Bara Bandai
Bara Bandai (برہ بانڈئ) is a village in Swat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, known as an area crossed by Alexander The Great during his invasion of the subcontinent.The village contains a small series of mountains and a forest, residential area starting from meadows of mountainsand merge with river swat on right bank, a village market, vast land for crops, number of canals, and a part of the Swat river.Situated on the left bank (North side) of Suvastu or The River Swat and is important and one of the large village of Nikpikhel.Nikpikhel is a sub tribe of Akozai and Khudizai Yousufzai and their area stretches in North to Godamanai bordering directly with Dir district, Ningolai is on the East, Dadahara and Shamozai on the West.These include the Parachas and Khwajgan (traders), Zargar (goldsmiths), Kasabgar (hairdressers and messengers), Tarkarn (carpenters), Kolal (potters), Shah Khel (rope makers), Gujjars (farmers and herdsmen), and Jalawal (boat operators).One of the groups residing in the village claims descent from the Ghaznavids, a dynasty of Turkic origin, specifically Mamluks.[5] Current elected Chairmans of the Neighbourhood council Bara Bandai I and II are Muhammad Tariq Khan Awdal Khel and Riaz Ahmad Zargar, respectively.[7] Shaykh Abu Eesa Niamatullah (a Yousafzai of Nasir Khel tribe, an internationally acclaimed religious scholar)[8] Sultan Room (Member of Provincial Assembly, PK-9)[9]