Torwali Notes!
Compare this picture with present-day Bahrain!
This is a photograph of Bahrain from the 1980s. All the houses are made of natural materials — stone, wood, and mud. If you look at today’s Bahrain in Swat, it seems like a city built of concrete and cement, with the greenery having disappeared.
Bahrain: This is an Arabic word meaning “two oceans” — in this context, referring to two rivers. This new name was given to the place by the Wāli (ruler) of Swat. Before that, it was called Baranial Jadeed (New Baranial) in Pashto. This name “Baranial” is a translation of its original Torwali name Bhounal. The word Bhoun was later simplified to Bhon. Bhaun in Torwali means “indigenous/local/rooted,” and it related to words like Bhoomi/Boomki/ Bari but over time, due to tribal biases, the word took on additional, sometimes derogatory meanings.
In Torwali, Bhon also refers to the leftover twigs and branches in fields after the grass, especially a type called Krakar, is harvested. These leftovers are found in the dher (upper edges) and dher khoon (lower edge) of terraced fields. Because of this association, some people derogatorily referred to the local tribal alliance named Bhon as nothing but refuse — but this was purely political. In truth, the word Bhon also means “original” or “what remains.”
An even older name for Bhounal was Dar Sjasj, which means “the level area beyond the doorway.” This name was given to the old part of Bahrain known as Gaam by people from Kembel (Kamblai), as this was the flat land beyond their homes.
The nearby Puran Gaam (Old Village/Zorr Kalay), located about one kilometer southwest of Bahrain on a small hill, suggests that Bahrain was once locally referred to as Num Gaam, meaning “New Village.” That is why Puran Gaam is referred to as Qadeem Baranial (Old Baranial), and Bahrain as Jadeed Baranial (New Baranial).
This photograph is relatively recent. A hundred years before it, in 1880, Colonel Biddulph, in his book Tribes of the Hindukush, described Chail as the largest village in the Torwal region, followed by Ramit (Zjemit).
When the State of Swat was established here in 1922, road construction — as is often the case — led to changes in local settlements. Eventually, Baranial/Bahrain became the administrative center (tehsil headquarters) of the entire Torwal region. Even before the State, Bahrain had gained prominence. Scholar Leitner, who had sent a delegation from Gilgit to this area under Raja Shah Jahan via Palogaa near Mitiltan, referred to Baranial as the central village.
The entire Torwal area, from Tirat and Piya upward, was once divided among different Torwali tribes. According to 93-year-old Abdul Jalil Khan, Cheerit (Madyan) and Shah Gaam (Shahgram) were later granted to religiously esteemed people after the advent of Islam. Madyan was mostly under the control of people from the Ullal valley, while Shah Gaam was held by the Senkān, i.e., people from Bahrain.
Major Raverty noted in his book, ‘Notes from Afghanistan and Balochistan’ that the last battles with the Torwalis, who still followed their ancestral religion at the time, were fought in Tirat — which he places in the 17th century. After that, Madyan and Shah Gaam were taken over. Renowned anthropologist Sir Aurel Stein, in 1926, in his book ‘On Alexander Track to Indus’ still referred to Madyan/Churrai as a Torwali village, stating that both Torwali and Pashto were spoken equally there. He provided photos of mosques in Madyan, with beautifully carved doors. Stein was very impressed with the architecture of Gaam/Bahrain when he visited in 1926 as a guest of the State of Swat, collecting material for Grierson’s book, which he later published in 1929 as Torwali: A Dardic Language of Swat-Kohistan.
There is no evidence of the Wesh land distribution system in Torwal, but there were such systems in the Ban/Banda pasture areas, with divisions among different tribes. Western Torwal (west of the Swat River) was divided into four main tribal groups or alliances Lat namelu Narey, Baysé, Kiyo, and Bhon. Each group had six sub-clans. In Eastern Torwal, including the Ullal valley, divisions were village-based and still are. There, the system of Dhimi/Loge (local, communal sharing) is more common, while the west follows a Dautar (ledger-based) system similar to the Wesh system introduced in Swat in the 16th century by the Yousafzai leader Sheikh Mali.
According to this system, the Swat River is also divided among the four tribal alliances. That’s why there are disputes over land along the riverside, and the 2014 government River Protection Act cannot be fully implemented here. Even the road in this region was divided similarly. It was built on a system of forced labor (Begaar). Later, the road was declared property of the National Highway Authority (NHA) and became part of the N-95. Since the road now belongs to the state (Pakistan), a similar solution must be found for the riverbanks. Legal action and court decisions are necessary to find a lasting resolution; otherwise, the population along the river from Bahrain to Kalam will continue to face uncertainty.
These are side notes, though.
Today, Bahrain belongs to the entire Torwali community. It was populated in this way, becoming the central town and tehsil headquarters of Bahrain tehsil. Every Torwali tribe is represented here, and now people from Peshawar and other areas have also settled here.
Abdul Jalil Khan told me on the second day of Eid that this entire region — including Chail and Bishigram valley — belongs to the Torwalis. Everyone is equal here now, and tribal prejudice no longer exists. He was happy to have seen the end of such bias in his lifetime. He said today’s youth no longer believe in such divisions, and those who do are stuck in the past. He emphasized that while Madyan, Tirat, Kas Jalbandr (Kalam), and Shahgram all have such historical roots, we can’t relive history — we must now focus on the future of our people. We must acknowledge other communities, and those communities must also recognize the existence of cultures and languages different from their own.
Khan was somewhat upset that some people, because of local social structures, try to affiliate themselves with larger ethnic groups. He called this an identity crisis and an inferiority complex.
Note:
These photographs from the 1980s were obtained through a friend. The aim is to compile them into a book-style album. We are also planning an exhibition — both digital and in print — but significant funding is required for this.
As far as I know, an even older collection exists from the late Haji Chari Gul, though most of it is in black and white. Similarly, Shah Nawaz Lala’s album is with his son Abdul Rauf. Another archive is with retired teacher Zafarullah Khan. We must obtain and preserve these and eventually publish them.
There is also a highly valuable collection with Khwaja Usman Sahib of Saidu Sharif, though he is now very weak. However, we intend to contact his son and work on that archive too.
If you download the picture and post it on your wall, please do give credit — these are protected by copyright!