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=                             Dardistan                              =
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                               History                                
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The 19th-century Hungarian-born British orientalist Gottlieb Wilhelm
Leitner is generally credited with coining the term Dardistan. Leitner
traced the first reference to "the country of the Dards" to the
writings of the Greek historian and geographer Herodotus, who placed
it on the frontier of Kashmir near Afghanistan. However, some
scholars, such as Wolfgang Holzwarth, note that a Persian chronicle,
'Tarikh-i-Badakhshan' (written in 1810), describes Chitral as part of
Dardistan long before him, and that the term 'Dard', at least as an
exonym, had also been used sporadically in the region.

The British initially grouped almost all the people and languages of
the upper Indus River, between Kashmir and Kabul, into a single
category. This led to the creation of distinct identities for all
other groups in the region, giving rise to terms such as 'Dard',
'Dardistan', and 'Dardic'.

However, the names 'Dards' and 'Dardistan' are not common in the
region. 'Dard' is not recognized in any local language, except Khowar,
where it translates to 'way of the language' or 'dialect'. The broad
application of this term has been criticised by many scholars. The
languages and peoples are often referred to as "Kohistani", mostly by
the Pashtuns. In academic linguistic contexts, however, Kohistani
refers to a subgroup of Dardic languages mainly spoken in the Kohistan
district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

In a historical context, Herodotus (4th century B.C.), in one of his
stories, mentioned warring people named 'Dadikai' on India's frontier.
Later, Strabo and Pliny referred to the warlike tribe known as
'Dardae'. Alexander, whose journeys contribute significantly to the
classical geography of the subcontinent, did not encounter any Dard
people. However, he did visit a place called 'Daedala', where he
reportedly fought a group known as the 'Assakenoi'.

Herodotus' 'Dadikai' appears to be the Persian name for the 'Daradas'
mentioned in the Puranic sources. Rather than identifying a specific
group, the term described a fierce population living in the northwest,
beyond the confines of established society. In 'Rajatarangini',
Kalhana refers to the Darads as inhabitants of the area north of
Kashmir, known for their frequent attempts to invade and plunder
Kashmir.

The term eventually gained acceptance through frequent use. GW Leitner
introduced the labels 'Dard' and 'Dardistan' even though no local
population identified as 'Dard'. John Biddulph, who resided in Gilgit
for an extended period, also noted that none of the tribes typically
referred to as 'Dard' recognized the term. Biddulph acknowledged that
Leitner's label 'Dardistan' was based on a misunderstanding, but he
accepted it as a useful term for referring to the complex, diverse,
and largely unexplored Karakoram region between Kashmir and the Hindu
Kush. This usage mirrors Sanskrit interpretation, where it refers to
unspecified fierce outsiders residing in the mountainous regions
beyond the area's borders.


                            External links                            
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* [https://www.britannica.com/place/Dardistan Dardistan on Britannica]
* [https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/dardestan- Dardistan on
Iranica]


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Original Article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dardistan


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