Rajauri
Encyclopedia
Rajouri is a town and a notified area committee in Rajouri district
Rajouri District
Rajouri is a district of Jammu province in the Indian-administered Kashmir. It is close to the control line and borders with Ponch to the north and Mirpur to the southwest, both of which are in Pakistan-administered Kashmir....

 in the India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

n state
States and territories of India
India is a federal union of states comprising twenty-eight states and seven union territories. The states and territories are further subdivided into districts and so on.-List of states and territories:...

 of Jammu and Kashmir
Jammu and Kashmir
Jammu and Kashmir is the northernmost state of India. It is situated mostly in the Himalayan mountains. Jammu and Kashmir shares a border with the states of Himachal Pradesh and Punjab to the south and internationally with the People's Republic of China to the north and east and the...

.

Introduction

The District drives its name from Rajouri town which itself had been historically known as Rajapuri/Rajapura
Rajapura
Rajapura was the capital of Kalinga king Chitrangada. Duryodhana's wife was the daughter of Chitrangada. He abducted the Kalinga princess with the help of his friend Karna. Kamboja Kingdom also had its capital named as Rajapura.-Rajapura at Present:...

. Rajouri District had been part of Poonch district prior to 1967. On 22 September 1967, the government bifurcated district Poonch into two districts namely 'Rajouri' and 'Poonch', to facilitate the process of development and better supervision of economic activities in this area. By this way, Rajouri emerged as a District from 1 January 1968. The District has an area of 2,630 km2 with peculiar physical features. The District is situated in the west of Jammu Division and is surrounded by the Poonch, Udhampur and Jammu Districts. The District comprise of six Tehsils, namely Rajouri, Nowshera, Sunderbani, Kalakote, Koteranka and Thannamandi and seven blocks of Rajouri, Manjakote, Darhal Malkan, Budhal, Kalakote, Sunderbani and Nowshera.

History

Rajouri, during ancient times known as Rajapura or Rajapuri – ‘the land of Kings’ - finds its mention in the travelogue of Chinese traveler Yuan Chawang who visited the town in 632 AD and described it as a part of Kashmiri dominion. Still earlier in the Buddhist period, it formed a part of Gandhar
Gandhar
Gandhar or Gandhara is a gotra or tribe of Jats found in the states of Haryana and Punjab in India as well as the province of Punjab in Pakistan...

 territory (north-west Punjab and parts of north-western frontier province of Pakistan) and later was included in the domain called Daravabhisara which comprised the hilly stretch from Poonch to Kashmir. Those days Laharkote in Poonch district and Rajouri had emerged as two powerful states of the area.

Based on the Mahābhārata
Mahabharata
The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India and Nepal, the other being the Ramayana. The epic is part of itihasa....

 evidence, combined with the evidence from Chinese
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

 pilgrim Yuan Chawang, the region of Kashmir
Kashmir
Kashmir is the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term Kashmir geographically denoted only the valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal mountain range...

 including the districts of Hazara
Hazara Division
On the dissolution of West Pakistan in 1970, Hazara District and the two tribal agencies were merged to form the new Hazara Division with its capital at Abbottabad...

, Poonch
Poonch
Poonch is a town and a municipal committee in Poonch District in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. Based on the Mahābhārata evidence, and the evidence from 7th Chinese traveler Xuanzang, the districts of Poonch along with Rajauri and Abhisara had been under the sway of the Republican Kambojas...

 and Abhisara had been under the overlordship of the Republican Kambojas
Kambojas
The Kambojas were a kshatriya tribe of Iron Age India, frequently mentioned in Sanskrit and Pali literature.They were an Indo-Iranian tribe situated at the boundary of the Indo-Aryans and the Iranians, and appear to have moved from the Iranian into the Indo-Aryan sphere over time.The Kambojas...

 with Rajapura as their metropolis during epic
Indian epic poetry
Indian epic poetry is the epic poetry written in the Indian subcontinent, traditionally called Kavya . The Ramayana and Mahabharata, originally composed in Sanskrit and translated thereafter into many other Indian languages, are some of the oldest surviving epic poems on earth and form part of...

 times. since Rajapura or Rajauri is described as the capital of Kamboj
Kamboj
The Kambojs , also Kamboh, are an ethnic community of the Punjab region. They may relate to the Kambojas, an Iranian tribe known to the people of Iron Age India and mentioned in ancient Sanskrit texts and epigraphy. Kamboj is frequently used as a surname in lieu of the sub-caste or the gotra name...

 when Duryodhana
Duryodhana
In the Hindu epic the Mahābhārata, Duryodhana is the eldest son of the blind king Dhritarashtra by Queen Gandhari, the eldest of the one hundred Kaurava brothers, Emperor of the world at that time which means Emperor of India or Bharatvarsha as it was known at that time, cousin and the chief...

's friend Karna
Karna
Karna or Radheya is one of the central characters in the epic Mahābhārata, from ancient India. He was the King of Anga...

 had launched war expedition against this kingdom and others in the Uttarapatha
Uttarapatha
Ancient Buddhist and Hindu texts use Uttarapatha as the name of the northern part of Jambudvipa, one of the "continents" in Hindu mythology.The name is derived from the Sanskrit terms uttara, for north, and patha, for road...

 a little time before the Kurukshetra war
Kurukshetra war
According to the Indian epic poem Mahābhārata, a dynastic succession struggle between two groups of cousins of an Indo-Aryan kingdom called Kuru, the Kauravas and Pandavas, for the throne of Hastinapura resulted in the Kurukshetra War in which a number of ancient kingdoms participated as allies of...

 [ref: Karana Rajapuram gatva Kamboja Nirjitastvaya — (Mahabharata 7/4/6) and 7/91/39-40].

According to F. E. Pargitor, second branch of Aryan emigrants crossed Himalayas in the north and west and settled in Rajouri and Poonch area. Rajouri, Bhimber and Naushera were included within the territory of Abhisar, which was one of the hill states of Punjab Kingdom. Early records of fragmentary nature show that in 4th century BC there existed in the north west of India a federal type of political set up in which Abhisar with its capital Rajouri was also included. At the time of Alexander's invasion, Rajouri was at the height of its glory. In Mauryan period, the town of Rajouri was a great trade centre. During the Mughal rule, the rulers of Rajouri have embraced Islam though they retained the title of Raja.

Albaurni visited Rajouri with Sultan Masud (Son of Sultan Mehmud) in 1036 AD. In his book "India" he wrote name of Rajouri as Raja Vari. Srivar, the writer of 'Raj Tirangini' written during the regime of Sultan Zain-Ul-Abdin, also named this area as Raja Vari. It appears that Raja Vari is the changed shape of Raj Puri. Praja Bhat another writer of Raj Tirangini of 16th century AD wrote this place as Raj-Vare in his book. Mirza Zafarulla Khan writer of ‘Tarikh Rajgan-E-Rajour’ described in his book that this place was originally known as Raj-Avar and then changed from Rajour to Rajouri. But the old people in the villages still call the place as Rajour. With the passage of time the name changed from Raja's Raj Avar to Raja Puri, Rajpuri to Raj Vari, Raj Vari to Raj Vara, Raj Vara to Raj Avar, Raj Avar to Rajour and then Rajour to Rajouri. As per Rajtirangini of Kalhan, Rajouri emerged as principality in about 1003 AD. The first ruler of this kingdom was Raja Prithvi Paul. From 1033 to 1194 AD these Pauls ruled this state. They were Raja Prithvipaul, Raja Janki Paul (1035 AD), Raja Sangram Paul (1063 AD), Raja Som Paul (1101 AD), Bahu Paul (1113 AD) and Amna Paul (1194 AD). Raja Prithvi Paul defeated Pir Panchal Pass at the time of invasion of Sultan Mehmud in 1021 AD. Raja Sangram Paul defended his Principality Rajouri when Raja Harash of Kashmir assaulted his country in 1089 AD. Sangram Paul fought so bravely that Raja Harash was compelled to return from Prithvi Paul fort without capturing Rajouri.

As per ‘Tarikh-Rajgan-e-Rajour” Noor-Ud-Din who migrated from Punjab to Rajouri revolted against Raja Amna Paul. Raja Amna Paul was killed in the revolt and Noor-Ud-Din became the Raja of Rajouri. In this way Raja Noor-Ud-Din aid the foundation of Jaral Muslim rule in Rajouri in 1194 AD. to 21 October 1846 AD. Rajouri Principality remained governed by Jaral Rajas. The renowned Rajas of this dynasty were Raja Noor-Ud-Din (1194 AD), Raja Anwar Khan (1252 AD), Raja Sardar Khan (1289 AD), Raja Shah-Ud-Din (1412 AD), Raja Mast Wali Khan (1565 AD), Raja Taj-Ud-Din (1604 AD), Raja Anayat Ullah Khan (1648 AD), Raja Azmat Ullah Khan (1683 AD), Raja Izzat Ullah Khan (1762 AD), Raja Karam Ullah Khan (1676 AD), Raja Aggar Ullah Khan (1808 AD) and Raja Raheem Ullah Khan (1819 AD). Raja Raheem Ullah Khan was the last Muslim Ruler of Rajouri who governed this principality up to 21 October 1846.

Jaral Muslim Rajas rebuilt Rajouri city during their rule. Number of Fort, Sarai, Mosque and Baradaries were constructed with the help of Mughals, on Mughal road. The area of Rajouri principality comprised proper Rajouri, Thanna, Bagla Azim Garh, Darhal, Behrote, Chingus, Nagrota and Phalyana etc. The total revenue of Rajouri was Rs.3.00 lacs in 1846. Raja Aggar Ullah Khan (1808–1819) fought bravely, first against Maharaja Ranjit Singh in 1815 and then Raja Gulab Singh in 1819. These Muslim Rajas were very liberal and accommodating. Raja Azmat Ullah was having Hindu Minister of Mehta family of Rajouri. Hindu Rajputs were given preference at the time of employment in armed forces.

The successive Jarral Rulers were also responsible for the proper upkeep of Mughal route from Gujarat to Kashmir, dotted by a dozen stations in between. The town also called Rampur as per the revenue document, gained popularity during the Mughal period as the Mughal Ruler, during their movement from Delhi to Kashmir and back, used to stay at the station for some time.

In 1846 Amritsar pact was signed between British Government and Raja Gulab Singh of Jammu. In the light of this pact, Jammu and Kashmir State was handed over to Raja Gulab Singh and he was designated as Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir.

After taking the charge of Rajouri from Raja Faqir Ullah in 1846, Maharaja Gulab Singh changed the name of Rajouri to Rampur. He appointed Mian Hathu as Governor of Rajouri. Mian Hathu remained in Rajouri up to 1846 AD. He constructed a beautiful temple in between Thanna Nallah near Rajouri city. He also rebuilt Rajouri Fort of Jarral Ruling Dynasty at Dhannidhar village. After Mian Hathu, Rajouri was converted into a Tehsil and affiliated with Bhimber District. In 1904 AD, this Tehsil was bifurcated from Bhimber and affiliated with Reasi District. After Independence, Rajouri became part of the newly constituted Poonch-Rajouri District. On Ist January 1968, Rajouri emerged as a new District on the map of the State.

Rajauri Day

“Rajauri Day” is observed on April 13 to pay homage to those who laid down their lives for the liberation of Rajouri town
Indo-Pakistani War of 1947
The India-Pakistan War of 1947-48, sometimes known as the First Kashmir War, was fought between India and Pakistan over the princely state of Kashmir and Jammu from 1947 to 1948. It was the first of four wars fought between the two newly independent nations...

 from Pakistani raiders in 1948.

Geography

Rajauri is located at 33.38°N 74.3°E. It has an average elevation of 915 metre
Metre
The metre , symbol m, is the base unit of length in the International System of Units . Originally intended to be one ten-millionth of the distance from the Earth's equator to the North Pole , its definition has been periodically refined to reflect growing knowledge of metrology...

s (3001 feet).

Demographics

As of the 2001 census, Rajouri had a population of 20,874. Males constitute 58% of the population and females 42%. Rajouri has an average literacy rate of 77%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 83%, and female literacy is 68%. In Rajouri, 12% of the population is under 6 years of age. The people are mostly Gujjars, Dogras and Paharis.

Muslims make up 60% of the population, Hindus 37% and Sikhs 2.4%.

Education in Rajouri

The Rajouri is becoming education hub for not only J&K but rest of India also. There is a Government Post Graduate College in Kheora area of Rajouri just 5 km from Rajouri Bus stand. The college offers P.G. Courses of Master of Computer Applications (M.C.A) and Master of Science in Chemistry (M.Sc Chem.). The college also offers UG courses in BCA, BA, BSc, BCom etc. There is also a university in Rajouri City known as Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah University (BGSB) running PG Courses such as MCA, MBA, M.A (Arabic), M.Sc (Mathematics), MTMand U.G courses in Engineering.

Lakes of Pir Panjal Rajouri

The Pir Panjal falling under the jurisdiction of Rajouri-Poonch districts is a repository of beautiful lakes situated at an altitude between 13,000–14,500 ft. In the local parlance, lake is called "Sar" and meadow is called "Marg". This stretch of Pir Panjal is full of lakes and meadows and a place to be well enjoyed by the tourists. There are more than 27 lakes between Simar Sar to Nandan Sar in an area of 900 km2. Of these seven lakes are big in size and rest are smaller. Next to Kaunsar Nag, Bhag Sar is the biggest lake. Most of the big lakes are situated at the boundary line between Jammu division and the Kashmir valley and drain into the Kashmir valley. The important lakes are Sukh Sar, Akal Dakshni, Nandan Sar, Chandan Sar, Katori Sar, Raviwalli marg group of lakes, Chamar Sar, Bhsg Sar, Diya Sar, Padyaran Sar I and II, Katori Sar in Bela Marg and Smat Sar. All the above lakes are situated in the highlands of Pir Panjal Range and freeze during winter and become available for rafting or boating only during summer season i.e. during the months from June to October.

Sukh Sar

This is the first lake if one approaches these groups of lakes from northern direction. This is an oval shaped lake situated at an elevation of about 3000 m and is very small in size.

Akal Darshni

This lake is situated next to Sukh Sar at a distance of about one km. Akal Darshani is worshipped by all Bakerwals who pass through this route and consider it very sacred. Lake is triangular in shape and the colour of water looks black in comparison to blue colour of other lakes. It is located slightly at higher altitude to that of Sukh Sar at an elevation of about 3,300 m. This lake is about 200 m wide and 400 m long.

Nandar Sar

This lake is one of the biggest and beautiful lakes located at such a high altitude. Nandan Sar is oval in shape and more than one km in length. Water lake is deep blue in colour. To approach this lake one has to ascend the slope from Akal Dakshni and then descend towards Kashmir watershed. Lake is located at an elevation of about 3,500 m. The water of this lake flows through Jadi Marg nullah into the valley.

Chandan Sar

At half an hour trekking distance from Nandan Sar is located Chandan Sar amidst a depression formed by lofty mountains across the nullah to east. Chandan Sar is located at an elevation of about 3,600 m and is as big as Nandan Sar.

Katori Sar

From Chandan Sar route again enters Rajouri District through dharhal pass (3,650 m) in westerly direction. Just near is the saddle and irregular shaped lake, with blue waters, welcomes the travels. This is Katori lake or Sar at an elevation of about 3550 metres.

Ravi Walli Marg group of lakes

From Katori Sar as one descends down due west, water of four lakes gives a panoramic view of Ravi Walli Marg. The four lakes located in this Marg are Kokar Sar, Neel Sar, Bhag Sar and Ding Sar. Altitude of this place is about 3,300 m and is one of the best camping sites at this altitude.

To approach Chamar Sar one has to reach Sarota Marg located along the Chamar Nala and camp here for one night. Chamar Sar is one day's trekking from Ravi Walli Marg. It is better to approach Chamar and Bhag Sar from Sarota Marg and come back same day. Chamar Sar is bean shaped like located at an altitude of 3,300 m. This lake if full of icebergs till late July. Circumference of this lake is more than 12 km. This lake is source of chamar Nala which ultimately joins Bafliaz Nala near Behram Gala.

Bhag Sar

Bhag Sar is the highest lake situated in this series of lakes in atapani/Budhal mountains at an elevation of about 3700 metres. It is an oval shaped lake and is inaccessible for a common man. It is enclosed from all the four sides and is always full of icebergs. To approach this lake one has to skirt around the chamar Sar from left side and then ascend the glacier up to 4,000 m from where the lake is visible.

Diya Sar

This lake is also accessible from Sarota Marg located due west from Chamar Sar. Shape of the lake is typical like an Indian earthen lamp and so named as Diya Sar. This lake is about one km long and located at an elevation of about 3,600 m.

Padyaran Sar (I & II)

To reach Padyaran Sars, one has to ascend the steep one km cliff of Diya Sar Gali at an elevation of 3,800 m. From the Gali one enters famous Rupari Corridor towards hill terrain of an catchments. Just below Diya Sar Gali, at an elevation of 3,400 m twin lakes of Padyaran Sar can be seen. Both are bean shaped lakes. Padyaran I is slightly bigger than Padyaran II. Most of the time, these lakes remain under snow. Nomadic Bakerwals of Taryath, Tatapani, Khawas, Metka, Moghla, Kandi, Bakori, and Budhal cross Rupari pass to enter Kashmir valley.

Katori Sar in Bela Marg

This is a saucer shaped lake located on western and of Bela Marg, at an altitude of 3,300 m. It is one of the smallest lakes formed due to pooling of water from melting snow and dries out till end of September.

Gum Sar

This is another small lake at the foot of Dhakyar peak at an elevation of 3,600 m. Dhakyar peak is the highest peak in this range. It is pyramidical mountain with height of about 4,660 m.

Samot Sar

Samot Sar is located on northern end of Badjari Marg, at an elevation of about 3,550 m. This is an oval shaped blue water lake with maximum length of about one km. Samot Sar is nearest accessible lake from Budhal side (1,800 m). From Budhal it takes about four hours to reach on foot up to lake. Budhal is approachable by road from Rajouri.

If one really wants to enjoy the beauty of nature scattered in this part of the Pir Panjal one can complete his return journey via Sarota Marg-Behramgalas - Noori Chanb Waterfall, in four to five days. During the return journey one comes across a garland of seven lakes and beautiful flower covered margs (meadows). These lakes are Neel Sar, Katoria Sar, Sukh Sar, Kal Dachhni, Nandan Sar and Gum Sar.
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