Dadi Jawari

Malika Jawahir Khatun locally known as Dadi Jawari was a 17-century female ruler of Gilgit, Pakistan. She is remembered as the first female ruler in male-dominated society and for her gift of irrigation system, included two canals for drinking water and agrarian purpose. She ruled Gilgit from 1630 till 1660.

Water Channels Built by Dadi Jawari consist of two wide canals known as Ajini Daljah (upper canal) and Kherini Daljah (lower channel). The channels supplied water to agricultural lands in the outskirts what is now Barmas, Nagral, Majini Mohallah, Soni Kot and Kashrote. The channels also helped cultivate the barren lands in peripheries to form new settlements as in earlier times the vernacular settlements were confined to Barmas, Jutial and Napoor. Dadi Juwari had to hire labor from the neighbouring Darrel valley (located in today’s Diamer district) when her subjects or the citizens of the Gilgit refused to take part in the construction of the water channels.

Dadi also built roads in her dominion and undertook various welfare measures to ease the lives of her people.

References

Category:17th-century births
Category:Year of birth unknown
Category:Date of death unknown
Category:Year of death unknown
Category:History of Gilgit-Baltistan
Category:17th-century women rulers
Category:18th-century women rulers