Thalpan, located opposite to the Chilas town, bears the most abundant collection of rock-art in Pakistan — the Pakistan-German Archaeological Mission has published about them in six dedicated volumes and traced them to Greco-Buddhist antiquity.[3][a] Buddhist Stupas and anthropomorphic Buddhas remain the most common subject of rock-carvings in and around Chilas.[4]
Karl Jettmar suggests that Chilas might have had been a Buddhist sanctuary while Harald Hauptmann hypothesizes Thalpan to be the "Talilo" of Chinese sources; however, in absence of excavations, such claims remain in the realm of speculations.[4]
British India
During the British Raj, the area was known as Chilas and regarded as a tribal area, a subsidiary of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir.[5][6] Its original name was apparently Shiltās.[7]
The region was brought under the control of the Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir in 1851, and an agent of the Kashmir durbar was stationed there.[8] In 1893, Chilas was taken over by the British-run Gilgit Agency.[9] An Assistant Political Agent of the Agency was stationed in Chilas town.[10][11] The Raja was soon deposed and Chilas functioned as a 'republican community' under the aegis of jirga, a body of local landowning men.[12][13]
Pakistan
Prior to 2019, the Darel District and the Tangir District were part of the Diamer District. They were subsequently elevated to district status.[14] The jirga continues to play a significant role in governance.[13]
Demographics
Diamer is the only Sunni-majority district in Gilgit-Baltistan.
^The proposed construction of Basha-Diamer Dam is expected to inundate over 37,000 carvings.
References
^Guide to Standard Floras of the World: An Annotated, Geographically Arranged Systematic Bibliography of the Principal Floras, Enumerations, Checklists and Chorological Atlases of Different Areas 2, revised: David G. Frodin Published by Cambridge University Press, 2001, Page R79
^Islam, Women, and Violence in Kashmir: Between India and Pakistan: Nyla Ali Khan Published by Palgrave Macmillan, 2010, Page 9
^Zahir, Muhammad. "Discovery and Contextualization of a Possible Buddhist Monastic Complex at Thalpan, District Diamer, Gilgit-Baltistan Province, Pakistan". Gandhāran Studies. 13: 37–59.
