The Lush-green valley of Swat
The Lush-green valley of Swat, with its rushing torrents, icy-cold lakes, fruit-laden orchards and flower-decked slopes is ideal for holiday-makers intent on relaxation. It has a rich historical past, too. This is "Udayana" (the "Garden") of the ancient Hindu epics; "the land of enthralling beauty" where Alexander of Macedonia fought and won some of his major battles before crossing over to the plains of Pakistan. This is "the valley of the hanging chains" described by the famous Chinese pilgrim-chroniclers, Huain Tsang and Fa-Hian in the fifth and sixth centuries.
Swat Valley
The Valley of Swat sprawls over 10,360 square kilometers. Swat Valley has a rich history. It was described as "Edayana" (the Garden) in ancient Hindu epics, where Alexander of Macedonia fought and won some of his major battles before crossing over to the plains of Pakistan. Swat is also known as the Switzerland of the East.
Swat's natural beauty is captivating, but more fascinating is its rich historical and archeological heritage. From the 1st to the 5th centuries it served as the cradle of Gandhara civilization, traces of which are spread all over the valley in the shape of 52 Buddhist monasteries and stupas. At one time more than 1,400 monasteries flourished here. It was the hub of the Gandhara school of sculpture, which was an expression of the Graeco-Roman style mixed with the local Buddhist traditional sculpture. Swat is also the historical land where Mmuslim conquerors like Mahmud of Ghazni, Babur, the first great Mughal, and Akbar the Great fought their battles.
Swat is a valley of beautiful lakes. Among the most important and accessible are Darral, Kundal, and Bashigram. Mahodand Lake runs upwards along the Daral River from Bahrain, where it eventually joins the Kalam River at a place called Baglioderi, where the blue-water Darral Lake is situated. Kundal Lake is in the Utroat area on the way to from Kalam to Gabral.
Lake Bishigram is situated near Madyan, a little upstream of the trout hatchery. Fishing is one of the attractions these lakes offer. Malam Jabba, a ski resort, is 50 kilometers from Saidu Sharif at a height of 9,000 feet. The weather remains pleasant from March until October.
Saidu Sharif serves as the divisional headquarters, and Mingora as the district headquarters and commercial centre of Swat. Swat Museum, located between Mingora and Saidu Sharif, has a rich collection of Gandhara art.
Various excavated Buddhist sites are located near Saidu Sharif in Gulkada (Butkara). Farther south, toward Chakdara, Udegram and Nemogram, Buddhist stupas and other remains are spread over the southern part of the valley. There is also a museum in Chakdara. Kabal is a golfer's paradise; an eighteen-hole course is open all the year round. Miandam is a very picturesque tourist resort, surrounded by terraced fields, snow-capped peaks, wildflowers, and fruit trees.
Madyan lies in the heart of the Upper Swat Valley. Steep, wooded hills provide a scenic backdrop for the fast-flowing Swat River, which gushes through the gorges. Bahrain provides excellent hiking opportunities. A turreted fort guards the confluence of the Swat River with various mountain streams. From Matiltan, the visitor can see Falaker peak (5,918 meters/19,415 feet) and another unnamed peak of 6,095 meters (20,000 feet).
Beyond Kalam, the valleys of Ushu, Utrot, and Gabral constitute some of the most beautiful parts of Swat. The waters of the Swat River around Kalam, and in the valleys of Ushu and Gabral, abound in brown trout. Swat is ideal for camping, trekking, and mountaineering.
The people of Swat are Pathans, Kohistanis, and Gujars. Some have very distinctive features and claim to be descendants of Alexander's soldiers. The local languages are Pushto and Kohistani.
Tourism
The Mystique Of Valley Swat
Swat, is the only region upon which the Creator has been over gracious and benevolent regarding natural beauty and serenity. This realm of beauty and serenity is situated to the north of Pakistan in Hindukush mountain range and has been the abode of several ancient cultures. Apart from its historical significance, valley Swat is reputed all over the globe for its fascinating landscapes, crystal clear water torrents, diverse flora and fanna, hospitality, ancient relics and mesmerizing lakes which attract innumerable number of diverse nature lovers from all over the world.
Valleys
Valley Swat is a unique, beautiful and glittering jewel created by Almighty that is an exact replica of the glorious Alps in Switzerland. Like the Alps several mighty and high mountain ranges surround this expansive and enthralling valley. It is certainly a paradise for nature lovers where they can feast their eyes on the diverse bounties of nature ranging from the densely forested mountains to the snaking rivers and torrents. The valley contains many sub-valleys of its own kind worth to be seen. The streams flowing in these valleys contribute its sweet and clear water to the meandring River Swat.
• Madyan Valley
• Chail Valley
• Shanku and Bashigram Valleys
• Mankial Valley
Archeology of valley swat
Swat or Udyana as it is in the Sanskrit sources, is a valley in the mountainous region to the north of the Peshawar Plain, at the foot of the mountain range connecting the Hindu Kush with Karakorum; it includes the main valley of the upper course of the River Swat, for a length of about 200 Km from the source as far as the gullies through which the river flows down to the plain, and the lateral valleys of its tributaries. The valley conquered by Alexander the great in 327 B C, and over the following centuries by the Indo-Greek, Saka, Parthian, Kushan, Sasanid and Hephthalite kings, was a prosperous region. It constituted a trading center between the plains of Gandahara and the mountains of the northern areas looking towards Central Asia, and at the same time a great Center of Buddhist culture with an ample scattering of Buddhist monasteries, representing an important stopover on the way to the holy places of Buddhism, traversed by numerous Chinese pilgrims (including Faxian in the 5th century A.D., Sangyun in the 6th, Xuanzang in the 7th and Huizhao in the 8th).
By virtue of its position open to the Iranian world, Swat was always characterized by the powerful influence that the local-Dardic-Substratum exercised over Buddhism, to the extent that it became a center for the formulation and dissemination of esoteric doctrines merging into the “Diamond Vehicle” (Vajroyana) tradition. As commercial traffic increased between the Tarim basin, in modern-day Chinese Xinjiang, and the Indian ports through Karakarum, Swat found itself at the point where these routs issued into the plain of Gandahara, thus becoming a place of transit not only for goods but also ideas- a role it maintained even after the economic decline that marked the late 6th and early 7th century A.D. It was in fact from region that Padmasambhaua, the moving force of Tibetan Buddhism, set out in the 8th century, and it was indeed the suggestive accounts of this “holy land” of Buddhism contained in the Tibetan texts that brought Guiseppe Tucci in the Swat Valley in 1955.
Buddhist Shrines In Swat
A fairly large number of Buddhist sites preserving stupas, monasteries, viharas, settlements, caves, rock-carvings and inscriptions are scattered all over the Swat Valley. This heritage of immense interest may be seen both in plains and in the hilly tracts. Fa-Hein, who came to Swat in 4th century A.D, wrote about 6000 monasteries in the valley. The report of Sung-Yun, who visited the enchanting valley in the 6th century A.D, saw 6000 images in the sacred monastery of Talo (Butkara). The most famous of all the Chinese pilgrims, Hsuan-Tsang who graced the valley by his presence in the 7th century A.D, mentioned 1400 monasteries in Swat, which eloquently confirmed the extensive remains of the Buddhist period.
Even today over 400 Buddhist stupas and monasteries may still be seen in ruins in Swat covering an area of about 160 square km.
The Buddhists built mostly their stupas and monasteries higher on the hills with the aim that agricultural economy may not suffer and also to provide a sort of protection and security to them from the invaders.
• Butkara
• Nimogram
• Elephant Paw: Shahkot Pass
• Amluk Dara Stupa
• Shingardar Stupa
• Janabad Seated Buddha
• Colossal Statue of Buddha at Ghaligay
• Tokar Dara (Najigram) Stupa and Monastery
• Gumbatona Stupa 
