Baloristan


Baloristan was a historical region in north of Pakistan. The region was consisted of Baltistan, Ladakh, Gilgit, Chitral and Kohistan.

Etymology

Balors means "highlanders", it is believed to have come from "Bala" meaning high or upper. Thus it means land of highlanders. The Tibetian called the area Nang-kod, while the Mughals called the area Tibet-i-Khurd or Little Tibet.

History

Historically, the Baltistan region was called "Great Bolor" and Dardistan and parts of Brooshal were called "Little Bolor." Great Boloristan is known to have sent ambassadors to the Chinese court. The Mons, an Indo-Aryan group, made the region as a hub of Buddhism.
Chinese historian Faxian mentioned it as Pololo or Palolo, Tibetans called it Nang-khod, where Arab historians mentioned it as Baloristan, moreover Theodre Foster in his The London Quarterly Review has stated that to Muslim geographers the name of the region was not known, use of the name in very rare cases is found. Prof Stobdan says Mughal historian called it Tibet-i-Khurd.
The people of this region though belonging to various ethnicities have historically been referred to as Balors, which means the highlanders or mountain people, a reference to the high-altitudes prevalent in this area. An alternative theory links the name to a mythic ancient king called Bolor Shah, who had first united the region and from whom local rulers in turn often claimed descent.

Religious Scriptures

Hindu holy scripture Mahabharata mentions patola as a "land of daradas", narrates the epic journey of Arjuna along the river Indus and his visit to the kingdom of Gilgit during his military campaign to collect tribute to King Yudhisthira Rajasuya's sacrifice.