Raja Gira’s Fortress, Ghaznavi Mosque & Alexander Battlefield at Swat

4 min readJan 9, 2017

1. Raja Gira’s Fortress

Last weekend I visited ‘Raja Gira Fortess’ (75000ft above the sea level) at Odigram Swat. Local calls this place “Da Kafiro Koty” (The rooms of Pagans), The fortress gives amazing view of the whole Swat, having very strategic and scenic views. This was built in 8th Century while evacuated in late 1950s.

Raja Gira was the last Hindu king who had a great empire here in Swat.
According to locals He had an underground water supply through bucket from Manglawar (20 km away & 500ft below the fort).

In 1048 AD Mehmod Ghaznavi attacked on Raja Gira, the battle was for several months at last Mehmod Ghaznavi wondered about their resistance, supply of food and water, so he fed salt to horses to make them thirsty, the thirsty horses searched and found these underground water supply.

When the water supply was cut off Raja Gira defeated, The princess named Moenjo was extremely beautiful and smart as much as when she came out to the open sun she was melted like wax.

(There wasn’t any board through which someone get more Information regarding this fortress & Now this is just use by drug user, Govt should preserve this place as soon as possible)

2. Mehmod Ghaznavi Mosque

In 1048 when the Ghaznavi conquer the fort, He built a mosque on the same hill some meters below the fortress.

There were two boards in which the mosque history has been explained

This Building brought to light by the ISIAO (Italian Archaeological Mission in Pakistan was founded in the year 440 Hiji (1048–49 AD). During the Ghaznavid conquest Swat, & represents the oldest mosque in North Pakistan. The Mosque which had orignally a flat roof, has a large pillared prayer hall to the west a square plan mehrab on the qibla wall.

Another Board was this:

Sultan Mehmod Ghaznavi is the oldest mosque of North Pakistan which was constructed in 440 AD (1048–1049) in the reign of Sultan Mehmood Ghaznavi. A Stone was discovered in 1985 from the mosque vicinity in which it was endorsed that Mehmood Ghaznavi asked his nephew Ruler Mansoor to construct the mosque. Ruler Mansoor directed military leader Nashgeen to construct the mosque. The mosque discovered in 1985 by Italian Archaeological Mission in Pakistan. The structure of mosque represents a splendid design of the mosque. The mosque which had originally a flat roof, has a large pillared courtyard with central basin for Ablutions . And a pillered prayer hall with immaculate Mehrab. Nimaz e Asr was offered after 1000 years , at Ghaznai Mosque on 28 March 2010 under the supervision of Pakistan Army Since then, the historical mosque is open for worship of Allah.