Kulgam district

Kulgam district
District


Location in Jammu and Kashmir, India

Tourist places: aharbal fall and khee nag
Coordinates: 33°38′24″N 75°01′12″E / 33.64000°N 75.02000°E / 33.64000; 75.02000Coordinates: 33°38′24″N 75°01′12″E / 33.64000°N 75.02000°E / 33.64000; 75.02000
Country  India
State Jammu and Kashmir
Headquarters Kulgam
Government
 • Body Mohammed Yousuf Tarigami
Languages
 • Official Urdu, Kashmiri
Time zone IST (UTC+5:30)
Vehicle registration JK18
Website http://kulgam.gov.in

Kulgam District (Urdu: ضلع کُلگام) is a district of the state of Jammu and Kashmir of India. The name is from Sanskrit, kul for 'clan' and gram for 'village'. The district contains the block, tehsil and town of Kulgam.

Location

Kulgam is situated near the Pir Panjal Ranges, overlooking the left bank of Veshaw River, along a rough, hilly road from Larow, Afghanistan. Nallah Veshav, which drains most of the northern face of Pir Panjal, is the main left-bank tributary of the Jhelum River and traverses through District Kulgam. The Veshev is broken into a number of channels to provide drinking water and irrigation for huge tracts of the district's land.

Town Kulgam is situated about 68 km (42 mi) from Srinagar and about 17 km (11 mi) from Anantnag. Roads connect to the neighboring districts of Shopian, Pulwama, Anantnag, and Ramban.

Demographics

According to the 2011 census, Kulgam district has a population of 422,786.[1] This gives it a ranking of 554th in India (out of 640).[1] The district has a population density of 925 inhabitants per square kilometre (2,400/sq mi).[1] Its population growth rate over the decade 2001–2011 was 7.3%.[1] Kulgam has a sex ratio of 951 females for every 1000 males,[1] and a literacy rate of 60.3 percent.

Administration

District Kulgam was separated from district Anantnag, along with several other new districts, and made administratively separate from 2 April 2007.

Kulgam district consists of seven blocks: Quimoh, Pahloo, Damhal Hanji Pora, Devsar, Jammu and Kashmir, Kulgam, and Frisal and Behibagh.[2] Each block consists of a number of panchayats (English: 'assembly rule', a traditional system of local government).

The district has seven administrative units (Tehsils): Kulgam, Damhal Hanji Pora, Devsar, Frisal, Pahloo, Yaripora, and Qaimoh. Kulgam district has seven important towns: Frisal, Yaripora, Kulgam, Devsar, Qaimoh and Damhal Hanji Pora. Five of these have received municipality status; Damhal Hanji Pora has yet to be recognized as a municipality.

There are police stations at Kulgam, Yaripora, Qazigund and Damhal Hanji Pora, and police posts at Mirbazar, Frisal, Qaimoh, Behibagh and Devsar.

Kulgam has two sub-divisions: Kulgam and Damhal Hanji Pora.

Politics

Kulgam district has 4 assembly constituencies: Noorabad, Kulgam, Homshailibugh, and Devsar.[3] The parties of the current members of the legislative assembly (MLAs) are: Indian National Congress (INC) for Devsar, Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (JKNC) for Homshailibugh, Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for Noorabad, and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPM) for Kulgam.

Homshallibugh j&K 39th assembly segment has three municipal towns – Frisal, Yaripora, and Qaimoh – which are also tehsil headquarters. Yaripora is an education and health block, while Qaimoh is agriculture as well as education and health blocks. Frisal is a community development block.

History

Tazkira Sadat-i-Simanania, compiled by 13th-century scholar and poet Swaleh Reshi, gives the name of place as "Shampora". Syed Hussain Simnani later renamed it "Kulgam" (kul for 'clan' and gram for 'village' in Sanskrit). Simnani is said to have invited Hazrat Amir Kabir Mir Hamdani to Kashmir, with poets including Sheikh Noor-ud-din Noorani and Lal Ded. These poets and their disciples manifested the composite culture or Kashmiriyat, promoting and encouraging religious and cultural harmony even when viewed as heretics by other Asiatic countries.

The form of administration from Shair Shah Suri's reign led to creation of a Tehsil during Mughal Rule, through the aegis of Sheikh Hamza Makhdoom. This had jurisdiction encompassing Doru, Banihal, Gulabgarh, and Shopian. After time, constituent units including Pulwama, Shopian, and Reasi attained the status of district.

The area had been a hunting place for Mughal emperors and Dogra rulers, especially for Shahanshah Shah Jehan, who laid the Chinarbagh, and Maharaja Hari Singh, who discovered the virgin potential of sanctuary at Kutbal. The District is the birthplace of Sheikh Noor-ud-din Noorani, the founder of the Rishi order, and of the forefathers of Allama Iqbal and Jawaharlal Nehru.

Militancy

There has been militancy in Kashmir since the reign of Sheikh Abdullah in 1947. Beginning in the 1990s there was an upsurge of militants in the district, particularly the Lashkar-e-Taiba.[4][5] In addition to assassination and inciting riots,[6] the militants encourage the populace to boycott elections.[7]

Road facility

Kulgam has following roads connecting it to various assembly segments and with NH1A (major district roads):

Health facilities and education

Habitation and environment

The main source of livelihood in the district is agriculture and horticulture. The low-lying areas of Kulgam are very fertile for rice cultivation, and are considered as the 'Rice Bowl of Kashmir'. The higher elevations are known for production of apples. Livestock and sheep-rearing is a subsidiary occupation among the rural population, particularly in the higher elevations.

Kulgam District is covered by the Pir Panjal mountain range on the northwest side, acting as a massive topographical protection. The area is significantly covered in forestation.

Tourism

Town Kulgam is situated about 68 km from Srinagar and about 17 km from Anantnag. Aside from places of spiritual interest, the district has tourist spots like Ahrabal water fall on Veshev Nallah which is a place of sight-seeing in the extreme south-west. High pastures and meadows are also places of tourist attraction in the area from Kund to Ladigasan (ahead of Aherbal clefts). The District also has an abundance of natural water from springs such as Kounsernag, Waseknag, Khee Nag, etc.

Notable people

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "District Census 2011". Census2011.co.in. 2011. Retrieved 2011-09-30.
  2. ↑ Statement showing the number of blocks in respect of 22 Districts of Jammu and Kashmir State including newly Created Districts Archived 2008-09-10 at the Wayback Machine. dated 2008-03-13, accessed 2008-08-30
  3. ↑ "ERO's and AERO's". Chief Electoral Officer, Jammu and Kashmir. Archived from the original on 2008-10-22. Retrieved 2008-08-28.
  4. ↑ "Top Lashkar-e-Taiba militant killed". NDTV. 16 September 2007. Archived from the original on 11 March 2007.
  5. ↑ "Gunbattle on between militants, security forces in south Kashmir". The Times of india. 25 May 2014. Archived from the original on 25 May 2014.
  6. ↑ "J-K: 2 militants killed in Kulgam, 3 miscreants arrested in Srinagar". One India News. 1 November 2010. Archived from the original on 25 May 2014.
  7. ↑ Pandit, M. Saleem (24 April 2014). "Low voter turnout in Kashmir due to militants' poll boycott call". The Times of india.
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