Saraz Saraj or Siraj | |
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Region | |
Coordinates: 33°10′26″N75°42′40″E / 33.173996°N 75.711074°E | |
Country | India |
Union Territory | Jammu and Kashmir |
Areas (Located in Saraz) |
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Saraz or Siraj is a hilly region in the eastern part of the Jammu division of Jammu and Kashmir in northern India. Historically a pargana within the erstwhile state of Kishtwar, [1] the region currently takes up the northern half of Doda district and parts of neighbouring Ramban and Kishtwar districts. Its population in 2011 stood at 180,000 people. [2] The region is defined mainly on the basis of linguistics where the majority of people speak Sarazi as their mother tongue.
Saraz is a rural area located on the right bank of the Chenab river, including its district headquarters, Doda district. The areas on the left bank of river are geographically located in Bhaderwah area. The northern side of Doda district borders with the erstwhile Anantnag district of the Kashmir region.
Saraz is a large area, known for the Sarazi dialect spoken there. The primary native language in the region is Sarazi. It is widely spoken as a lingua franca alongside Hindi/Urdu, but as a first language it is primarily associated with the Hindu population. Most Muslims speak of Kashmiri; some Muslim communities speak Sarazi, Gojri or Watali, but many of them have shifted to Kashmiri in recent generations, and even those who retain the language still use Kashmiri as a second language. A minority of people also know Dogri. The languages of administration and education are Urdu and English. [2] [1]
In the past, Doda was largely inhabited by a Sarazi population before people started settling there from Kashmir and other adjoining areas. [3] Historians disagree as to why the Kashmiri population settled in Saraz during the 17th and 18th centuries. [4] However, Sumantra Bose says it was repression by the feudal classes elsewhere that drew people to Doda, Ramban and Kishtwar. [5]
The Chenab River is a major river that flows in India and Pakistan, and is one of the 5 major rivers of the Punjab region. It is formed by the union of two headwaters, Chandra and Bhaga, which rise in the upper Himalayas in the Lahaul region of Himachal Pradesh, India. The Chenab flows through the Jammu region of disputed Kashmir, into the plains of Punjab, Pakistan, before ultimately flowing into the Indus River.
Doda district is an administrative district of the Jammu division of Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region.
Kishtwar is a town, municipality and administrative headquarter of the Kishtwar district in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. The district was carved out of the Doda district in 2007. and is located in the Jammu division. The town of Kishtwar is situated at a distance of 211.5 km (131.4 mi) from the winter capital of Jammu. A large ground locally called as Chowgan ground is located in the heart of the town.
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.
Kishtwar district is an administrative district of the Jammu division of Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region. As of 2011, it is the largest and the least populous district of Jammu and Kashmir.
Bhadarwahi is an Indo-Aryan language of the Western Pahari group spoken in the Bhaderwah region of Indian administered Jammu and Kashmir.
The Chenab Valley is a river valley formed by the Chenab River. The term is also used collectively for Doda, Kishtwar and Ramban districts of Jammu Division in the Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir. These districts were formerly part of a single district, called Doda.
The Jammu division is a revenue and administrative division of the Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region. It is bordered by the Kashmir division to the north. It consists of the districts of Jammu, Doda, Kathua, Ramban, Reasi, Kishtwar, Poonch, Rajouri, Udhampur and Samba. Most of the land is hilly or mountainous, including the Pir Panjal Range which separates it from the Kashmir Valley and part of the Great Himalayas in the eastern districts of Doda and Kishtwar. Its principal river is the Chenab.
Thathri is a town and a notified area committee in Doda district in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. Thathri valley is located in the foothills of the Himalayan mountains, about 85 km from Batote. Apart from having ample forests, the town contains many small streams flowing through its various parts. It is located on the banks of the Chenab River and the town area is spread over 1.50 sq. Km².
Breswana is a remote Himalayan village in the Doda district of the Jammu division of Jammu and Kashmir, India. The village is located 7,500 feet (2,300 m) above sea level. Breswana village is accessed via trails from Premnagar, the closest town. Kashmiri is the main language of the area. People also use Urdu as a secondary language.
Kishtwari or Kashtwari is a northern Indo-Aryan language closely related to the Kashmiri language, with strong influences from neighboring Western Pahari varieties, spoken in the Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir, India.
The Warwan Valley is a Himalayan sub-valley and a tehsil in Kishtwar District in the Jammu division in union territory of Jammu and Kashmir in India. The Valley lies 68 kilometres (42 mi) northeast of Kishtwar and 136 kilometres (85 mi) from Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir.
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.
Sarazi or Sirazi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken in the Saraz region of the Jammu division of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It is native to the Saraz region, a hilly area taking up the northern half of Doda district and parts of neighbouring Ramban and Kishtwar districts. Sarazi is spoken as a first language by 46,000 people, primarily Hindus, but it is also used as a lingua franca of the Saraz region and so is also spoken as a second language by Muslims, most of whom are native speakers of Kashmiri.
Ababeel (ابابیل), also known as Ababeel NGO, is a charitable trust that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief, food kits, and blood donations for the needy, poor, orphans, widows, and also in emergencies in the Chenab Valley's Doda, Kishtwar, Thathri, Bhaderwah, Gandoh, and also in the Jammu area. The organization assists people irrespective of caste and religion. It is registered with the Sub Registrar Court Doda.
The Chenab Times is an independent multilingual digital news organisation in India founded in 2017. It is known for publishing news in lesser-known languages, including Sarazi, Bhaderwahi, Gojri and Chenabich Kashir.
Bhalessa is a geographical area within Doda district in the Jammu region of India-administered Kashmir. It consists of the Bunjwah and Bhalessa Valleys, and comprises the three Tehsils of Kahara, Chilly Pingal and Gandoh.
Pogali, or Poguli, is an Indo-Aryan language spoken in parts of the Chenab Valley in Jammu region of Jammu and Kashmir, India. Its area encompasses the Pogal and Paristan, Ramsu Banihal Khari Reasi valleys, and currently falls within the boundaries of Ramban district's Pogal Paristan tehsil. Like its neighbours Sarazi and Rambani, Poguli is intermediate between Kashmiri and Western Pahari.