan. This lake is formed due to the absence of drainage in the range.
Sakaser, the highest mountain in the Salt Range at , looms over ...
- 13 km respectively - Boating available
*
Nammal Lake
Namal Lake ( ur, نمل جھیل) is located near Rikhi, a village on one corner of the Namal valley in Mianwali District, Punjab, Pakistan. It was formed following the construction of Namal Dam in . Namal Dam is situated some from Mianwali city. ...
- 40 km North-Northwest of Sakesar
* Jahlar Lake - 148 acres - Birds from Siberia travel here from distant places
Wildlife
WWF Survey carried out in September 2001 indicated that over 60 species of birds (some of them rare ones) and 10 species of mammals exist in and around Sakesar.
Villages
The main villages in the valley are:
Amb Shareef (location of mountain temple), Dhadhar (Oldest Village of Valley) Anga (2nd Oldest Village of Valley),Jahlar, Chitta, Dhaka, Jaba, Khura, Khabeki, Uchalla, Khotakka, Koradhi, Kufri (currently known as Sadiq Abad), Mardwal, Sabhral, Shakarkot, Sirhaal, Sodhi, Surrakki, Ugali, Noshehra and Uchhali. These all names were given to the areas by the peoples (who migrated to India) here before the separation of Pakistan and India. Some old shrines, temples and buildings are still there in every village. Now soon Velly is famous for fresh vegetables.
Climate
*May–June Summers Min 15 to 22 °C; Max 28 to 38 °C
*Nov–Feb winters Min –3 to –4 °C; Max 6 to 22 °C
*July-Aug Rainy Season
Amb Shareef Hindu temple
![AMB Temple in Soon Sakasar Valley by Usman Ghani](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/24/AMB_Temple_in_Soon_Sakasar_Valley_by_Usman_Ghani.JPG)
The ancient pre-Islamic ancient
Hindu
Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
temple, is near the Amb Shareef village, on the Sakesar mountain in the
Soon Valley
Soon Valley ( Punjabi, ur, ) is in the north west of Khushab District, Punjab, Pakistan. Its largest settlement is the town of Naushera. The valley extends from the village of Padhrar to Sakesar, the highest peak in the Salt Range. The valley ...
. The temple complex, built in brick and mortar, is complex of two temples facing each other. The main temple is several storeys high, roughly 15 to 20 meter tall. To the west about 75 meters lies another smaller temple, which is 2 story or 7 to 8 meters high. It is located on the Sakesar mountain, near Amb Shareef village.
[Sakesar temple]
/ref>
PTV re-broadcasting station
Pakistan Television
Pakistan Television Corporation ( ur, ; reporting name: PTV) is the Pakistani state-owned broadcaster. Pakistan entered the television broadcasting age in 1964, with a pilot television station established at Lahore.
Background
Historical co ...
's re-broadcasting centre has been installed to provide terrestrial transmissions coverage to adjoining areas.
See also
* Salt Range
The Salt Range ( pnb, ) is a mountain range in the north of Punjab province of Pakistan, deriving its name from its extensive deposits of rock salt. The range extends along the south of the Potohar Plateau and the north of the Jhelum River. The ...
* Hinduism in Pakistan
Hinduism is the second largest religious affiliation in Pakistan after Islam. While Hinduism was one of the dominant faiths in the region a few centuries back, today Hindus account for 2.14% of Pakistan's population or 4.4 million people accord ...
* Evacuee Trust Property Board
The Evacuee Trust Property Board, ( ur, ) a statutory board of the Government of Pakistan, is a key government department which administers evacuee properties, including educational, charitable or religious trusts left behind by Hindus and Sikh ...
* Rohtas Fort
Rohtas Fort or Rotas Ghur (Punjabi, ur, ; ''Qila Rohtas'') is a 16th-century fortress located near the city of Dina in Jhelum district of the Punjab province of Pakistan. An Afghan warlord turned Padishah, Sher Shah Suri built the fort, whic ...
* Rawat Fort
Rawat Fort ( ur, ) is an early 16th century fort in the Pothohar plateau of Pakistan, near the city of Rawalpindi in the province of Punjab. The fort was built to defend the Pothohar plateau from the forces of the Pashtun king Sher Shah Suri.
L ...
* Pharwala
* Sar Jalal
* Tilla Jogian
Tilla Jogian (Punjabi and ur, ) is an abandoned Hindu temple and monastic complex located on the summit of the ''Tilla Jogian'' mountain in the Salt Range of Pakistan's Punjab province.
The complex was the most important centre for Hindu '' jo ...
References
External links
Sakesar temple picture travelogue
Geography of Punjab, Pakistan
Khushab District
Hill stations in Pakistan
Mountains of Punjab (Pakistan)
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