Kulgam district

Kulgam district is an administrative district of Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region.^[1][4] It is in the Kashmir division and is located at a distance of 18 kilometres (11 mi) towards south-west of Anantnag. The district comprises block, tehsil and town of Kulgam.

Kulgam district Kolgom
District of Jammu and Kashmir administered by India.[1]
Aharbal Falls
Interactive map of Kulgam district
Kulgam district is in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region[1] It is in the Kashmir division (bordered in neon blue).
Coordinates (Kulgam): 33°38′24″N 75°01′12″E
Administering country	India
Union Territory	Jammu and Kashmir
Headquarters	Kulgam
Government
• Body	Municipal Committee
Area
• Total	1,067 km2 (412 sq mi)
Population  (2011)
• Total	424,483
• Density	400/km2 (1,000/sq mi)
Languages
• Official	Kashmiri, Urdu, Hindi, Dogri, English[2][3]
Time zone	UTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN	192231
Vehicle registration	JK18
Website	kulgam.nic.in

Location

Kulgam is situated near the Pir Panjal Ranges, overlooking the left bank of Veshaw River, along a rough, hilly road from Larow. River Veshaw, 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 kilometres (11 mi) from Anantnag. Roads connect to the neighbouring districts of Shopian, Pulwama, Anantnag, and Banihal.

History

Tazkira Sadat-i-Simanania, compiled by 13th-century scholar and poet Swaleh Reshi, gives the name of place as "Shampora". Mir Syed Hussain Simnani later renamed it "Kulgam" (kul for 'clan' and gram for 'village' in Sanskrit). Simnani is said to have invited Mir Sayyid Ali Hamadani to Kashmir,^{[citation needed]} with poets including Nund Rishi (Sheikh Noor-ud-din Noorani (RA)) and Lalleshwari.^{[citation needed]} 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 Sher 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 "Chinar Bagh"^[5] and Maharaja Hari Singh, who discovered the virgin potential of sanctuary^{[clarification needed]} at Kutbal.^[where?] 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.

Rebel groups

Main article: Insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir

There has been insurgency in Kashmir since 1989. Beginning in the 1990s there is an upsurge of Rebel groups in the district, particularly the Lashkar-e-Taiba and Hizbul Mujahideen.^[6][7] the rebels encourage the populace to boycott elections.^[8][9]

Demographics

According to the 2011 census, Kulgam district has a population of 424,483.^[10] This gives it a ranking of 554th in India (out of 640).^[10] The district has a population density of 925 inhabitants per square kilometre (2,400/sq mi).^[10] Its population growth rate over the decade 2001–2011 was 7.3%.^[10] Kulgam has a sex ratio of 951 females for every 1000 males^[10] (this varies with religion), and a literacy rate of 60.3%. The density of population of the district is 1051 persons per km² as compared to 124 persons for the state according to the Census figures of 2011. Scheduled Tribes constitutes 2.7% of the district population.^[11]

Religion in Kulgam district (2011)[12]
Religion			Percent
Islam			98.49%
Hinduism			1.01%
Other or not stated			0.5%

Languages of Kulgam district (2011)^[13]

  Kashmiri (91.91%)

  Gojri (6.32%)

  Others (1.77%)

Sex Ratio in Kulgam District in 2011 Census.[11] (no. females per 1,000 males)
Religion (and population)			Sex Ratio
Muslim (pop 418,076)			962
Hindu (pop 4,267)			284
Other (pop 2,140)			744
Total (pop 424,483)			951

Kulgam district: religion, gender ratio, and % urban of population, according to the 2011 Census.[11]
	Hindu	Muslim	Christian	Sikh	Buddhist	Jain	Other	Not stated	Total
Total	4,267	418,076	460	1,035	27	25	9	584	424,483
	1.01%	98.49%	0.11%	0.24%	0.01%	0.01%	0.00%	0.14%	100.00%
Male	3,324	213,069	264	581	19	12	5	346	217,620
Female	943	205,007	196	454	8	13	4	238	206,863
Gender ratio (% female)	22.1%	49.0%	42.6%	43.9%	29.6%	52.0%	44.4%	40.8%	48.7%
Sex ratio (no. of females per 1,000 males)	284	962	–	781	–	–	–	688	951
Urban	2,141	78,219	116	85	6	3	0	43	80,613
Rural	2,126	339,857	344	950	21	22	9	541	343,870
% Urban	50.2%	18.7%	25.2%	8.2%	22.2%	12.0%	0.0%	7.4%	19.0%

At the time of the 2011 census, 91.91% of the population spoke Kashmiri and 6.32% Gojri as their first language.^[13]

Administration

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

Kulgam district currently consists of eleven blocks: Kulgam, D.H Pora, Devsar, Pahloo, Qaimoh, Kund, Manzgam, Frisal, Pombay, Behibagh, and D.K. Marg.^[14] This has not always been the case, in the 2008 reorganisation the district consisted of five blocks.^[15] 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 Five important towns: Frisal, Yaripora, Kulgam, Devsar, and Damhal Hanji Pora. Four of these have received municipality status; Damhal Hanji Pora has yet to be recognized as a municipality.

There are five police stations in the district at: Kulgam, Damhal Hanji Pora, Qazigund, Yaripora and Devsar, and six police posts at: Qaimoh, Frisal, Mir Bazar, Behibagh, Kund and Jawahir Tunnel.^[16]

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

District Development Council

Main article: District Development Council

DDC Kulgam^[17]

• Chairperson: Mohd Afzal Parrey (CPI(M))
• Vice-chairperson: Shazia Jan (JKNC)

S.No	Party	Alliance	No. of Members
1.	Communist Party of India (Marxist)	PAGD	5
2.	JKNC		5
3.	JKPDP		2
4.	Indian National Congress	United Progressive Alliance	2
Total			14

Politics

Kulgam district has 4 assembly constituencies: Noorabad, Kulgam, Homshailibugh, and Devsar.^[18] 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) (CPI(M)) for Kulgam.

Homshallibugh J&K is 39th assembly segment has three municipal towns – Yaripora, Frisal 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.^[19]

Road facility

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

• Kulgam - Anantnag Main Road
• Kulgam - Qazigund NH44
• Kulgam - Yaripora
• Kulgam - Aharbal via Nehama
• Kulgam - Aharbal via Damhal Hanji Pora
• Kulgam - Damhal Hanji Pora via Adijan
• Kulgam - Shopian via Nillow
• Kulgam - Shopian via Nehama
• Kulgam - Devsar
• Kulgam - Wanpoh via Ban
• Kulgam - Ahmedabad via Khul

Health facilities

• District Hospital at Kulgam
• Sub district hospital at Yaripora
• Sub district hospital at Qazigund
• Sub district hospital D. H.Pora (But without infrastructure and doctors)

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.^[20]

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

Tourism

Town Kulgam is situated about 68 km (42 mi) from Srinagar and about 17 km (11 mi) from Anantnag. Aside from places of spiritual interest, the district has tourist spots like Aharbal water fall on Veshew river 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 Kausar Nag, Waseknag, Khee Nag, etc.

Photo gallery

• 
  Aharbal Fall
• 
  Gdc_kilam
• 
  Kausar_Nag_Lake
• 
  Chiranbal_Meadows
• 
  Thanda_katha_zajimarag_kashmir
• 
  Italy_Jeromine_Apple_Variety_in_Kulgam
• 
  Hut in Aharbal
• 
  Chiranbal_fields

References

1. The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of Kashmir and a mention of the Kashmir dispute is supported by the tertiary sources (a) through (d), reflecting due weight in the coverage. Although "controlled" and "held" are also applied neutrally to the names of the disputants or to the regions administered by them, as evidenced in sources (f) through (h) below, "held" is also considered politicized usage, as is the term "occupied," (see (i) below).
   (a) Kashmir, region Indian subcontinent, Encyclopaedia Britannica, retrieved 15 August 2019 (subscription required) Quote: "Kashmir, region of the northwestern Indian subcontinent ... has been the subject of dispute between India and Pakistan since the partition of the Indian subcontinent in 1947. The northern and western portions are administered by Pakistan and comprise three areas: Azad Kashmir, Gilgit, and Baltistan, the last two being part of a territory called the Northern Areas. Administered by India are the southern and southeastern portions, which constitute the state of Jammu and Kashmir but are slated to be split into two union territories.";
   (b) Pletcher, Kenneth, Aksai Chin, Plateau Region, Asia, Encyclopaedia Britannica, retrieved 16 August 2019 (subscription required) Quote: "Aksai Chin, Chinese (Pinyin) Aksayqin, portion of the Kashmir region, at the northernmost extent of the Indian subcontinent in south-central Asia. It constitutes nearly all the territory of the Chinese-administered sector of Kashmir that is claimed by India to be part of the Ladakh area of Jammu and Kashmir state.";
   (c) "Kashmir", Encyclopedia Americana, Scholastic Library Publishing, 2006, p. 328, ISBN 978-0-7172-0139-6 C. E Bosworth, University of Manchester Quote: "KASHMIR, kash'mer, the northernmost region of the Indian subcontinent, administered partlv by India, partly by Pakistan, and partly by China. The region has been the subject of a bitter dispute between India and Pakistan since they became independent in 1947";
   (d) Osmańczyk, Edmund Jan (2003), Encyclopedia of the United Nations and International Agreements: G to M, Taylor & Francis, pp. 1191–, ISBN 978-0-415-93922-5 Quote: "Jammu and Kashmir: Territory in northwestern India, subject to a dispute betw een India and Pakistan. It has borders with Pakistan and China."
   (e) Talbot, Ian (2016), A History of Modern South Asia: Politics, States, Diasporas, Yale University Press, pp. 28–29, ISBN 978-0-300-19694-8 Quote: "We move from a disputed international border to a dotted line on the map that represents a military border not recognized in international law. The line of control separates the Indian and Pakistani administered areas of the former Princely State of Jammu and Kashmir.";
   (f) Kashmir, region Indian subcontinent, Encyclopaedia Britannica, retrieved 15 August 2019 (subscription required) Quote: "... China became active in the eastern area of Kashmir in the 1950s and has controlled the northeastern part of Ladakh (the easternmost portion of the region) since 1962.";
   (g) Bose, Sumantra (2009), Kashmir: Roots of Conflict, Paths to Peace, Harvard University Press, pp. 294, 291, 293, ISBN 978-0-674-02855-5 Quote: "J&K: Jammu and Kashmir. The former princely state that is the subject of the Kashmir dispute. Besides IJK (Indian-controlled Jammu and Kashmir. The larger and more populous part of the former princely state. It has a population of slightly over 10 million, and comprises three regions: Kashmir Valley, Jammu, and Ladakh.) and AJK ('Azad" (Free) Jammu and Kashmir. The more populous part of Pakistani-controlled J&K, with a population of approximately 2.5 million. AJK has six districts: Muzaffarabad, Mirpur, Bagh, Kodi, Rawalakot, and Poonch. Its capital is the town of Muzaffarabad. AJK has its own institutions, but its political life is heavily controlled by Pakistani authorities, especially the military), it includes the sparsely populated "Northern Areas" of Gilgit and Baltistan, remote mountainous regions which are directly administered, unlike AJK, by the Pakistani central authorities, and some high-altitude uninhabitable tracts under Chinese control."
   (h) Fisher, Michael H. (2018), An Environmental History of India: From Earliest Times to the Twenty-First Century, Cambridge University Press, p. 166, ISBN 978-1-107-11162-2 Quote: "Kashmir’s identity remains hotly disputed with a UN-supervised “Line of Control” still separating Pakistani-held Azad (“Free”) Kashmir from Indian-held Kashmir.";
   (i) Snedden, Christopher (2015), Understanding Kashmir and Kashmiris, Oxford University Press, p. 10, ISBN 978-1-84904-621-3 Quote:"Some politicised terms also are used to describe parts of J&K. These terms include the words 'occupied' and 'held'."
2. "The Jammu and Kashmir Official Languages Act, 2020" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 27 September 2020. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
3. "Parliament passes JK Official Languages Bill, 2020". Rising Kashmir. 23 September 2020. Archived from the original on 24 September 2020. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
4. "History | District Kulgam". kulgam.nic.in. Government of Jammu and Kashmir. Retrieved 8 March 2019.
5. "Chinar Bagh srinagar". google.co.in/maps. Google maps.
6. "Top Lashkar-e-Taiba militant killed". NDTV. 16 September 2007. Archived from the original on 11 March 2007.
7. "Gunbattle on between militants, security forces in south Kashmir". The Times of india. 25 May 2014. Archived from the original on 25 May 2014.
8. Pandit, M. Saleem (24 April 2014). "Low voter turnout in Kashmir due to militants' poll boycott call". The Times of india.
9. Shuja-ul-Haq (28 May 2021). "J&K cops arrest newly recruited militant in south Kashmir's Kulgam district". India Today. Retrieved 28 September 2021.
10. "District Census 2011". Census2011.co.in. 2011. Retrieved 30 September 2011.
11. C-1 Population By Religious Community – Jammu & Kashmir (Report). Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
12. "Kulgam district Population". Census India. Retrieved 11 July 2021.
13. C-16 Population By Mother Tongue – Jammu & Kashmir (Report). Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. Retrieved 18 July 2020.
14. "Subdivision & Blocks", District Administration Kulgam, retrieved 5 July 2021
15. Statement showing the number of blocks in respect of 22 Districts of Jammu and Kashmir State including newly Created Districts, as on 31-03-2008 (PDF), 13 March 2008, archived from the original (PDF) on 10 September 2008
16. "About District/ Administrative Setup/ Police", District Kulgam, District Administration Kulgam, retrieved 5 October 2020
17. "J-K DDC Election Results 2020: PAGD wins big with 110 seats, BJP single largest party with 75 seats; check final list of winners". English Jagran. 22 December 2020. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
18. "ERO's and AERO's". Chief Electoral Officer, Jammu and Kashmir. Archived from the original on 22 October 2008. Retrieved 28 August 2008.
19. "Jammu Kashmir at a Glance". jkdfp.org. Democratic Freedom Party: JK.
20. "Kulgam District Profile". diragrikmr.nic.in. Department of Agriculture Kashmir. Archived from the original on 24 February 2019. Retrieved 11 February 2021.