CHITRAL CHRISTY, HENRY
CHITTAGONG CHROMATIC
CHITTUR CHROMITE
CHITTY, SIR JOSEPH WILLIAM CHROMIUM
CHIUSI CHROMOSPHERE
CHIVALRY CHRONICLE
CHIVASSO CHRONICLES, BOOKS OF
CHIVE CHRONOGRAPH
CHLOPICKI, GREGORZ JOZEF CHRONOLOGY
CHLORAL CHRUDIM
CHLORATES CHRYSANTHEMUM
CHLORINE CHRYSANTHIUS
CHLORITE CHRYSELEPHANTINE
CHLOROFORM CHRYSENE
CHLOROPHYLL CHRYSIPPUS
CHLOROSIS CHRYSOBERYL
CHLORPICRIN CHRYSOCOLLA
CHMIELNICKI, BOGDAN CHRYSOLITE
CHOATE, JOSEPH HODGES CHRYSOLORAS, MANUEL
CHOATE, RUFUS CHRYSOPRASE
CHOBE CHRYSOSTOM
CHOCOLATE CHUB
CHOCTAWS CHUBB, CHARLES
CHODKIEWICZ, JAN KAROL CHUBB, THOMAS
CHODOWIECKI, DANIEL NICOLAS CHUBUT
CHOERILUS CHUDE
CHOEROBOSCUS, GEORGIUS CHUGUYEV
CHOIR CHUKCHI
CHOISEUL, CÉSAR CHULALONGKORN, PHRA
CHOISEUL, ÉTIENNE FRANÇOIS CHUMBI VALLEY
CHOISEUL-STAINVILLE, CLAUDE CHUNAR
CHOISY, FRANÇOIS TIMOLÉON CHUNCHO
CHOLERA CH'UNGK'ING
CHOLET CHUPATTY
CHOLON CHUPRIYA
CHOLONES CHUQUISACA
CHOLULA CHURCH, FREDERICK EDWIN
CHOPIN, FREDERIC FRANÇOIS CHURCH, GEORGE EARL
CHOPSTICKS CHURCH, SIR RICHARD
CHORAGUS CHURCH, RICHARD WILLIAM
CHORALE CHURCH
CHORIAMBIC VERSE CHURCH ARMY
CHORICIUS CHURCH CONGRESS
CHORIN, AARON CHURCH HISTORY
CHORIZONTES CHURCHILL, CHARLES
CHORLEY, HENRY FOTHERGILL CHURCHILL, LORD RANDOLPH
CHORLEY (English town) CHURCHILL (river in Canada)
CHORLU CHURCHING OF WOMEN
CHOROGRAPHY CHURCH RATE
CHÓRUM CHURCHWARDEN
CHORUS CHURCHYARD, THOMAS
CHOSE CHURCHYARD
CHOSROES CHURL
CHOTA CHURN
CHOUANS CHUSAN
CHRESMOGRAPHION CHUTE
CHRESTIEN, FLORENT CHUTNEY
CHRÉTIEN DE TROYES CHUVASHES
CHRISM CIALDINI, ENRICO
CHRIST CIBBER
CHRIST, WILHELM VON CIBBER, COLLEY
CHRISTADELPHIANS CIBORIUM
CHRISTCHURCH (borough in England) CIBRARIO, LUIGI
CHRISTCHURCH (city in New Zealand) CICADA
CHRISTIAN II CICELY
CHRISTIAN III CICERO
CHRISTIAN IV CICERONE
CHRISTIAN V CICHLID
CHRISTIAN VII CICISBEO
CHRISTIAN VIII CICOGNARA, LEOPOLDO
CHRISTIAN IX CID, THE
CHRISTIAN, WILLIAM CIDER
CHRISTIAN OF BRUNSWICK CIENFUEGOS, NICASIO
CHRISTIAN CATHOLIC CHURCH CIENFUEGOS
CHRISTIAN CONNECTION CIEZA
CHRISTIAN ENDEAVOUR SOCIETIES CIGAR
CHRISTIANIA CIGNANI, CARLO
CHRISTIANITY CIGOLI
CHRISTIANSAND CILIA
CHRISTIAN SCIENCE CILIATA
CHRISTIANSUND CILICIA
CHRISTIE, RICHARD COPLEY CILLI, ULRICH
CHRISTINA (queen of Sweden) CILLI (town in Austria)
CHRISTINA (queen-regent of Spain) CIMABUE, GIOVANNI
CHRISTISON, SIR ROBERT CIMAROSA, DOMENICO
CHRISTMAS CIMBRI
CHRISTMAS ISLAND CIMICIFUGA
CHRISTODORUS CIMMERII
CHRISTOPHER, SAINT CIMON
CHRISTOPHORUS CIMON OF CLEONAE
CHRISTOPOULOS, ATHANASIOS CINCHONA
CHRIST'S HOSPITAL CINCINNATI
CHITRAL, a native state in the North-West Frontier Province of India.
The state of Chitral (see also HINDU KUSH) is somewhat larger than
Wales, and supports a population of about 35,000 rough, hardy hillmen.
Previous estimates put the number far higher, but as the Mehtar assesses
his fighting strength at 8000 only, this number is probably not far
wrong. Both the state and its capital are called Chitral, the latter
being situated about 47 m. from the main watershed of the range of the
Hindu Kush, which divides the waters flowing down to India from those
which take their way into the Oxus. Chitral is an important state
because of its situation at the extremity of the country over which the
government of India exerts its influence, and for some years before 1895
it had been the object of the policy of the government of India to
control the external affairs of Chitral in a direction friendly to
British interests, to secure an effective guardianship over its northern
passes, and to keep watch over what goes on beyond these passes. This
policy resulted in a British agency being established at Gilgit (Kashmir
territory), with a subordinate agency in Chitral, the latter being
usually stationed at Mastuj (65 m. nearer to Gilgit than the Chitral
capital), and occasional visits being paid to the capital. Chitral can
be reached either by the long circuitous route from Gilgit, involving
200 m. of hill roads and the passage of the Shandur pass (12,250 ft.),
or (more directly) from the Peshawar frontier at Malakand by 100 m. of
route through the independent territories of Swat and Bajour, involving
the passage of the Lowarai (10,450 ft). It is held by a small force as a
British outpost.
The district of Chitral is called Kashgar (or Kashkar) by the people
of the country; and as it was under Chinese domination in the middle
of the 18th century, and was regarded as a Buddhist centre of some
importance by the Chinese pilgrims in the early centuries of our era,
it is possible that it then existed as an outlying district of the
Kashgar province of Chinese Turkestan, where Buddhism once flourished
in cities that have been long since buried beneath the sand-waves of
the Takla Makan. The aboriginal population of the Chitral valley is
probably to be recognized in the people called Kho (speaking a
language called Khowar), who form the majority of its inhabitants.
Upon the Kho a people called Ronas have been superimposed. The Ronas,
who form the chief caste and fighting race of the Chitral districts,
originally came from the north, but they have adopted the language and
fashions of the conquered Chitrali.
The town of Chitral (pop. in 1901, 8128), is chiefly famous for a
siege which it sustained in the spring of 1895. Owing to complications
arising from the demarcation of the boundary of Afghanistan which was
being carried out at that time, and the ambitious projects of Umra
Khan, chief of Jandol, which was a tool in the hands of Sher Afzul, a
political refugee from Chitral supported by the amir at Kabul, the
mehtar (or ruler) of Chitral was murdered, and a small British and
Sikh garrison subsequently besieged in the fort. A large force of
Afghan troops was at that time in the Chitral river valley to the
south of Chitral, nominally holding the Kafirs in check during the
progress of boundary demarcation. It is considered probable that some
of them assisted the Chitralis in the siege. The position of the
political agent Dr Robertson (afterwards Sir George Robertson) and his
military force of 543 men (of whom 137 were non-combatants) was at one
time critical. Two forces were organized for the relief. One was under
Sir R. Low, with 15,000 men, who advanced by way of the Malakand pass,
the Swat river and Dir. The other, which was the first to reach
Chitral, was under Colonel Kelly, commanding the 32nd Pioneers, who
was placed in command of all the troops in the Gilgit district,
numbering about 600 all told, with two guns, and instructed to advance
by the Shandur pass and Mastuj. This force encountered great
difficulties owing to the deep snow on the pass (12,230 ft. high), but
it easily defeated the Chitrali force opposed to it and relieved
Chitral on the 20th of April, the siege having begun on the 4th of
March. Sher Afzul, who had joined Umra Khan, surrendered, and
eventually Chitral was restored to British political control as a
dependency of Kashmir. During Lord Curzon's vice-royalty the British
troops were concentrated at the extreme southern end of the Chitral
country at Kila Drosh and the force was reduced, while the posts
vacated and all outlying posts were handed over to levies raised for
the purpose from the Chitralis themselves. The troops in Swat were
also concentrated at Chakdara and reduced in strength. The mehtar,
Shuja-ul-Mulk, who was installed in September 1895, visited the Delhi
durbar in January 1903.