Kalat, Balochistan

Name

In the Balochi language word Kalat is applied to a fort in general and the town became known as Kalat-e Baloch after the formation of the first Baloch rule over Kalat in the 15th century to distinguish it from Kalāt-e Ghilzai in Afghanistan, and Kalat-e Sewa after its legendary founder. During the reign of Mir Nasir Khan, the royal castle Miri (Miri meaning, "place of the Mir"), which was a magnificent building in the center of the city and where the Khan resided, was known as Kalat-e-Nasseer, and appellation it at present retains.

History

Main article: Khanate of Kalat

The town of Kalat is said to have been founded by the Hindu Sewa dynasty(Qalat-e Sewa) before the Brahuis rule in the 15th century.

Kinan Six battles of Kikan (Six battles of Kikanan/Kizkanan): The legendary battles of Kinan parallel the battle of Thermopylae, where a small contingent of pastoral Jat warriors defeated a massive Muslim army. Despite facing a vastly superior Muslim military in numbers, training, and weaponry, Jats inflicted a crushing defeat on Arabic invaders, a humiliation so profound it was taken personally by the Muslim Caliph. Chach Nama reports that during the Arab Muslim invasion of Sindh, the mountain-dwelling brave and agile Jats of Kikan or Kikanan or Kizkanan,likely present-day Kalat, near Bolan Pass in Balochistan summarily defeated invading Arabic Muslim forces of Haras and killed Haras in 662 CE, only a small portion of Muslim forces returned to Umayyad Caliphate. The impact of Muslim defeat was so significant that for next 20 years each successive caliph made Kikan a special target for attack and sent 6 expeditions of which 5 "failed miserably" and "failed to make any permanent impression" in Sindh.

In the 15th century Kalat was conquered by the Brahui Balochis (Mirwari) of the Hindu Sewa dynasty and they established a large kingdom, but it soon declined and the region fell to Mughals for a short period. The brahui speaking Khans of Qalat were dominant from the 17th century onwards until the arrival of the British in the 19th century. A treaty was signed in 1876 to make Qalat part of the British Empire.

In 1947, the Khan of Kalat reportedly acceded to the dominion of Pakistan. In 1948, Qalat became part of Pakistan when the British withdrew. The last Khan of Qalat was formally removed from power in 1955, but the title is still claimed by his descendants. The current Khan of Qalat is Mir Suleman Dawood Khan Ahmadzai.

Climate

Kalat features a cold desert climate (BWk) under the Köppen climate classification. The average temperature in Kalat is 14.1 °C, while the annual precipitation averages 163 mm. June is the driest month with 1 mm of rainfall, while January, the wettest month, has an average precipitation of 36 mm.

July is the warmest month of the year with an average temperature of 24.8 °C. The coldest month January has an average temperature of 3.4 °C. The all-time lowest recorded temperature in Kalat was -17 °C on 20 January 1978, while the highest temperature ever recorded was 38 °C on 19 June 1977.

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Demographics

Population

As of the 2023 census, Kalat has population of 44,440.

Languages

The population is mostly Muslim (97 percent), with a Hindu population of three percent, out of which many are Hindkowan merchants who regard Kalat as their homeland.

|Excerpt from the Census of India|1911 AD}}

Kalat Kali Temple

There is a Hindu temple devoted to Kali. On 21 December 2010, the 82 year old chief-priest was abducted in what was reported as part of increasingly routine targeting of minority Hindus in the province. The Kali Temple of Kalat is located at the foot of the ancient city fort of Kalat state. This temple was built before the arrival of Islam in South Asia.

References

• Kalat district - The Planning and Development Department of the Government of Balochistan

References

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3. Asif, Manan Ahmed. (September 19, 2016). "A Book of Conquest". Harvard University Press.
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18. (1964). "Encyclopædia Britannica: a new survey of universal knowledge, Volume 3". Encyclopœdia Britannica.
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27. E.J. Brill's first encyclopaedia of Islam, 1913-1936, Volume 4 By M. Th. Houtsma, Martijn Theodoor Houtsma Page 678; Quote: “It has been known in earlier times as Kalat-i-Seva (from a legendary Hindu king) and Kalat-i Nicari which connects it with the Brahui Speaking Baloch tribe of Nicari , which is generally accepted as belonging to the oldest branch of the indigenous Brahois.”