Pir Panjal | |
|---|---|
Region | |
 Rajouri city's aerial view. | |
| Country |  India |
| Union Territory | Jammu and Kashmir |
| Division | Jammu |
| Area | |
| • Land | 4,304 km2 (1,662 sq mi) |
| Population (2011) [1] | |
| • Total | 1,119,250 |
| Districts | |
The Pir Panjal Region (also Pir Panjal Valley [2] )is a region located in the southwestern part of the Pir Panjal Range in the Jammu Division of the Indian-administered union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. This name particularly refers to the districts of Poonch and Rajouri. [3] [4]
The Pir Panjal region is named after the Pir Panjal Pass, whose original name as recorded by Srivara, is Panchaladeva (IAST: Pāñcāladeva, meaning the deity of Panchala). Panchala is a country mentioned in the Mahabharata in the northwest Uttar Pradesh. However, there are also traditions that place the Mahabharata regions in western Punjab and southern Kashmir. Scholar Dineshchandra Sircar has analysed the geography described in the Shakti‐sangama Tantra, where this is indeed the case.Scholar M. A. Stein believes that the concept of deity must have been translated into that of a Pir after the region was Islamised.[ citation needed ]
The Pir Panjal Region includes the districts of Poonch and Rajouri. The districts border Kashmir Division to the north, Azad Kashmir to the west and the Jammu Division to the south and east. [5] [6] As of 2023 [update] , this region is considered a backward area in terms of development. [7]
The Nowshera Tunnel stands as the first tunnel ever constructed in the Pir Panjal region, establishing a historical milestone. [8]
The economy of the Pir Panjal Region is characterized by its rich natural resources and diverse economic activities. This region is endowed with abundant resources, including forests, herbal plants, minerals, and favorable agro-climatic conditions. Tourism and agro-based industries play a pivotal role in the region's economic landscape, offering significant investment potential.
Agriculture in the Pir Panjal region focuses on the cultivation of a variety of fruits, such as apples, almonds, cherries, apricots, and citrus fruits. Additionally, the region is known for its skilled workforce in producing delicate handicraft items, including embroidery, wood carving, fur and leather products, woodwork, and various traditional crafts. The area's mineral resources, particularly limestone, are essential for the cement industry. The government's strategic areas of focus encompass food processing, agro-based industries, auto-ancillaries, precision engineering, mineral exploration, and eco-tourism, making the Pir Panjal region an attractive destination for investment. [9]
Muslims form a majority in the two districts constituting the Pir Panjal region. About 75% of the population was Muslim according to the 2011 census, and the rest were 22.73% Hindus and 2.38% Sikhs.
Pir Panjal is also the hub of hilly tourist attractions after Valley of Kashmir & Chenab Valley, some of them are as follows;
There has been a movement demanding divisional for the Pir Panjal by various social and political activists for a long time. The demand rose in 2018 and 2019 when Ladakh got divisional status and the former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Omar Abdullah added "Two Separate Divisional Status for Chenab Valley and Pir Panjal Region" to his party's political agenda. [12]
As of 2021, the movement for of divisional status or merger with Kashmir Division again increased after rumours of second bifurcation of J&K and demand for a separate state of Jammu.The majority of people in Pir Panjal are ethnic Paharis & Gujjars and are more connected to their Kashmir Valley brethren by religion, culture, connectivity, geography & historical links with Kashmir.
There is a common reason for this demand. People allege negligence in terms of developmental issues by the government if the Pir Panjal remains linked to the Jammu division. [1]
In 1996, Dr. Farooq Abdullah as Chief minister promised administrative autonomy to Chenab & Pir Panjal. [13]
The Pir Panjal Range is a range of mountains in the Lower Himalayan region located in the Western Himalayas of northern Indian subcontinent. It runs southeast to northwest between the Beas and Neelam/Kishanganga rivers, in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh and Indian-administered union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, with its northwestern end extending into territory administered by Pakistan. The Himalayas show a gradual elevation towards the Dhauladhar and Pir Panjal ranges. Pir Panjal is the largest and westernmost range of the Lesser Himalayas. Near the bank of the Sutlej River, it dissociates itself from the main Himalayan range and forms a divide between the Beas and Ravi rivers on one side and the Chenab on the other. Further west, the Pir Panjal range forms the southwestern boundary of the Kashmir Valley, separating it from the hills of Jammu region, forming a divide between the Jhelum and Chenab rivers.
The Jammu–Baramulla line is a railway track being laid to connect the Kashmir Valley in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir with Jammu railway station and thence to the rest of the country. The 338 km railway track will start from Jammu and end at Baramulla. It comes under the jurisdiction of the Firozpur railway division of Indian Railways's Northern zone. Part of this railway route from Udhampur to Baramulla is known as Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramula Rail Link (USBRL). The 359 m (1,178 ft) high Chenab Bridge lies on this line, which is the highest railway bridge in the world. The total project cost in 2022 was INR28,000 crore. Construction of the route faced natural challenges including major earthquake zones, extreme temperatures and inhospitable terrain.
Poonch or Punch is a district of the Jammu division of Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region. With headquarters in the town of Poonch, it is bounded by the Line of Control on three sides. The 1947–48 war between India and Pakistan divided the earlier district into two parts. One went to Pakistan and the other became part of the then-Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir.
Rajouri is a district in the Jammu division of Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region. The Line of Control, between the Indian- and Pakistani-administered Jammu and Kashmir, lies to its west, Poonch to its north, the Reasi district to the east and the Jammu district to its south. Rajouri is famous for its "Kalari". Representing an ancient principality, Rajouri was a joint district, along with Reasi, at the time of princely state's accession to India in 1947. The two tehsils were separated and Rajouri was merged with the Poonch district. Rajouri again became a separate district along with Reasi in 1968 till 2006 when both were separated again. The Rajouri district comprises 13 tehsils (boroughs). The land is mostly fertile and mountainous. Maize, wheat and rice are the main crops of the area and the main source of the irrigation is the river Tawi that originates from the mountains of Pir Panjal.
Nowshera is a town and the headquarters of an eponymous tehsil of Rajouri district in the Jammu division of the Indian Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. It is governed by a Municipal committee and in rural area of Nowshera consists of 14 panchayats governed by local bodies under the supervision of district administration Rajouri.
Poonch, is a town and the administrative headquarters of the Poonch district, of the Indian-administered union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, which is part of the larger disputed territory of Kashmir. It is located near the Line of Control – the de facto border in the disputed region. Poonch shares a de facto border with the Poonch district of the Pakistan-administered, self-governing territory of Azad Kashmir.
Reasi district is an administrative district in the Jammu division of Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir in the Jammu region. The Reasi district is bordered by Udhampur district and Ramban district in the east, Jammu district in the south, Rajouri district in the west and by Kulgam district on the north. The Reasi and Rajouri tehsils formed a joint district called the "Reasi district" at the time of the princely state's accession to India in 1947. As part of the reorganisation, the two tehsils were separated and Reasi was merged with the Udhampur district. It again became a separate district in 2006.
Ramban district is an administrative district in the Jammu division of Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region. It is located in a valley surrounded the Pir Panjal range. It was carved out as a separate district from erstwhile Doda district in 2007. It is located in the Jammu division. The district headquarters are at Ramban town, which is located midway between Jammu and Srinagar along the Chenab river in the Chenab valley on National Highway-44, approximately 151 km from Jammu and Srinagar.
The Indian Himalayan Region is the section of the Himalayas within the Republic of India, spanning thirteen Indian states and union territories, namely Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, West Bengal, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura, Assam, and Arunachal Pradesh. The region is responsible for providing water to a large part of the Indian subcontinent and contains various flora and fauna.
Kishtwar district is an administrative district of the Jammu division of Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir in the Jammu Division. As of 2011, it is the largest and the least populous district of Jammu and Kashmir.
The Domaal Rajputs are a Muslim Rajput tribe found principally in the divided district of Poonch in Jammu & Kashmir, as well as Rajouri District in Indian-administered Kashmir and Bagh District and Chikar in Azad Kashmir.
Surankote is a town in the Surankote Tehsil of the Poonch district of the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. It occupies the Surankote valley, located between the Pir Panjal and ranges within the Himalayas. It receives snowfall in winters. It is famous for the existence of lakes on the Pir Panjal range which are not still connected with the outside world. Although some people visit these lakes by foot for recreation and refreshment.
Chowki Choura, Akhnoor, is a Sub-Division in Jammu district in Jammu and Kashmir, India.
Chenab Valley is a loosely-defined controversial term sometimes used to refer to parts of the Jammu Division of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It is used to refer to the present-day districts of Doda, Kishtwar, Ramban. These three districts used to be part of a single former district called Doda, which was created in 1948 out of the eastern parts of Udhampur district of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir, and are sometimes collectively referred to as the Doda belt. The term is seen to be aimed at a communal break-up of the Jammu Division and iteration of Kashmiri Muslim irredentism.
Tosa Maidan is a tourist destination and a hill station in the Khag area of the Budgam district in the Kashmir Valley of the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. The name also marks the historic Tosa Maidan route into the Kashmir Valley from the Poonch Valley. In fact, the original name of Tosa Maidan appears to have been "Tosa Marg". Mahmud of Ghazni and the Sikh monarch Ranjit Singh attempted to invade the Kashmir Valley via this route following the Battle of Shopian
The Nandan Sar Lake is an oval shaped alpine lake located in the Pir Panjal Range in the Poonch District of Jammu and Kashmir, India.
The Pir Panjal Pass, also called Peer Ki Gali, is a mountain pass and a tourist destination located in the Pir Panjal Range in Jammu and Kashmir, India. It connects the Kashmir Valley to the Rajouri and Poonch districts of Jammu via the Mughal Road. It is the highest point on the Mughal road at 3,490 m (11,450 ft) and lies to the southwest of the Kashmir valley.
Bufliaz, or Bafliaz, is a village and the headquarters of the eponymous community development block in Surankote tehsil of Poonch district in the Jammu division of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It lies on the Poonch–Rajouri road and is also the starting point of the Mughal Road that leads into the Kashmir Valley through Shopian.
The Manawar Tawi river is a tributary of the Chenab River, which originates at the Ratan Pir ridge of the Pir Panjal Range and flows through the Rajouri and Jammu districts of Jammu and Kashmir, India and the Sialkot District of Pakistani Punjab, where it joins the Chenab at Marala Headworks. The towns along its course include Thana Mandi, Rajouri and Naushera. Towards the end of its course, it flows through the plains of the Jammu district west of Akhnoor close to the Line of Control dividing the Pakistani-administered Kashmir and Indian-administered Kashmir regions.
Jammu and Kashmir is a region administered by India as a union territory and consists of the southern portion of the larger Kashmir region, which has been the subject of a dispute between India and Pakistan since 1947 and between India and China since 1959. The Line of Control separates Jammu and Kashmir from the Pakistani-administered territories of Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan in the west and north. It lies to the north of the Indian states of Himachal Pradesh and Punjab and to the west of Ladakh which is administered by India as a union territory.