View source for Pothohar Plateau

{{Short description|Plateau in Punjab, Pakistan}}
{{Infobox mountain
| name = Pothohar Plateau
| other_name = {{lang|pa|{{nq|پوٹھوار}}}} ([[Punjabi language|Punjabi]]){{Break}}{{lang|ur|{{nq|سطح مرتفع پوٹھوہار}}}} ([[Urdu]])
| photo = File:Potohar Plateau Location Map.svg
| map = Punjab Pakistan#Pakistan
| map_relief = 1
| location = [[Punjab, Pakistan]]
| label = 
| label_position = left
| elevation_m = 
| elevation_ft = 1,900
| range_coordinates = {{Coord|32|58|N|72|15|E|type:mountain_region:PK|display=inline,title}}
| type = [[Plateau]]
| coordinates_ref = 
| elevation_ref = <ref name=":0"/>
| range_coordinates_ref = <ref name=":1"/>
}}{{Punjabis}}
The '''Pothohar Plateau''' ({{langx|pa|{{Nastaliq|پوٹھوار}}}}, {{small|romanized}}: ''Pо̄ṭhvār''; {{langx|ur|{{Nastaliq|سطح مرتفع پوٹھوہار}}}}, {{small|romanized:}} ''Satāh Murtafā Pо̄ṭhohār''), also known as '''Pothwar''', is a [[plateau]] in the northern region of [[Punjab, Pakistan|Punjab]], [[Pakistan]], located between the [[Indus River|Indus]] and [[Jhelum River|Jhelum]] rivers.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Tikekar |first=Maneesha |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HGqsWktyFcEC&dq=en&pg=PA180 |title=Across the Wagah: An Indian's Sojourn in Pakistan |date=2004 |publisher=Bibliophile South Asia |isbn=978-81-85002-34-7 |pages=180 |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last1=Öztürk |first1=Münir Ahmet |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=g9JjEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA912 |title=Biodiversity, Conservation and Sustainability in Asia: Volume 2: Prospects and Challenges in South and Middle Asia |last2=Khan |first2=Shujaul Mulk |last3=Altay |first3=Volkan |last4=Efe |first4=Recep |last5=Egamberdieva |first5=Dilfuza |last6=Khassanov |first6=Furkat O. |date=2022 |publisher=Springer Nature |isbn=978-3-030-73943-0 |pages=912 |language=en}}</ref>

==Geography==
[[File:Pothohar map.jpg|thumb|left|Map of Pothohar]]
[[File:Tilla Jogian.jpg|thumb|left|200px|[[Tilla Jogian]], 2nd highest peak in [[Jhelum District]]]]
Pothohar Plateau is bounded on the east by the [[Jhelum River]],<ref>{{Cite journal |last=MacLagan |first=R. |date=1885 |title=The Rivers of the Punjab |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/1801407 |journal=Proceedings of the Royal Geographical Society and Monthly Record of Geography |volume=7 |issue=11 |pages=705–719 |doi=10.2307/1801407 |jstor=1801407 |issn=0266-626X}}</ref> on the west by the [[Indus River]], on the north by the [[Kala Chitta Range]] and the [[Margalla Hills]], and on the south by the [[Salt Range]].<ref name=":0" /> The southern end of the plateau is bounded by the [[Thal Desert|Thal desert]].<ref name=":0" /> The 5000 [[square mile]]s of the plateau range from an average height of 1200 to 1900 feet above the sea level.<ref name=":0" /> [[Sakesar]] in the Salt Range is the highest mountain of the region and [[Tilla Jogian]] is the second highest.

==History==
[[File:Dharmarajika_stupa,Taxila.jpg|right|thumb|Ruins of [[Dharmarajika Stupa]] in [[Taxila]]. It was destroyed during the [[Alchon Huns|Hunnic invasions]] in the 6th century.]]
The earliest evidence of human habitation in [[Punjab]] traces to the [[Soan valley]] of the Pothohar, where [[Soanian|Soanian culture]] developed between 774,000 BC and 11,700 BC. This period goes back to the first interglacial period in the [[Cryogenian|second Ice Age]], from which remnants of stone and flint tools have been found.<ref>{{Cite book |first=Singh |last=Mohinder |url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/220695807 |title=History and culture of Panjab |date=1989 |publisher=Atlantic Publishers and Distributors |oclc=220695807}}</ref>

The [[Sivapithecus indicus]] fossil skull of an extinct ape species was discovered in Potohar plateau.<ref>[http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2014/12/04/1420275111.abstract A partial hominoid innominate from the Miocene of Pakistan: Description and preliminary analyses]</ref>

[[Taxila]] was the capital city of [[Gandhara|ancient Gāndhāra]], situated on the eastern shore of the [[Indus River]]—the pivotal junction of the [[Indian subcontinent]] and [[Central Asia]];<ref name="Raymond Allchin p.127">Raymond Allchin, Bridget Allchin, [https://books.google.com/books?id=r4s-YsP6vcIC&pg=PA127 ''The Rise of Civilization in India and Pakistan''.] Cambridge University Press, 1982 p.127 {{ISBN|052128550X}}</ref> it was founded around 1000 BCE. Some ruins at Taxila date to the time of the [[Achaemenid Empire|Achaemenid Persian Empire]], followed successively by the [[Maurya Empire]], the [[Indo-Greek Kingdom]], the [[Indo-Scythians]], and the [[Kushan Empire]]. Owing to its strategic location, Taxila has changed hands many times over the centuries, with many polities vying for its control. When the great ancient trade routes connecting these regions ceased to be important, the city sank into insignificance and was finally destroyed in the 5th century by the invading [[Huna people|Hunas]]. In the 15th century, Pothohar became part of Malik [[Jasrat]]'s kingdom who had conquered most of Punjab from the Delhi Sultanate.<ref>{{Cite journal|author-link=K. S. Lal |last=Lal |first=K. S. |date=1958 |title=Jasrat Khokhar |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/44145212 |journal=Proceedings of the Indian History Congress |volume=21 |pages=274–281 |jstor=44145212 |issn=2249-1937}}</ref> In mid-19th century [[British Raj|British India]], ancient Taxila's ruins were rediscovered by British archaeologist [[Alexander Cunningham]]. In 1980, [[UNESCO]] designated Taxila as a [[World Heritage Site]].<ref>UNESCO World Heritage Site, 1980.  [https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/139/multiple=1&unique_number=153 Taxila: Multiple Locations].  Retrieved 13 January 2007.</ref> By some accounts, the [[University of ancient Taxila]] is considered to be one of the earliest universities in the world.<ref name="Needham">{{cite book |last=Needham |first=Joseph |title=Within the Four Seas: The Dialogue of East and West |publisher=Routledge |year=2004 |isbn=978-0-415-36166-8 |author-link=Joseph Needham}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Kulke |first1=Hermann |last2=Rothermund |first2=Dietmar |author-link1=Hermann Kulke |author-link2=Dietmar Rothermund |title=A History of India |date=2004 |publisher=Routledge |location=New York |isbn=978-0-415-32919-4 |edition=4th |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TPVq3ykHyH4C |postscript=. In the early centuries the centre of Buddhist scholarship was the University of Taxila."}}</ref><ref name="entrepreneurship2007">{{cite journal |last1=Muniapan |first1=Balakrishnan |first2=Junaid M. |last2=Shaikh |year=2007 |title=Lessons in corporate governance from Kautilya's [[Arthashastra]] in ancient India |journal=World Review of Entrepreneurship, Management and Sustainable Development |volume=3 |issue=1 |page=50 |doi=10.1504/WREMSD.2007.012130 |postscript=. Kautilya was also a [[Professor]] of Politics and Economics at Taxila University. Taxila University is one of the oldest known universities in the world and it was the chief learning centre in ancient India."}}</ref><ref>{{citation |last=Mookerji |first=Radha Kumud |author-link=Radha Kumud Mukherjee |title=Chandragupta Maurya and his times |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=i-y6ZUheQH8C |edition=4th |year=1988 |orig-year=1966 |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass |isbn=81-208-0433-3 |page=478 |postscript=. Thus the various centres of learning in different parts of the country became affiliated, as it were, to the educational centre, or the central university, of Taxila which exercised a kind of intellectual [[suzerain]]ty over the wide world of letters in India."}}</ref>{{sfn|Mookerji|1988|p=479|ps=. This shows that Taxila was a seat not of elementary, but higher, education, of colleges or a university as distinguished from schools."}} Because of the extensive preservation efforts and upkeep, Taxila is one of [[Tourism in Punjab, Pakistan|Punjab's popular tourist spots]], attracting up to one million tourists every year.<ref name=":02">{{Cite web |author=Raheela Nazir |date=2018-05-12 |title=Feature: Pakistan in efforts to rejuvenate Taxila, one of most important archaeological sites in Asia |url=http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2018-05/12/c_137172822.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180511203509/http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2018-05/12/c_137172822.htm |archive-date=11 May 2018 |access-date=2018-10-15 |website=XINHUANET.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=13 May 2018 |title=Taxila: an illustration of fascinating influences of multiple civilisations |work=Daily Times |url=https://dailytimes.com.pk/239407/taxila-an-illustration-of-fascinating-influences-of-multiple-civilisations/}}</ref>

During the [[Mughal Empire|Mughal Period]], the Pothohar was a part of the [[Subah of Lahore]].<ref>{{Citation |last=Robert |first=Wilkinson |title=English: Lahore Subah of the Mughal Empire, established during Akbar's administrative reforms of 1572–1580. |date=1805 |url=https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lahore_Subah.png |access-date=2023-04-28}}</ref>

{{Blockquote
|text="The land is beautiful, its scented air is that of spring, and the Pothwar is an appealing and beautiful garden."<ref>{{Cite book |last=Chand |first=Raizada Diwan Duni |title=Kaigoharnameh |publisher=The Panjabi Adabi Academy |year=1965 |language=en, fa}}</ref>
|source=''Kaigoharnameh'', Medieval Persian Manuscript
}}

The Punjab played a major role in the war effort of [[World War II]], and a large proportion of these soldiers came from the Pothohar as well as the [[Salt Range]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Hussain |first=Shaheed |title='PUNJABISATION' IN THE BRITISH INDIAN ARMY 1857–1947 AND THE ADVENT OF MILITARY RULE IN PAKISTAN |url=https://www.csas.ed.ac.uk/sites/csas/files/assets/pdf/WP24_Shaheed_Hussain.pdf |journal=School of History & Classics University of Edinburgh}}</ref>

==Demography==
[[Punjabis]] are the native people of Pothohar, speaking [[Punjabi language|Punjabi]] in forms of various [[Punjabi dialects and languages|dialects]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Population Profile Punjab {{!}} Population Welfare Department |url=https://pwd.punjab.gov.pk/population_profile |access-date=2023-02-15 |website=pwd.punjab.gov.pk}}</ref> Major dialects or varieties spoken in the region include [[Pahari-Pothwari|Pothwari]], predominantly spoken in the northern and central areas of the plateau, with [[Dhanni dialect|Dhanni]] being spoken in the southern areas, [[Majhi dialect|Majhi]] in the eastern and [[Hindko]] (specifically [[Ghebi dialect|Ghebi]] and [[Chachhi dialect|Chachhi]]) in the western areas.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=John |first=Asher |date=2009 |title=Two dialects one region : a sociolinguistic approach to dialects as identity markers |url=http://cardinalscholar.bsu.edu/handle/123456789/193541 |journal=CardinalScholar 1.0}}</ref> Other Punjabi dialects, as well as other languages, are also spoken in major urban centres like [[Islamabad]] and [[Rawalpindi]].

The major [[Baradari (brotherhood)|biradaris]] of the region (Punjabi: برادری) include [[Rajput]]s, [[Jats|Jatts]], [[Awan (tribe)|Awans]], [[Janjua]]s, [[Gurjar|Gujjars]], [[Khokhar]]s, and [[Gakhars]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Panjab. |url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/455118747 |title=Gazetteer of the Rawalpindi district. |date=1895 |publisher="Civil and Military Gazette" Press |oclc=455118747}}</ref><ref name="Singh">{{cite book |last1=Singh |first1=Kumar Suresh |title=People of India: Jammu & Kashmir |date=2003 |publisher=Anthropological Survey of India |isbn=978-81-7304-118-1 |page=xxiii |language=en|quote=Gujars of this tract are wholly Muslims, and so are the Khokhar who have only a few Hindu families. In early stages the converted Rajputs continued with preconversion practices. }}</ref><ref name="Malik">{{cite journal |last1=Malik |first1=M. Mazammil Hussain |title=Socio-Cultural and Economic Changes among Muslims Rajputs: A Case Study of Rajouri District in J&K |journal=Epilogue |date=1 November 2009 |volume=3 |issue=11 |page=48 |quote=Rajputs Kokhar were the domiciles of India and were originally followers of Hinduism, later on they embraced Islam and with the passage of time most of them settled near Jehlam, Pindadan Khan, Ahmed Abad and Pothar. In Rajouri District, Khokhars are residing in various villages.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LRg5NSW1BisC&pg=PA142 |page=142 |title=Advanced History of Medieval India |first=S. R. |last=Bakshi |publisher=Anmol Publ. |year=1995|isbn=9788174880284}}</ref> Prior to the [[partition of India]], other biradaris including the [[Khatri]]s, [[Mohyal Brahmin]]s, and [[Arora]]s were also present in large numbers throughout the region.<ref>{{Cite book |last=McLeod |first=W. H. |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/435778610 |title=The A to Z of Sikhism |date=2009 |publisher=Scarecrow Press |others=W. H. McLeod |isbn=978-0-8108-6344-6 |location=Lanham |oclc=435778610}}</ref><ref name= Ruffle>{{cite book| date=April 20, 2021 |last=Ruffle |first=Karen G. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ImofEAAAQBAJ&q=Mohyal+Gandhara |title=Everyday Shi'ism in South Asia |page=42 |quote=This caste of Brahmins trace their origins to the Gandhara region, located in contemporary northwest Pakistan between Peshawar and Taxila. The region has long been associated with governmental administrative and military service. In addition to being referred to as “Husaini” Brahmins for their rituals of devotion to Imam Husain, which will be discussed below, this caste is more formally known as '''Mohyal'''. |isbn=9781119357148 |publisher=[[Wiley (publisher)|Wiley]] |agency=[[University of Toronto]] |language=en-US }}</ref><ref name =Mehta>{{cite book |date=December 27, 2021 |last=Mehta |first=Balram Singh |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Uf5REAAAQBAJ&dq=Mohyal+Gandhara&pg=PT10 |publisher=Penguin Random House India Pvt. Ltd. |title=The Burning Chaffees: A Soldier's First-Hand Account of the 1971 War |page=32 |isbn=9789354923951 |quote=The surname — Mehta — is actually a title granted to the more erudite and better educated amongst the '''Mohyal''' community, originating from the Gandhara region. |language=en-In }}</ref>

==Economy==
The plateau covers about 7 percent of all the cultivated land of Pakistan and most of it is very fertile, but the region does not have any proper irrigation system, with the [[agriculture]] being largely dependent on rainfall.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Amalric |first1=F. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3T_P7r5uY-4C |title=People, the Environment and Responsibility: Case Studies from Rural Pakistan |last2=Banuri |first2=T. |date=1995-10-15 |publisher=CRC Press |isbn=978-1-85070-652-6 |pages=27 |language=en}}</ref>

The plateau is the location of major Pakistani oil fields, the first of which were discovered at [[Khaur]] in 1915 and Dhuliān in 1935; the Tut field was discovered in 1968, Missa Keswal was discovered in 1992 and exploration continued in the area in the 1990s. The oil fields are connected by pipeline to the [[Attock Refinery]] in Rawalpindi.<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://www.tourism.gov.pk/photohar_plateau_isb_destinations.htm | title=New Page 1}}</ref>
Major reserves of oil and gas has been discovered at [[Chak Beli Khan]] near Rawalpindi in [[Punjab (Pakistan)|Punjab]]. A major oil reserve has been discovered near Jhelum in Punjab, opening up a new area for exploitation of hydrocarbon potential (e.g., Meyal Field<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Riaz|first1=Muhammad|last2=Nuno|first2=Pimentel|last3=Zafar|first3=Tehseen|last4=Ghazi|first4=Shahid|date=2019|title=2D Seismic Interpretation of the Meyal Area, Northern Potwar Deform Zone, Potwar Basin, Pakistan|journal=Open Geosciences|volume=11|issue=1|pages=1–16|doi=10.1515/geo-2019-0001|doi-access=free}}</ref>). With an estimated production of 5,500 barrels per day, the Ghauri X-1 oil well is expected to be the country’s largest oil-producing well and is likely to start contributing its output to the system by the end of June 2014.

Due to low [[Precipitation (meteorology)|rain fall]], extensive [[deforestation]], [[coal mining]], [[Petroleum|oil]] and gas exploration, the area is becoming devoid of vegetation.

==Important sites==
===Taxila===
[[File:Jaulian_Buddhist_Monastery_in_Taxila.jpg|thumb|Panorama of the [[Jaulian]] monastery]]
[[Taxila]]'s archaeological sites lie near modern Taxila about {{convert|35|km|abbr=on}} northwest of the city of [[Rawalpindi]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Taxila {{!}} ancient city, Pakistan {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Taxila |access-date=2022-08-17 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref> The sites were first excavated by [[John Marshall (archaeologist)|John Marshall]], who worked at Taxila over a period of twenty years from 1913.<ref>{{cite ODNB|last1=Wheeler|first1=Mortimer|author-link1=Mortimer Wheeler|title=Marshall, Sir John Hubert (1876–1958)|url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/34896|doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/34896|access-date=4 July 2017}}</ref>

The vast archaeological site includes neolithic remains dating to 3360 BCE, and Early Harappan remains dating to 2900–2600 BCE at ''Sarai Kala''.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Allchin|first1=Bridget|last2=Allchin|first2=Raymond|author-link1=Bridget Allchin|author-link2=Raymond Allchin|title=The rise of civilization in India and Pakistan|date=1988|publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |location=Cambridge [u.a.]|isbn=978-0521285506|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=r4s-YsP6vcIC |page=127}}</ref> Taxila, however, is most famous for ruins of several settlements, the earliest dating from around 1000 BCE. It is also known for its collection of Buddhist religious monuments, including the [[Dharmarajika|Dharmarajika stupa]], the [[Jaulian]] monastery, and the [[Mohra Muradu]] monastery.

The main ruins of Taxila include four major cities, each belonging to a distinct time period, at three different sites. The earliest settlement at Taxila is found in the Hathial section, which yielded pottery shards that date from as early as the late 2nd millennium BCE to the 6th century BCE. The Bhir Mound ruins at the site date from the 6th century BCE, and are adjacent to Hathial. The ruins of Sirkap date to the 2nd century BCE, and were built by the region's [[Greco-Bactrian]] kings who ruled in the region following Alexander the Great's invasion of the region in 326 BCE. The third and most recent settlement is that of [[Sirsukh]], which was built by rulers of the [[Kushan Empire|Kushan]] empire, who ruled from nearby Purushapura (modern [[Peshawar]]).

===Rohtas Fort===
[[File:Another_great_bastion_of_Rohtas_Fort_by_Usman_Ghani.jpg|left|thumb|[[Rohtas Fort]] was built upon a hill overlooking the Pothohar Plateau.]]
[[Rohtas Fort]] is a 16th-century [[fortress]] located near the city of [[Jhelum]] in the [[Punjab, Pakistan|Punjab]] province of Pakistan. The fort is one of the largest and most formidable in the [[Indian subcontinent|subcontinent]].<ref name="WA">{{cite journal |date=7 May 2006 |title=Pakistan: Rohtas Fort |url=https://www.world-archaeology.com/features/pakistan-rohtas-fort.htm |journal=World Archaeology |issue=17}}</ref> Rohtas Fort was never taken by force,<ref name="UNESCO">{{cite web |title=Rohtas Fort |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/586 |access-date=26 May 2017 |website=UNESCO}}</ref> and it has remained remarkably intact.<ref name="UNESCO" />

The fortress was built by Raja [[Todar Mal]] on the orders of [[Sher Shah Suri]].

The fort is known for its large defensive walls and several monumental gateways. Rohtas Fort was declared a UNESCO [[World Heritage Site]] in 1997, as an "exceptional example of the Muslim military architecture of Central and South Asia."<ref name="UNESCO" />

===Katas Raj Temples===
[[File:Katas_Raj_Ruins.JPG|thumb|The complex consists of several temples and associated structures.]]
The [[Katas Raj Temples]] also known as Qila Katas,<ref name="laiba">{{cite journal |last1=Khalid |first1=Laiba |author-link1=Katas Raj Temples |date=2015 |title=Explore Rural India |url=http://itrhd.com/pdfs/ERIM-jan15.pdf |url-status=dead |publisher=The Indian Trust for Rural Heritage and Development |volume=3 |issue=1 |pages=55–57 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160430192343/http://itrhd.com/pdfs/ERIM-jan15.pdf |archive-date=30 April 2016 |access-date=15 September 2017}}</ref> is a complex of several [[Hindu]] temples connected to one another by walkways.<ref name="laiba" /> The temple complex surrounds a pond named ''Katas'' which is regarded as sacred by Hindus.<ref name="sah">{{cite book |last1=Sah |first1=Krishna Kumar |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=M6pWDQAAQBAJ |title=Deva Bhumi: The Abode of the Gods in India |date=2016 |publisher=BookBaby |isbn=9780990631491 |page=79 |access-date=15 September 2017}}</ref>

The temples' pond is said in the ''[[Purana]]s'' to have been created from the teardrops of [[Shiva]], after he wandered the Earth inconsolable after the death of his wife [[Sati (Hindu goddess)|Sati]].<ref name="sah" /><ref name="laiba" /> The pond occupies an area of two kanals and 15 marlas, with a maximum depth of 20 feet.

The temples play a role in the Hindu epic poem, the ''[[Mahābhārata]]'',<ref name=gop>{{cite web|author1=Directorate General of Archaeology|title=KATAS RAJ TEMPLES|publisher=Government of Punjab|url=http://www.dgarch.gop.pk/katas-raj-temples-chakwal}}</ref> where the temples are traditionally believed to have been the site where the ''[[Pandava]]'' brothers spent a significant portion of their exile.<ref name="sah" />

===Rawat Fort===
[[File:Rawat_Fort_-_Main_Gate_East.jpg|thumb|Rawat Fort|left]][[Rawat Fort]] is an early 16th century fort in the [[Pothohar]] plateau of [[Pakistan]], near the city of [[Rawalpindi]] in the province of [[Punjab, Pakistan|Punjab]]. The fort was built to defend the Pothohar plateau from the forces of the [[Pashtuns|Pashtun]] king [[Sher Shah Suri]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Malik|first1=Iftikhar Haider|title=Culture and Customs of Pakistan|date=2006|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|isbn=9780313331268}}</ref>

===Tilla Jogian===
[[File:Tilla Jogyan pond stairs.jpg|thumb|An abandoned pond at Tilla Jogian]]
Tilla Jogian 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, Pakistan|Punjab]] province. The complex was the most important centre for Hindu ''[[jogi (caste)|jogis]]'' in [[Punjab]] prior to 1947, and had housed hundreds of [[ascetic]]s. The site is also important in [[Sikhism]] for its association with the founder of the Sikh faith, [[Guru Nanak]].

===Khewra Salt Mine===
[[File:Khewra Salt Mine - Crystal Deposits on the mine walls.jpg|thumb|Khewra Salt Mine tunnel (Crystal Valley)]]
The [[Khewra Salt Mine]] in [[Khewra, Punjab|Khewra]] is the second largest [[Salt mining|salt mine]] in the world.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-01-19 |title=Inside Pakistan's Khewra, the second largest salt mine in the world |url=https://www.arabnews.com/node/1438136/pakistan |access-date=2023-05-05 |website=Arab News |language=en}}</ref><ref name="Stanley">{{cite book |author=Stanley J. Lefond |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Db87AAAAMAAJ&q=Khewra+Salt+Mines |title=Handbook of World Salt Resources |date=1 January 1969 |publisher=Springer |isbn=978-0-306-30315-9 |edition=1st |page=347 |access-date=3 April 2012}}</ref><ref name="Camerapix">{{cite book |author=Camerapix |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZlwOAQAAMAAJ&q=khewra+largest+salt+producer+in+world |title=Spectrum Guide to Pakistan |date=July 1998 |publisher=Interlink Books |isbn=978-1-56656-240-9 |page=150 |access-date=8 April 2012}}</ref>

The mine is famous for its production of pink Khewra salt, often marketed as [[Himalayan salt]], and is a major tourist attraction, drawing up to 250,000 visitors a year.<ref name="Privatization Commission: PMDC">{{cite web|title=Khewra Salt Mines Project |url=http://www.privatisation.gov.pk/industry/PMDC.htm |work=Pakistan Mineral Development Corporation |publisher=Privatisation Commission of Pakistan |access-date=12 April 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120725032613/http://www.privatisation.gov.pk/industry/PMDC.htm |archive-date=25 July 2012 }}</ref> Its history dates back to its discovery by [[Alexander the Great|Alexander]]'s [[Ancient Macedonian army|troops]] in 320 BC, but it started trading in the [[Mughal era]].<ref name="Sarina Singh">{{cite book |author=Sarina Singh |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zn8I4qEew9oC&pg=PA138 |title=Lonely Planet Pakistan and the Karakoram Highway |author2=Lindsay Brown |author3=Lindsay Brown |author4=Rodney Cocks |author5=John Mock |date=1 May 2008 |publisher=Lonely Planet |isbn=978-1-74104-542-0 |edition=7th |page=138 |access-date=3 April 2012}}</ref>

=== Mankyala Stupa ===
[[File:Restored_view_of_the_Manikyala_Stupa.jpg|thumb|Restored view of the Manikyala Stupa]]
The '''Manikyala Stupa''' ({{langx|ur|{{nq|مانكياله اسٹوپ}}}}) is a Buddhist [[stupa]] near the village of Tope Mankiala, in the Pothohar region of [[Pakistan]]'s [[Punjab, Pakistan|Punjab]] province. The stupa was built to commemorate the spot, where according to the [[Jataka tales]], an incarnation of the [[Buddha]] called [[Prince Sattva]] sacrificed himself to feed seven hungry tiger cubs.<ref name="A.A. Knopf">{{cite book |last1=Bernstein |first1=Richard |url=https://archive.org/details/ultimatejourneyr00bern_0 |title=Ultimate Journey: Retracing the Path of an Ancient Buddhist Monk who Crossed Asia in Search of Enlightenment |date=2001 |publisher=A.A. Knopf |isbn=9780375400094 |quote=Mankiala tiger. |url-access=registration |accessdate=16 June 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Cunningham |first1=Sir Alexander |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3s4OAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA155 |title=Four Reports Made During the Years, 1862-63-64-65 |date=1871 |publisher=Government Central Press |page=155 |language=en |quote=As Buddha offers his body to appease the hunger of the seven starving tiger - cubs , so Râsâlu offers himself instead of the woman's only son who was destined to ... Lastly , the scene of both legends is laid at Manikpur or Mânikyâla}}</ref>

Mankiala stupa's relic deposits were discovered by [[Jean-Baptiste Ventura]] in 1830. The relics were then removed from the site during the [[British Raj]], and are now housed in the [[British Museum]].<ref>[https://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=251886&partId=1&place=33154&plaA=33154-3-1&page=1 The British Museum Collection]</ref>

==Notable People==

* [[Hania Aamir|Hania Amir]] - Actress
* [[Raja Pervaiz Ashraf]], Former prime minister of Pakistan
* [[Shoaib Akhtar]] - Former Cricketer known as "The Rawalpindi Express"
* [[Mohammad Amir|Muhammad Amir]] - Cricketer
* [[Haris Rauf]] - Cricketer
* [[Raja Muhammad Sarwar|Raja Muhammad Sarwar Bhatti]] - first recipient of [[Nishan-e-Haider]], the highest military award of Pakistan.
* [[Muhammad Hussain (soldier)|Sowar Muhammad Hussain Janjua]] - 8th recipient of Nishan-e-Haider.
* [[Bari Imam]] - Sufi Saint
* [[Amir Khan (boxer)|Amir Khan Janjua]] - Former Boxer
* [[Meher Ali Shah|Pir Meher Ali Shah]] - Punjabi Sufi scholar and poet

==See also==
* [[Punjab]] region, and [[Punjab, Pakistan|Pakistani Punjab]]
* [[Topography of Pakistan]]
* [[Mountain ranges of Pakistan]]
* [[List of Rulers of Pothohar Plateau]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{reflist|group=lower-alpha}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Pothohar Plateau}}
{{Wikivoyage|Northern Punjab|Pothohar Plateau}}
*{{Cite EB1911 |wstitle=Jhelum (town) |display=Jhelum |volume=15 |page=413 |short=1}}
*{{Cite EB1911 |wstitle=Gujrat |volume=12 |page=713 |short=1}}
*[http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9061088 Potwar Plateau – Encyclopædia Britannica from Encyclopædia Britannica Premium Service]
*[http://purl.access.gpo.gov/GPO/LPS95853 Regional Studies of the Potwar Plateau Area, Northern Pakistan] [[United States Geological Survey]]

{{PunjabGeography}}

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[[Category:Archaeological sites in Punjab, Pakistan]]
[[Category:Geography of Punjab, Pakistan]]
[[Category:Landforms of Punjab (Pakistan)]]
[[Category:Landforms of Azad Kashmir]]
[[Category:Plateaus of Pakistan]]
[[Category:Regions of Punjab, Pakistan]]