Baffa (

Pashto Pashto ( , ; , ) is an eastern Iranian language in the Indo-European language family, natively spoken in northwestern Pakistan and southern and eastern Afghanistan. It has official status in Afghanistan and the Pakistani province of Khyb ...

:بفه ) is a town, a union council and capital of Tehsil

Baffa Pakhal Baffa Pakhal is the fourth tehsil (an administrative subdivision) of Mansehra District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. . The capital of Baffa pakhal is Baffa. Baffa Pakhal has at least 15 union councils, some of which are Dodial, Shi ...

Mansehra District Mansehra District (Urdu, ) is a district in the Hazara Division, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, northern Pakistan. Mansehra city serves as the headquarters of the district. The district has a Hindkowan majority, with a significant Pashtun and Kohista ...

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (; ; , ; abbr. KP or KPK), formerly known as the North West Frontier Province (NWFP), is a province of Pakistan. Located in the northwestern region of the country, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is the fourth largest province of Paki ...

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

. It lies about 15 km north of the district capital,

Mansehra Mansehra (Urdu, ) is a city in the Hazara Division of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan. By population, it is the List of largest cities in Pakistan, 71st largest city in the country and the List of cities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by population, ...

History

Baffa may date back to or prior to

Sikh Sikhs (singular Sikh: or ; , ) are an ethnoreligious group who adhere to Sikhism, a religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Guru Nanak. The term ''Si ...

rule. It was given the status of a municipality in 1873 during

British rule The British Raj ( ; from Hindustani , 'reign', 'rule' or 'government') was the colonial rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent, * * lasting from 1858 to 1947. * * It is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or dire ...

as a principal market town in Northern Hazara and of the neighbouring independent tracts. In 1901, the population was 7,029. A vernacular middle school was maintained by the municipality and the District board. Baffa remained the educational hub for the Pakkhal valley, Konsh valley and Siran Valley because of the accommodation facility (hostel) attached to the Government Higher Secondary School there. At that time, this was the only high school for these three big valleys. The Municipal Committee of Mansehra took credits from the Municipal Committee of Baffa to fulfill its expenditures because the Municipal Committee of Baffa's income and revenue was more than Mansehra's. Baffa is the resting place of Mulana Ghous Hazarvi and, historically, the rallying point for Turks in the region. Baffa members of union council and political leaders have been selected through democratic candidates and elections since the independence of Pakistan. There has never been royalties or kings after independence. All political parties of Pakistan have imprint in the Tehsil.

Tea Cultivation

Tea cultivation was started for the first time in 1958 at village Baffa, district

and subsequently, in 1964 at Misriot Dam,

Rawalpindi Rawalpindi is the List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, third-largest city in the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is a commercial and industrial hub, being the list of cities in P ...

under the auspices of Pakistan Tea Board. The climate of Baffa is suitable for tea farming. Research about tea production in Pakistan was initiated by a local farmer. Privately owned tea farming in Baffa began in the late 1970s. The owner of Brook Bond, one of the world's leading tea companies, visited Baffa in the early 1980s and admired the farmer's research. The Government of Pakistan established Pakistan's first tea research centre, the National Tea Research Institute (NTRI), in Baffa. Pakistan's first tea was planted at Baffa. The Agricultural Extension Department and Agricultural Research System Department are both established there.

Location

Baffa is situated in the Pakkhal valley of Mansehra District. The town is located on the east bank of the Siran river, in the north corner of the Pakkhli plain. Travelling via the Karakorum Highway, Baffa is 13 kilometres north-west of the district capital,

. It is the headquarters of the historical Pakkhal Valley, also known as Pakkhal Plain. This valley is the last and largest plain between Pakistan and China.

Deosai National Park Deosai National Park () is a high-altitude alpine climate, alpine plain and national park located between the Skardu District and Astore District in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan. Lying to the east of Nanga Parbat and in the western Himalaya Range, ...

is the biggest plain on the Pakistan-China Himalayan frontier, covering an area of 3000 km². Beyond the Pakkhal Valley are the world's highest mountains, the

Himalayas The Himalayas, or Himalaya ( ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the Earth's highest peaks, including the highest, Mount Everest. More than list of h ...

. The main cantonment for Turks in the region was established at the nearby village of Guli Bagh.

Attractions

Major tourist attractions include

shrine A shrine ( "case or chest for books or papers"; Old French: ''escrin'' "box or case") is a sacred space">-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ...: ''escri ...

s and

mausoleum A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the burial chamber of a deceased person or people. A mausoleum without the person's remains is called a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be considered a type o ...

s, most notably Nanga Baba shrine and Dewan Raja Baba Shrine. Natural tourist attractions include Sirran River, and Mount Tingalai. Baffa is well known for its sweetened

dairy product Dairy products or milk products are food products made from (or containing) milk. The most common dairy animals are cow, water buffalo, goat, nanny goat, and Sheep, ewe. Dairy products include common grocery store food around the world such as y ...

, colloquially called as "famous

khoa Khoa, khoya, khowa or mawa is a dairy food widely used in the cuisines of the Indian subcontinent, encompassing India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Pakistan. It is made of either dried whole milk or milk thickened by heating in an open iron pan. It is l ...

of baffa".

Demographics

Population

As of the 2023 census, Baffa had a population of 17,556.

Languages

The ethnic groups of Baffa predominantly include the Pashto-speaking

Swati tribe Swatis () are people inhabiting the Hazara division in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. Of Dardic origins, Swatis originally spoke Dardic languages such as Gibri and Yadri and were native inhabitants of Swat valley. They were Pash ...

while the minority groups include

Awans Awans (; ) is a municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Liège, Belgium. On January 1, 2006, Awans had a total population of 8,696. The total area is 27.16 km² which gives a population density of 320 inhabitants per km². The ...

Gujjars The Gurjar (or Gujjar, Gujar, Gurjara) are an agricultural ethnic community, residing mainly in India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, divided internally into various clan groups. They were traditionally involved in agriculture, pastoral and nomadic ...

, and a few Turks. The primary language spoken is

, while a smaller portion of the population also speaks

Hindko Hindko (, , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken by several million people of various ethnic backgrounds in northwestern Pakistan, primarily in the provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and northern Pun ...

Religion

Nearly the whole population is of the

Sunni Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam and the largest religious denomination in the world. It holds that Muhammad did not appoint any successor and that his closest companion Abu Bakr () rightfully succeeded him as the caliph of the Mu ...

Muslim sect, save for a few

Shia Shia Islam is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib () as both his political successor (caliph) and as the spiritual leader of the Muslim community (imam). However, his right is understood ...

's. Many notable Ulamas live in the town who are recognised nationwide.

Education

Baffa's literacy rate has seen a remarkable jump in recent decades, fostered by numerous public and private educational institutions catering to the town and surrounding areas. While boasting one government Higher Secondary School each for boys and girls, Baffa enjoys proximity to Hazara University for higher education aspirations. Historically, Baffa played a pivotal role as an educational hub for the northern Hazara division before partition. Established in 1873, the Government Primary School Baffa paved the way, followed by the Government Middle School in 1906 and the Higher Secondary School in 1934, all before partition. During this era, Baffa held the distinction of being the only town in northern Hazara with an intermediate-level institution.

Agriculture

Baffa is an agricultural hub and is the leading town of the district in producing different crops and vegetables. Baffa grows vegetables, wheat, maize, rice, sugarcane and tobacco. The area's "Super Virginia" Tobacco is considered to be the world's second best. "Lacson Tobacco Company Limited" and "Pakistan Tobacco Company" operate in the area. Tomatoes, potatoes, tea and other vegetables are cultivated by most farmers in baffa. The climate of Baffa is suitable for tea farming. Research about tea production in Pakistan was initiated by a local farmer. Privately owned tea farming in Baffa began in the late 1970s. The owner of Brook Bond, one of the world's leading tea companies, visited Baffa in the early 1980s and admired the farmer's research. The Government of Pakistan established Pakistan's first tea research centre, the National Tea Research Institute (NTRI), in Baffa. Pakistan's first tea was planted at Baffa. The Agricultural Extension Department and Agricultural Research System Department are both established there.

Development

A bridge constructed by the British government in 1935 links the small town Inayat Abad to Baffa. In 2002, floods damaged it badly; however, it was reconstructed. Little development occurred from 1995 to 2015. Despite its success as a top quality cultivator of tobacco, Baffa does not have high quality tobacco roasting facilities. Baffa was affected by the October 2005 earthquake, although less than surrounding areas. Electricity projects were started in the mid-1950s. The telecommunication sector of Pakistan,

PTCL Pakistan Telecommunication Company Ltd., commonly known as PTCL, is the national telecommunication company in Pakistan.Union councils of Mansehra District