Mukha match pulls crowds in Katlang

MARDAN: A match of mukha, a traditional form of archery, pulled crowds at Shamozai village of Katlang tehsil here on Wednesday.

The match was organised by a local social welfare organisation, Shama, under the Revival of Indigenous Cultural Heritage (RICH) initiative of the Directorate of Culture, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Amjad Ali was chief guest on the occasion.  Mukha, or Makha as it is also known, is played in Mardan, Swabi and Buner districts. The Shamozai-Mian Khan team played against Babozai-Sangahu players in Ghundo area. Babozai-Sangahu team defeated Shamozai-Mian Khan players by a slight margin of two points by securing 29 points. The winning team was awarded Rs7,000 cash award and a trophy while the runner-up was given Rs5,000.

Meanwhile, the organization Shama also arranged a tour for 70 students from various schools and colleges to the ancient Gandhara archaeological site in Jamal Garhi located about 13 kilometres from Mardan.

The ruins date back to the Gandhara civilisation. Researchers believe it was a Buddhist monastery from the first till the fifth century AD. The students were briefed about the history and historical importance of the site.