Thandiani
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Thandiani (meaning 'Very Cold') is a hill station, or resort in the Galyat hill area of Abbottabad District, Hazara, Pakistan.
History
[change | change source]Thandiani was originally granted as a leasehold to some members of the famous Battye family in British India. They were Christian missionaries and soldiers who fought in many famous military campiagns of the British Indian Army. They gifted the location to the church authorities, where a Sanatorium and various other facilities were set up, mostly for the convenience of missionaries, Anglican church personnel and officers stationed at the neighbouring cantonment of Abbottabad. It also contained some private European houses, a camping ground, a small bazaar, and the small seasonal church of St Xavier in the Wilderness (under the jurisdiction of St Luke's Church, Abbottabad) which were occupied only during the summers.
Location
[change | change source]Thandiani is in the south of Abbottabad District at 34°13'60N 73°22'0E and is about 31 kilometres from Abbottabad city in the foothills of the Himalayas. To the east beyond the Kunhar River lies the fabulous snow covered Pir Panjal Range of mountains of Kashmir.The hills of Thandiani are about 9,000 feet above sea level. Most of the people of residing here belong to the Qureshi, Gujar, and Karlal tribes.
Tourism
[change | change source]Thandiani has excellent weather and lush greenery in the summer months, and snow-covered views and hills in the winter. Many tourists from all over Pakistan visit here, especially in the summer season.
Forests and wildlife
[change | change source]The mountains around Thandiani are still quite thickly forested, compared to most other hill stations in the locality, which have suffered deforestation. The local wildlife includes leopards, deer, monkeys, several kinds of pheasants, the marbled polecat and the increasingly rare flying squirrel and a species of pine marten.