Budgam district

This article is about the district. For its eponymous headquarters, see Budgam.

Budgam district is an administrative district of Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir in Kashmir region.^[1] Created in 1979 with its headquarters at the town of Budgam, it is the district with the largest population of Shia Muslims in the Kashmir valley.^[4]

Budgam Badgom Badgam
District of Jammu and Kashmir administered by India[1]
Doodhpathri pastures in Budgam district
Nickname:  Jackals Cave
Interactive map of Budgam district
Budgam district is in Jammu and Kashmir in the Kashmir region[1] It is in the Kashmir division (bordered in neon blue).
Coordinates (Budgam): 34°1′12″N 74°46′48″E
Country	India (Indian Administrated J&K)
Union Territory	Jammu and Kashmir
Division	Kashmir
Established	1979
Founded by	Aga Syed Yousuf
Named for	Large Village
Headquarters	Budgam
Tehsils	Budgam Beerwah Chadoora Khan Sahib Charari Sharief B K Pora Khag Narbal Magam
Government
• Type	District Development Council of Budgam
• Body	District Development Council
• DDC Chairman	Nazir Ahmed Khan
• District magistrate	Akshay Labroo (IAS)
Area
• Total	1,370 km2 (530 sq mi)
Population  (2011)
• Total	753,745
• Density	537/km2 (1,390/sq mi)
Demonym	Badgaime
Languages
• Official	Kashmiri, Urdu, Hindi, Dogri, English[2][3]
Time zone	UTC+5:30 (IST)
Vehicle registration	JK04
Sex ratio	1.13250283 ♂/♀
Literacy	57.98%
Villages	Ichgam, Khan Sahib, Dooniwari,Ompora,Beerwah, Gariend KhurdKandooraKandoora Chadoora, Parnewa, Wahabpora, wadwan bandgam (famous for its karewa, naarwuder bajmarg haren nandwuder it is a "valley inside the valley"
Website	budgam.nic.in

Administration

Budgam district is the closest district to the union territory capital Srinagar 11 kilometres (6.8 mi). Budgam district came into existence in 1979, prior to which it was part of Srinagar district. In former times, Budgam was a part of Baramulla district, when Srinagar itself was a constituent of the Anantnag district. It was then known as tehsil Sri Pratap. Historical records suggests that Budgam was also referred to as Pargana Deesu. According to the well-known chronicler Khawaja Azam Demari, the area was also known as Deedmarbag. Budgam district borders the districts of Baramullah and Srinagar in the north, Pulwama in the south and Poonch in the south west.

In 2008, Budgam district consisted of eight blocks.^[5] Currently, the district consists of seventeen blocks: Beerwah, Budgam, B.K.Pora, Chadoora, Charari Sharief, Khag, Khansahib, Nagam, Narbal, Pakherpora, Parnewa, Rathsoon, Soibugh, Sukhnag, Surasyar, S.K.Pora and Waterhail.^[6] Each block consists of a number of panchayats.

The district is subdivided into the nine tehsils of Charari Sharief Tehsil, Magam tehsil, Beerwah Tehsil, Budgam Tehsil, Chadoora Tehsil, Khansahib Tehsil, Khag Tehsil, BK Pora Tehsil and Narbal Tehsil.^[7][8]

District Development Council

Main article: District Development Council

Source:^[9]

• Chairperson: Nazir Ahmad Khan (IND)
• Vice-chairperson: Nazir Ahmad Jahara (JKNC)

S.No	Party	Alliance	No. of Members
1.	JKPDP	PAGD	1
2.	JKNC		8
3.	JKPDF		2
4.	JKPM		1
5.	Independent		2
Total			14

Other details

Number of Sub-division	03
Number of Municipalities	06
Number of Tehsils	09
Number of Blocks	17
Number of Gram Panchayats	281
Number of villages	510

Demographics

Religion in Budgam district (2011)[10]
Religion			Percent
Islam			97.65%
Hinduism			1.34%
Sikhism			0.74%
Other or not stated			0.27%

Languages of Budgam district (2011)^[11]

  Kashmiri (94.78%)

  Gojri (3.01%)

  Others (2.21%)

According to the 2011 census Budgam district has a population of 735,753^[12] roughly equal to the nation of Guyana^[13] or the US state of Alaska,^[14] making it 494th in India (out of a total of 640).^{[citation needed]} The district has a population density of 554 inhabitants per square kilometre (1,430/sq mi).^[12] Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 24.14%.^[12] Badgam has a sex ratio of 883 females for every 1000 males,^[12] and a literacy rate of 56.08% (males 66.30%, females 44.85%),^[12] an increase from 42.20% (males 53.13%, females 30.29%) in 2001.^[12] Literacy is higher in urban areas (average 68.87%, male 79.46%, female 55.38%) than in rural areas (average 54.01%, male 64.00%, female 43.29%).^[12]

Sex Ratio in Badgam District in 2011 Census.[10] (no. females per 1,000 males)
Religion (and population)			Sex Ratio
Muslim (pop 736,054)			915
Hindu (pop 10,110)			109
Sikh (pop 5,559)			674
Other (pop 2,022)			532
Total (pop 753,745)			894

Budgam district: religion, gender ratio, and % urban of population, according to the 2011 Census.[10]
	Hindu	Muslim	Christian	Sikh	Buddhist	Jain	Other	Not stated	Total
Total	10,110	736,054	1,489	5,559	47	6	2	478	753,745
	1.34%	97.65%	0.20%	0.74%	0.01%	0.00%	0.00%	0.06%	100.00%
Male	9,119	384,281	965	3,321	36	4	1	314	398,041
Female	991	351,773	524	2,238	11	2	1	164	355,704
Gender ratio (% female)	9.8%	47.8%	35.2%	40.3%	23.4%	33.3%	50.0%	34.3%	47.2%
Sex ratio (no. of females per 1,000 males)	109	915	543	674	–	–	–	–	894
Urban	7,502	89,111	561	635	26	3	0	74	97,912
Rural	2,608	646,943	928	4,924	21	3	2	404	655,833
% Urban	74.2%	12.1%	37.7%	11.4%	55.3%	50.0%	0.0%	15.5%	13.0%

At the time of the 2011 Census of India, 94.78% of the population in the district spoke Kashmiri and 3.01% Gojri as their first language.^[11]

Shias form 20% of Budgam district's population;^[15] almost 30% of the urban population of the district are Shia,^[15] whilst the majority of the rural population of the district are Sunni.^[15]

Education

There are 590 schools in Budgam, both private and public, 33 of which are Higher Secondary Schools.↵There are 6 Government Degree Colleges at;

1. Government Degree College Beerwah
2. Government Degree College Khansahib
3. Government Degree College Magam
4. Sheikh ul Aalam Memorial Degree College Budgam
5. Model Degree College Chrar e Sharif
6. Government Degree College chadoora.

Railways

Budgam district has three railway stations: Budgam, Nadigam and Mazhom, which are all on the Jammu–Baramulla line.

Budgam railway station is located in Ompora town nearly 2.5 km (1.6 mi) from Budgam's district headquarters and 9 km (5.6 mi) from Srinagar's city centre, Lalchowk. It is the biggest railway station in Kashmir division. This railway station has the administrative head controlling the rail service in the Kashmir valley.

Health care

Budgam mainly rely on the Hospitals of Capital City Of Srinagar But Contain One District Hospital In Budgam City One Sub District Hospitals respectively in Beerwah , Khan Sahib, Magam, Chadoora.Outside Budgam railway station, there is a big hospital, named Ibn-Sina Hospital, which is Budgam district's first private hospital.^[16]

Attractions

Valley in Budgam district

Budgam contains the only airport in Kashmir valley at Ichgam. The district's main tourist attractions are Doodhpathri, Yusmarg, Tosamaidan, Nilnag, Khag and Pehjan. District Budgam offers many stunning locales and has tremendous tourism potential that has largely remained untapped so far. The attractive places that can be visited are Doodhpathri, Yousmarg, Tosamaidan, Nilnag and Khag. Kani Shawl adomed the caesar's court and was looked upon by Mughals and later by Nawabs as mark of nobility. In 1776, Napoleon Bonaparte presented a Kani shawl to his wife Josephine and with that took off a new fashion trend in Europe. The revered shrine of Sheikh Noor-ud-din Wali can also be found in the Charari Sharief Tehsil of Budgam district. Asia's oldest/largest Chinar resides at Chattergam Budgam. Aga Sahib Shrine and Tomb of Shams-ud-Din Araqi are also situated in this district.

Notable people

• Nund Rishi,
• Shamas Faqir,
• Ghulam Nabi Gowhar
• Samad Mir,
• Aga Syed Yusuf Al-Moosavi Al-Safavi,
• Mir Shams-ud-Din Araqi
• Aga Syed Mohammad Fazlullah
• Aga Mir Syed Mohammad Baqir Mosavi
• Aga Syed Mustafa Al-Moosavi
• Aga Syed Mehdi
• Aga Syed Mohsin

See also

• Kupwara district
• Ganderbal district
• Anantnag district
• Pulwama district

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. "Are Kashmiri Shias The Next Pandits?". 14 November 2013. Archived from the original on 21 June 2015. Retrieved 21 May 2014.
5. 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, retrieved 30 August 2008
6. It consists of seventeen blocks: Beerwah, Budgam, B.K.Pora, Chadoora, Charari Sharief, Khag, Khansahib, Nagam, Narbal, Pakherpora, Parnewa, Rathsoon, Soibugh, Gopalpora, Sukhnag, Surasyar, S.K.Pora and Waterhail.
7. "ERO's and AERO's". Chief Electoral Officer, Jammu and Kashmir. Archived from the original on 22 October 2008. Retrieved 28 August 2008.
8. "Tehsil | District Budgam , Government of Jammu & Kashmir | India".
9. Khan, Irshad (23 December 2020). "DDC Poll results: NC wins eight of 14 seats in Budgam; PDF and independents bag 2 seats each". Kashmir Reader. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
10. C-1 Population By Religious Community – Jammu & Kashmir (Report). Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
11. C-16 Population By Mother Tongue – Jammu & Kashmir (Report). Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. Retrieved 18 July 2020.
12. "District Census 2011: Badgam District". Census2011.co.in. 2011. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
13. US Directorate of Intelligence. "Country Comparison:Population". Archived from the original on 27 September 2011. Retrieved 1 October 2011. Guyana 744,768
14. "2010 Resident Population Data". U. S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 1 January 2011. Retrieved 30 September 2011. Alaska 710,231
15. Iyer-Mitra, Abhijit (27 September 2019). "After scrapping of Article 370, Shias in Kashmir are in a state of relief and caution". ThePrint. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
16. Malik, Saqib (7 January 2018). "Private hospitals need to evolve in emergency care: Akhtar". Greater Kashmir. Retrieved 3 March 2021.

External links

• Official website of Budgam district
• Risingkashmir.in Archived 5 July 2020 at the Wayback Machine
• Greaterkashmir.com
• Kashmirtimes.com
• Kashmirwatch.com
• Kashmirmonitor.org
• Taghribnews.com