Mangla () is a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

situated in District Mirpur within the region of

Azad Kashmir Azad Jammu and Kashmir (), abbreviated as AJK and colloquially referred to as simply Azad Kashmir ( ), is a region administered by Pakistan as a nominally self-governing entitySee: * * * and constituting the western portion of the larger ...

. The village is located in the west of the foothills of Mangla's fort (which also derived its name from the same village). It is surrounded on three sides by the semicurvature of river Jhelum flowing North to South. It is bordered by

Jhelum district Jhelum District () is a district, located partially on the Pothohar Plateau and in Indus Plain, in Punjab, Pakistan. Jhelum is one of the oldest districts of Punjab. It was established on 23 March 1849. Jhelum is known for providing many sold ...

and the right bank of the Mangla reservoir on the border of

and

Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...

province of Pakistan.

Etymology

The town of Mangla was named after Mangal Devi.

History

At the time of construction of the

Mangla Dam The Mangla Dam () is a multipurpose dam situated on the Jhelum River, lying in the Mirpur District of Pakistan administered Azad Kashmir and the Jhelum District in Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab, Pakistan. It is the List of largest dams, sixth-large ...

, the villages of Sultanpure, Thill, Baral and Baruti across the river in Jhelum District were developed as residential colonies and offices for foreign workers and officials. Prior to the construction of Mangla Dam, in March 1962, almost all the inhabitants of the ancient Mangla village moved to Mangla Hamlet, therefore this town represents Mangla in a true sense. Mangla is located from the city of Mirpur, at the mouth of the Mangla Dam. The dam reservoir has a perimeter of 400 km, and is a place of interest. It hosts the Mangla Power Station, which is the second largest in Pakistan.

Mangla Fort

Mangla is the site of the historic Mangla Fort. The fort is situated on a high hill overlooking the Jhelum river, dividing the Mirpur and Jhelum districts. A part of Mangla fort was razed during the construction of the Mangla Dam, however, a large part remains and serves as a public recreation place.

Mangla Cantonment

After the completion of Mangla Dam, most of the Baral and Sultanpure Thill area was taken over by the

Pakistan Army The Pakistan Army (, ), commonly known as the Pak Army (), is the Land warfare, land service branch and the largest component of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The president of Pakistan is the Commander-in-chief, supreme commander of the army. The ...

and converted into a

Cantonment A cantonment (, , or ) is a type of military base. In South Asia, a ''cantonment'' refers to a permanent military station (a term from the British Raj). In United States military parlance, a cantonment is, essentially, "a permanent residential ...

whereas a small section within the compound walls of Pakistan Army's officers residences, known as Baral Colony, was allotted to

WAPDA The Pakistan Water & Power Development Authority (), colloquially known as WAPDA, is a Pakistani government-owned public utility agency maintaining hydropower and water in Pakistan, although it does not manage thermal power plants. WAPDA includes ...

named as WAPDA Officers Colony.

Notes

References

Works cited

External links

More information about mangla
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Kashmir
{{Coord, 33.1167, N, 73.6500, E, source:wikidata-and-enwiki-cat-tree_region:PK, display=title Populated places in Mirpur District