Ouch, Lower Dir Explained

Ouch (Pushto; Pashto: اوچ) is a town in the Lower Dir District of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. The town has seen extensive expansion and enjoys good communication as it is located on the main N45 Dir Road, about north of Chakdara. The region is about 138km (86miles) away from Peshawar and 48km (30miles) away from Saidu Sharif and is mainly known for its shoemakers and goldsmiths. 34.7303°N 72.0169°W

Educational institutions

PRIVATE SCHOOLS

MADRASAS

Health facilities

Sporting teams

Young people in Ouch play games like volleyball, football, cricket, hockey, and other local games. A stadium in Ouch East named Ouch Sport Stadium serves as the main sporting place. The main sports organizations include:

Volleyball

  1. Rafiq Adenzai VBC Ouch
  2. Darakshan VBC Ouch
  3. Adenzai VBC Ouch
  4. Khamar VBC Ouch Maina (Ghufran, Azad Khan)
  5. Insaf VBC Ouch.

Cricket

  1. Ramzan Club Ouch
  2. Friends Club Ouch
  3. Young Star Ouch
  4. Ouch Eleven Club the pioneer cricket club in village
  5. Fighter 11 club ouch

Football

  1. Ouch Eleven Football Club
  2. Aangar FBC Ouch
  3. Ouch FBC Ouch West
  4. Shehbaz Shaheed FC Ouch West

Archaeological sites

Aandan Dherai

Aandhan Dehrai is an important Buddhist site located 7km (04miles) north of Chakdara Bridge in Ouch. According to the Buddhist pilgrim Xuan Zang, there is a legend about what Buddha did at this site. According to the legend, Buddha transformed into an enormous serpent lying dead in the valley in order to save the people from famine. The starving people ate the snake and were saved. According to another tradition, Gandhāra is the location of the mystical Lake Dhanakosha, birthplace of Padmasambhava, founder of Tibetan Buddhism.

The Kagyu sect of Tibetan Buddhism identifies the lake with the Alladun Dheri stupa and believes a spring flows from the base of the stupa to form the lake. Archaeologists have found the stupa but no spring or lake can be identified. Aandhan Dehrai Stupa was excavated by Professor Ahmad Dani who recovered over 500 pieces of Gandhara sculpture.

Laram Top Ouch

Laram, known for its lush green hills, is a destination for tourists. Laram Sar (about 6000mto7000mm (20,000feetto23,000feetm) above sea level) is a tourist spot in Lower Dir. The important surrounding hamlets include Danda, Tangobagh, Segay, Babakhwar, Kasso, Gudyakhwar etc. It is situated at a distance of 21km (13miles) from the from Chakdara. Timergara is lying on its western side while on its eastern side is with Malam Jaba. On its southwestern side is the famous historical Talash Valley.

Laram Sar can be reached from different areas such as Rabat, Talash, Ouch and Timergara. It is also accessible by two roads, one from Ouch, about 21km (13miles) long and metalled for about 5km (03miles) up to the base of Laram Mountain, and then an unmetalled portion of about 17km (11miles) the top of Laram. The second road goes from Rabat Bazaar. From Peshawar to Laram Top via Ouch, the total distance is about 178km (111miles). The mountain top has a radar system and TV signal booster.

See also