Book Title: Indian Antiquary Vol 58
Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Charles E A W Oldham, S Krishnaswami Aiyangar, Devadatta Ramkrishna Bhandarka
Publisher: Swati Publications
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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
[ MAY, 1929
in 1925 that same ground, together with the rest on the right bank of the Indus down to the Barandu river some 9 miles above Amb, had passed under the sway of the Miângul ruler of Swat. The question of giving me access had therefore to be taken up with him by the political authorities of the North-West Frontier Province. The first definite news of his assent reach. ed me early in December on my return to India. I felt particularly gratified by the condition which the Miângul had indicated, that I should visit the tract in question not from across the Indus but from the side of Swat ; for obviously I could thus hope for a chance of extending my exploratory work over far more of interesting ground than originally contemplated, From the same letter I learned that the site of Aornos, which had been mentioned as the principal objective of my visit, was locally known by the name of Pir-sar.
This precise information as to the locality to be looked for was bound to be received by me with surprise ; for former experience in this region had shown me that genuine local tradition of Alexander's campaign twenty-two centuries ago survives there as little as it does anywhere else on the North-West Frontier or in the Panjab. Indeed, none could reasonably be expected considering the great length of time passed, the far-reaching ethnic changes, the ephemeral character of the great Macedonian's passage, and the total absence of any histori. cal recollection concerning him and his invasion in the whole range of Indian literature, as distinct from the "Alexander romance " introduced in its Persian garb through the Muham. madan conquest. What I subsequently had occasion to hear from Sipah-salar Ahmad 'Ali, the Miângul's commander-in-chief, who accompanied me throughout my tour, and from others of the ruler's entourage, has confirmed my belief that their connection of Alexander's name with that particular locality of Pir-ear had originated merely from the way in which the object of my proposed visit had been communicated to the Miângul in official correspondence, and from the interest which had thus been directed towards a site likely to answer the general description conveyed. Nevertheless the apparent precision with which the local inquiry made at the ruler's desire had fixed upon that locality, was a matter not to be ignored. This will explain why, when the completion of our surveys in Upper Swat allowed me to turn towards the Indus and to approach there the ground to which Colonel Wauhope had drawn my attention, I wished to visit Pir-sar in the first place.
Our route starting from Khwaja-khe in Upper Swat led first across the Karórai pass into the northern portion of the Ghôrband tract. Thence over the Shalkau pass, close on 10,000 feet in height and still deeply covered with snow, the head of the large and fertile valley of Kana was gained. Here we closely approached the still inaccessible portion of the Kohistan on the right bank of the Indus. By descending the Kana valley from north to south the lower course of the Ghôrband river was reached. Along it lies a much-frequented route from the Indus to Swat. Fa Hsien on his way from Darel, and probably other Chinese pilgrims, had followed it 44. Almost opposite to the mouth of the Kana valley there descends & valley from the above-mentioned range dividing Ghorband and Chakesar, and an easy pass at its head above the village of Upal forms the most direct connection between the two tracts.
Starting on foot from the village of Upal on the morning of April 26, we ascended first to a spur which at a height of about 6,000 feet bears a small plateau occupied by a Gujar hamlet and its fields. Here at the ruin of a small walled enclosure remains of ancient decorated pottery, as well as an ornamental bronze bracelet of very early shape, were picked up practically on the surface. From there the ascent lay first past terraced fields and then steeply over slopes clothed with luxuriant conifer and ilex forest to the crest of the range reached at an elevation of a little under 8,000 feet. Along this crest, very narrow and rocky throughout, or on the steep southern slope close below it, led the track, such as it was, eastwards. Fine views had been obtained before of the great glacier-clad peaks above the Swat river headwaters, and on passing below the top of the eminence, shown with the triangulated
4 See 'Serindia,' i. pp. 789.
