Valentine One: Office Partition

Monday 7 January 2013

Office Partition

Due to climate of the area presently in Murree, the heights were liked by the British and they decided to build “little England” in the Punjab. For this purpose they purchased and leased hill tops from the local Dhond tribe under different agreements. It is also said that it was build on the “shamlat” or pasture lands of the Village known as Mussiari. The village Mussiari can be seen from any point on the ridge extending from Kashmir to the Pindi point. There are conflicting opinions of the origin of the name Murree, with some believing that the name is derived from the word ’marhi’ meaning high place. This would make sense from a purely geographical perspective, however there are some camps who insist it is named after the Virgin Mary, most likely as a result of the British occupation of the village in the 19th century. According to an old legend, the name ‘Murree’ is derived from ‘Marium’ or Mary. Among locals it is know as Mai Mari da Asthan (“Resting Place of Mother Mary”). When the British first arrived here in 1850s to establish a new hill-station in India, Murree was still known as Mari. The spelling was later changed to the present one in 1875.