Udhampur District
Encyclopedia
Udhampur is a district in Jammu and Kashmir
. The town of Udhampur
is the headquarters of this district.
The 2001 census indicates the population of the district to be 743,509. There are 871 females for every 1000 males in the district. The overall literacy rate is 54.16%, with 66.43% for males and 39.89% for females. The majority of the population of the district practice Hinduism. The majority are Dogra
s in this district. There are a large number of nomadic Gujjar
s and Bakarwal
s present in the district as well. Hindus are 542,593, Muslims 190,112 (25.56%).
The major languages spoken in the district are Dogri, Hindi
, Urdu
, and Kashmiri
.
The Vaishno Devi shrine
is a very important shrine for the Hindus and the most famous tourist attraction of this district. Patnitop and Sudh Mahadev are also very famous tourist places.
Major attractions in Udhampur city include Gole Market, Devika Ghats, Jakahni Park, Ramnagar chowk (Pandav mandir nd Kachalu), Salain Talab, Main Bazar and now Railway Station as well.
, bauxite
, gypsum
and lime-stone.
This district consists of seven blocks: Dudu Basantgarh, Gordi, Chenani
, Majalta, Panchari, Ramnagar, UdhampurRamnagar and Udhampur
. Each block consists of a number of panchayats.
Udhampur district has a population
of 555,357, roughly equal to the nation of Solomon Islands
or the US state of Wyoming
. This gives it a ranking of 538th in India (out of a total of 640
). The district has a population density of 211 PD/sqkm . Its population growth rate
over the decade 2001-2011 was 20.86 %. Udhampur has a sex ratio
of 863 females
for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate
of 69.9 %.
Persons 343,429
Males 225,888
Females 117,541
Literacy rate :-
Primary 90,460
Persons 55.21
Males 67.07
Females 41.20
Bhairav Ghati, Krimchi Temples, Shiv Parvathi Cave Shrine
Cairhai, Mutal Pingla Devi Shrine, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine
Deva Mayi Maa Temple, Sheshnag Shrine
Land Of DeVika
Udhampur is also known as DEVIKA NAGARI.
Frdedrik Drew, a British scholar who visited Purmandal in the year 1828, states that the entire place was agog with life and activity and pilgrims were bathing on the sands and Devika river. Shops were installed in its middle and looked as if a festival was going on.
He further writes that behind the beautiful houses, sand stone background and gatherings of happy people created a delighting atmosphere. Nothing had changed since then and the beautiful imposing buildings were existing though decaying due to carelessness of man, but still were full of charm but presently these heritage treasures are being wiped out bringing a quick death to the pristine grandeurs of this great pilgrim centre and giving a death below to its tourism potential.
The constructions that are being demolished by land grabbers presently were built over two hundred years ago. Maharaja Ranjit Singh who came to Purmandal for a pilgrimage in the month of April in 1836, donated enough of gold for construction of comfortable resting places, Dharam Shalas for pilgrims in a typical Hindu architectural style. He was accompanied by Gulab Singh who later become maharaja and created Jammu and Kashmir State. He lavishly spent on building the main temple complex around the ancient temple of Omapati Shiv.
The most important feature in Purmandal is Umapati Shiv temple constructed by a king of Kashmir, Vani Dutt according to a popular legend. It is corroborated by existence of such a king who ruled from 853 according to Kalhan's Rajatarangni, the earliest history of the country written in the twelfth century. He constructed it over a spring worshiped as a manifestation of Shiva. King Vani Dutta was advised by sages to go to Purmandal to get his daughter cured from her fatal head disease by sprinkling water of the spring over her head. He did so and in order to offer his gratitude, he constructed the temple. Most unfortunately even this temple is being damaged from its eastern side by dismantling over seven feet thick wall and as yet the bore has not gone through as of 25 December 2006 to reach the Umapati sacred spring. This act has given a death blow to its original appearance and the impact that it created on the minds of devotees by damaging the originality of the temple. Perhaps a second modern door is being constructed.
Had a second door been found feasible, its creator would had provided one. It appears that the Dharmarth trust, which controls the temple complex is doing so purposelessly as its artistically constructed original door exists and has been catering to millions of pilgrims who visit the temple year after year since ages past. And there is hardly a need for any modern door. This means playing with the sentiments of the devotees of Umapati Shiv. The temple is as important as Badrinath, Kidar Nath or Som Nath temple, and nobody would venture to damage their originality as is being done with Omapati Shiv temple in Purmandal. This modern door in the ancient heritage temple shall always be an eyesore on the magnificent ancient heritage temple.
If the Dharmarth trust wanted to effect some improvement, its first priority should have been to conserve the tumbling down wall on the left side approach of the temple and conserve it. The trust has done similar unbecoming acts in damaging the originality of the shine at other places as well within the shrine. Instead of conserving a damaged second story of a structure at the frontal face of the shrine constructed in Hindu architecture, they have constructed a room in European architecture over typical Hindu architecture bringing humiliation to conservation of the shrine. The same has been repeated at other places right at the very face of the shrine. This has considerably damaged the architectural beauty of the shrine.
The trust is taking liberties without due regard to the faith of the millions of devotees of the holy shrine and with its unique and rare architecture. The importance of the pilgrim centre is being completely undermined. The place has methodological origin.
In the Nilmat Puran that was written in the seventh century by Nela Muni, it is mentioned that the Devika River is a manifestation of the mother Goddess Parwati herself to benefit the people of Mader Desha that covers areas between river Ravi and Chenab and the river Devika appeared on Shiv Ratri. Lord Shiva himself remains side by side with his consort Uma manifesting himself in form of Shiv Lingas at 8 places alongside the Devika river. The river presently runs under its sandy surface.In Devi Mahatmays it is mentioned that there is no need to perform Japa or any ritual for obtaining spiritual benefits at this pilgrim centre, only to touch with the Devika waters or having a bath in its waters is enough to get spiritual benefits. Water comes out by digging about a foot into the sand bed. Cremation on the sands of Devika is considered as meritorious as cremation on the banks of Ganga at Kashi.
udhampur is also well known city for the devika river. the devika river is also known as the younger sister of ganga. The mansar lake is also in udhampur district. mansar lake is also a picnic spot many of the colleges the heaven of the earth.SHRI MATA VAISHNO DEVI pilgrims are also located in udhampur which makes the udhampur a great district.
Mansar,
Thabu,
Chenani,
Narsu,
Thalora,
Domail,
Ramkot,
Jib,
Udhampur,
Jaghanu,
Ramnagar,
Patnitop,
Manwal,
Kishanpur,
Reasi,
Katra,
Tangar,
Sansoo,Balwalta,
pancheri,
Garhi,
Chopra bazaar,
Palthyar
is based in Udhampur and consists of three Corps
, the XIV, XV, and XVI. All units are deployed along the Line of Control
in Kashmir, with the exceptions of the 39th Infantry Division, and the 2nd, 3rd, and 16th Independent Armored Brigades.
Prior to Independence, Northern Command Headquarters was located at Rawalpindi
, and it was responsible for the defence of North West India. After Partition
, the Command Headquarters was allocated to Pakistan. In India, a new Headquarters designated as Western Command was located at Shimla
to look after the Northern borders with Pakistan and some portions of Tibet.
The need for a separate Headquarters in the North was felt during First Kashmir War in 1948. The experience of wars in 1962
, 1965
and 1971
reinforced the conviction that geo-strategically Northern Theatre was too important to be effectively commanded by a Headquarters based at Shimla. The 1965 and 1971 Wars demonstrated that the area under General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Western Command was too vast for effective command.
Accordingly, in 1971, duplicate headquarters with duplicated staff were set up at Shimla and Bhatinda. After 1971, Headquarter Northern Command was established at Udhampur, taking over responsibility for Jammu
, Kashmir
and Ladakh
.
It was decided in June 1972 to raise Northern Command at Udhampur, with two corps under it, to look after the defence of this region. This strength has now increased to three corps. Northern Command now controls this sensitive region of the country which covers the entire state of Jammu and Kashmir and contiguous portions of Punjab
and Himachal Pradesh
.
The first GOC-in-C of Northern Command was Lt Gen PS Bhagat. The command has been in the operational mode since its inception. It saw a number of high and low intensity operations. Today, the command complements the nation's efforts in countering the most serious challenge to her security, namely, the scourge of terrorism and proxy war in Jammu and Kashmir.
Troops of the Northern Command have been manning the highest battlefield in the world at the Siachen Glacier
where the average altitude of the posts varies from 15,000 to 23,000 ft. The battle is not just against the enemy but also sub zero conditions, extreme wind chill, deep crevasses frost bite and hypoxia. Operation Vijay
was possibly Northern Command's finest hour. It was a unique operation marked with unparalleled bravery, guts, determination and sacrifice beyond the call of duty.
This command has played a crucial role in fighting against the proxy war
that began in 1990. Over 18,000 terrorists have been killed, more than 80 tons of explosives and almost 40,000 weapons have been recovered. The command also took the onus of fencing the Line of Control to curtail the levels of infiltration and exfiltration.
The greatest battle that the Northern Army has been fighting is for the hearts and minds of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. A sum of over Rs. 50 crore has been spent on operation Sadbhavna so far to carryout development projects in this area. This year there has been a quantum jump in the scope and scale of this operation. Trials are underway to use water mills in the villages as microhydel plants. If successful, these plants could usher in a mini revolution at the grassroots level.
The XIV Corps is the field formation that is responsible for Ladakh and Kargil
, and is responsible for intelligence about enemy positions near the Line of Control. The Kargil operation in 1999 was primarily the responsibility of the 8 Mountain Division, the formation that was rushed there after the intrusions were detected in May 1999. 56 Mountain Brigade deployed two battalions to contain intrusions in Mashkoh and Dras while the third battalion (18 Grenadiers) established the crucial firm base 1000 feet below Tololing at 15,000 feet. 8 Mountain Div was tasked to clear nearly 50 pockets of intrusions in Mashkoh. Of the 16 battalions involved in the war, only 10 were employed at Kargil. 8 Mountain Division played a major role in evicting intrusions and defeating the Pakistan army at Kargil. It switched in 1990 from a counterinsurgency division in the North-East to the Srinagar valley and now to a high altitude mountain division at Kargil.
Lieutenant General V.G. Patankar on 31 December 2001 assumed command of the most challenging and prestigious corps of the Indian Army - the Srinagar-based 15 Corps. Lt. Gen. Patankar replaced Lt. Gen. J.R. Mukherjee, who proceeds to Eastern Command HQ, Kolkata.
XVI Corps is believed to be one of the largest corps in the world as it consists of five divisions.
As of mid-1999 there were two divisions, comprising approximately 15,000 soldiers each, manning the LoC and the Line of Actual Control with China from Kargil to Siachen. While the 8 Mountain Division had been given sole charge of guarding 150 kilometers of the border in the Kargil sector, the 3 Infantry Division was in charge of Siachen and the Aksai Chin border. Significantly, as the 15 Corps mobilised its forces for the counter attack and elements of the 18 Mountain Division poured into the various sectors of Kargil, the people of Jammu & Kashmir were steadfast against the enemy forces.
With the induction of 14 Corps in to Ladakh, the supply-load on the Army Service Corps (ASC) has increased tremendously. Given the politico-military situation on India's borders, a large portion of the Army is deployed in some of the most inhospitable terrain with complementary climatic conditions where supply of even the simplest of essentials is achieved by a herculean effort. The recent induction of the new XIV Corps in Ladakh has undeniably put a huge strain on the logistics aspects.
As of early 2002 these units had been joined by Central Command's I Corps Strike Force consisting of three divisions.
The Indian Army announced the creation of its new command known as South Western Command with its Headquarters at Jaipur, which formally came into being on 18 April 2005. the South-Western Command, will operate in conjunction with the Udhampur-based Northern Command and Chandimandir-based Western Command. The reallocation of forces to the South-Western Command from Northern Command and Western Command was not immediately apparent.
For an effective operational preparedness in the western sector, in mid-2005 Indian Army raised a new corps at Yol Cantt in Kangra Valley of Himachal Pradesh. The new corps, christened 9 Corps, comprises 26 and 29 Infantry Divisions, which had previously been allocated to XVI Corps / Nagrota Corps, and a number of brigades.
Northern Command memorial DHRUVA, named after the Hindi word for the Northern Star, to be the guiding light for the future generations of Soldiers guarding the Northern frontiers of India.
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...
. The town of Udhampur
Udhampur
Udhampur is a city and a municipal council in Udhampur District in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. It is the second lardest city of Duggardesh region and the fourth largest city in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. It serves as the district capital and the Northern Command headquarter of the...
is the headquarters of this district.
The 2001 census indicates the population of the district to be 743,509. There are 871 females for every 1000 males in the district. The overall literacy rate is 54.16%, with 66.43% for males and 39.89% for females. The majority of the population of the district practice Hinduism. The majority are Dogra
Dogra
The Dogras are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group in South Asia. Being a diversified group, the Dogras include both Savarnas such as Brahmins, Rajputs and Non-savarnas. The Dogras also incluide merchant castes such as Mahajans...
s in this district. There are a large number of nomadic Gujjar
Gujjar
The Gurjar are an ethnic group in India, Pakistan and Afghanistan. Alternative spellings include Gurjara, Gujar, Gurjjara and Gūrjara. The spelling Gurjara or Gurjar is preferable to the rest....
s and Bakarwal
Bakarwal
Bakarwal is a nomadic tribe based in the Pir Panjal and Himalayan mountains of South Asia. They are mainly goatherds and shepherds. They are called as Dhangar in rest of India.- Etymology :...
s present in the district as well. Hindus are 542,593, Muslims 190,112 (25.56%).
The major languages spoken in the district are Dogri, Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
, Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
, and Kashmiri
Kashmiri language
Kashmiri is a language from the Dardic sub-group and it is spoken primarily in the Kashmir Valley, in Jammu and Kashmir. There are approximately 5,554,496 speakers in Jammu and Kashmir, according to the Census of 2001. Most of the 105,000 speakers or so in Pakistan are émigrés from the Kashmir...
.
The Vaishno Devi shrine
Vaishno Devi
Vaishno Devi Mandir is one of the holy Hindu temples dedicated to Shakti, located in the hills of Vaishno Devi, Jammu and Kashmir, India. In Hinduism, Vaishno Devi, also known as Mata Rani and Vaishnavi, is a manifestation of the Mother Goddess.The temple is near the town of Katra, in the Reasi...
is a very important shrine for the Hindus and the most famous tourist attraction of this district. Patnitop and Sudh Mahadev are also very famous tourist places.
Major attractions in Udhampur city include Gole Market, Devika Ghats, Jakahni Park, Ramnagar chowk (Pandav mandir nd Kachalu), Salain Talab, Main Bazar and now Railway Station as well.
Weather conditions
Temperature varies considerably in the various parts of Udhampur District, as the altitude ranges from 600 m to 3,000 m above the sea level. The Chenab, Ans, Tawi and Ujh are the main rivers. The district is rich in minerals such as coalCoal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
, bauxite
Bauxite
Bauxite is an aluminium ore and is the main source of aluminium. This form of rock consists mostly of the minerals gibbsite Al3, boehmite γ-AlO, and diaspore α-AlO, in a mixture with the two iron oxides goethite and hematite, the clay mineral kaolinite, and small amounts of anatase TiO2...
, gypsum
Gypsum
Gypsum is a very soft sulfate mineral composed of calcium sulfate dihydrate, with the chemical formula CaSO4·2H2O. It is found in alabaster, a decorative stone used in Ancient Egypt. It is the second softest mineral on the Mohs Hardness Scale...
and lime-stone.
Administration
Udhampur district comprises seven tehsils:- Chenani Tehsil
- Gool Tehsil
- Gulabgarh Tehsil
- Ramnagar TehsilRamnagar, UdhampurSee Ramnagar for disambiguationRamnagar 'is both a town and a notified area committee in Udhampur District in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir.-Ramnagar Town:...
- Majalta Tehsil
- Katra Tehsil
- Udhampur Tehsil.
This district consists of seven blocks: Dudu Basantgarh, Gordi, Chenani
Chenani
Chenani is a town and a notified area committee in Udhampur District in Jammu & Kashmir.-Geography:Chenani is located at . It has an average elevation of 1,062 metres .-Demographics:...
, Majalta, Panchari, Ramnagar, UdhampurRamnagar and Udhampur
Udhampur
Udhampur is a city and a municipal council in Udhampur District in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. It is the second lardest city of Duggardesh region and the fourth largest city in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. It serves as the district capital and the Northern Command headquarter of the...
. Each block consists of a number of panchayats.
Demographics
According to the 2011 census2011 census of India
The 15th Indian National census was conducted in two phases, houselisting and population enumeration. Houselisting phase began on April 1, 2010 and involved collection of information about all buildings...
Udhampur district has a population
Demographics of India
The demographics of India are inclusive of the second most populous country in the world, with over 1.21 billion people , more than a sixth of the world's population. Already containing 17.5% of the world's population, India is projected to be the world's most populous country by 2025, surpassing...
of 555,357, roughly equal to the nation of Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands is a sovereign state in Oceania, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands. It covers a land mass of . The capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal...
or the US state of Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
. This gives it a ranking of 538th in India (out of a total of 640
Districts of India
A district is an administrative division of an Indian state or territory. Districts are further subdivided, in some cases into Sub-Divisions, and otherwise directly into tehsils or talukas.District officials include:...
). The district has a population density of 211 PD/sqkm . Its population growth rate
Family planning in India
Family planning in India is based on efforts largely sponsored by the Indian government. In the 1965-2009 period, contraceptive usage has more than tripled and the fertility rate has more than halved , but the national fertility rate is still high enough to cause long-term population growth...
over the decade 2001-2011 was 20.86 %. Udhampur has a sex ratio
Sex ratio
Sex ratio is the ratio of males to females in a population. The primary sex ratio is the ratio at the time of conception, secondary sex ratio is the ratio at time of birth, and tertiary sex ratio is the ratio of mature organisms....
of 863 females
Women in India
The status of women in India has been subject to many great changes over the past few millennia. From equal status with men in ancient times through the low points of the medieval period, to the promotion of equal rights by many reformers, the history of women in India has been eventful...
for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate
Literacy in India
Literacy in India is key for socio-economic progress, and the Indian literacy rate grew to 74.04% in 2011 from 12% at the end of British rule in 1947. Although this was a greater than sixfold improvement, the level is well below the world average literacy rate of 84%, and India currently has the...
of 69.9 %.
Literacy and education level
Literates Educational Level attainedPersons 343,429
Males 225,888
Females 117,541
Literacy rate :-
Primary 90,460
Persons 55.21
Males 67.07
Females 41.20
Tourist attractions
The most famous among the historical places and monuments are the Babore Temples, Kiramchi (Krimchi) Temples, Sheesh Mahal of Ramnagar, Ramnagar Fort,Shankari devtaa mandir in pancheri, shrines of Chountra Devi and Pingla Devi, and Reasi Fort. Tourist spots include Patnitop, Sanasar, and Latti.Temples
Devika, Babore Temples Kansar Devta's Shrine,Shaankari devta mandir, Shiv Khori Cave Temple,Bhairav Ghati, Krimchi Temples, Shiv Parvathi Cave Shrine
Cairhai, Mutal Pingla Devi Shrine, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine
Deva Mayi Maa Temple, Sheshnag Shrine
Land Of DeVika
Udhampur is also known as DEVIKA NAGARI.
Frdedrik Drew, a British scholar who visited Purmandal in the year 1828, states that the entire place was agog with life and activity and pilgrims were bathing on the sands and Devika river. Shops were installed in its middle and looked as if a festival was going on.
He further writes that behind the beautiful houses, sand stone background and gatherings of happy people created a delighting atmosphere. Nothing had changed since then and the beautiful imposing buildings were existing though decaying due to carelessness of man, but still were full of charm but presently these heritage treasures are being wiped out bringing a quick death to the pristine grandeurs of this great pilgrim centre and giving a death below to its tourism potential.
The constructions that are being demolished by land grabbers presently were built over two hundred years ago. Maharaja Ranjit Singh who came to Purmandal for a pilgrimage in the month of April in 1836, donated enough of gold for construction of comfortable resting places, Dharam Shalas for pilgrims in a typical Hindu architectural style. He was accompanied by Gulab Singh who later become maharaja and created Jammu and Kashmir State. He lavishly spent on building the main temple complex around the ancient temple of Omapati Shiv.
The most important feature in Purmandal is Umapati Shiv temple constructed by a king of Kashmir, Vani Dutt according to a popular legend. It is corroborated by existence of such a king who ruled from 853 according to Kalhan's Rajatarangni, the earliest history of the country written in the twelfth century. He constructed it over a spring worshiped as a manifestation of Shiva. King Vani Dutta was advised by sages to go to Purmandal to get his daughter cured from her fatal head disease by sprinkling water of the spring over her head. He did so and in order to offer his gratitude, he constructed the temple. Most unfortunately even this temple is being damaged from its eastern side by dismantling over seven feet thick wall and as yet the bore has not gone through as of 25 December 2006 to reach the Umapati sacred spring. This act has given a death blow to its original appearance and the impact that it created on the minds of devotees by damaging the originality of the temple. Perhaps a second modern door is being constructed.
Had a second door been found feasible, its creator would had provided one. It appears that the Dharmarth trust, which controls the temple complex is doing so purposelessly as its artistically constructed original door exists and has been catering to millions of pilgrims who visit the temple year after year since ages past. And there is hardly a need for any modern door. This means playing with the sentiments of the devotees of Umapati Shiv. The temple is as important as Badrinath, Kidar Nath or Som Nath temple, and nobody would venture to damage their originality as is being done with Omapati Shiv temple in Purmandal. This modern door in the ancient heritage temple shall always be an eyesore on the magnificent ancient heritage temple.
If the Dharmarth trust wanted to effect some improvement, its first priority should have been to conserve the tumbling down wall on the left side approach of the temple and conserve it. The trust has done similar unbecoming acts in damaging the originality of the shine at other places as well within the shrine. Instead of conserving a damaged second story of a structure at the frontal face of the shrine constructed in Hindu architecture, they have constructed a room in European architecture over typical Hindu architecture bringing humiliation to conservation of the shrine. The same has been repeated at other places right at the very face of the shrine. This has considerably damaged the architectural beauty of the shrine.
The trust is taking liberties without due regard to the faith of the millions of devotees of the holy shrine and with its unique and rare architecture. The importance of the pilgrim centre is being completely undermined. The place has methodological origin.
In the Nilmat Puran that was written in the seventh century by Nela Muni, it is mentioned that the Devika River is a manifestation of the mother Goddess Parwati herself to benefit the people of Mader Desha that covers areas between river Ravi and Chenab and the river Devika appeared on Shiv Ratri. Lord Shiva himself remains side by side with his consort Uma manifesting himself in form of Shiv Lingas at 8 places alongside the Devika river. The river presently runs under its sandy surface.In Devi Mahatmays it is mentioned that there is no need to perform Japa or any ritual for obtaining spiritual benefits at this pilgrim centre, only to touch with the Devika waters or having a bath in its waters is enough to get spiritual benefits. Water comes out by digging about a foot into the sand bed. Cremation on the sands of Devika is considered as meritorious as cremation on the banks of Ganga at Kashi.
Local culture
As per Veenu Dogra from Udhampur, renowned Dogri Food expert having released several dogri food recipe, Udhampur is famous for bh(bha): bhaa (hawa in Hindi- Winds), Bhauli (spring-ponds), borh(a plant similar to pepal),Bhaake(Gossips). Udhampur famous for High speed Winds, hundreds of Spring ponds and lot of Gossiping.udhampur is also well known city for the devika river. the devika river is also known as the younger sister of ganga. The mansar lake is also in udhampur district. mansar lake is also a picnic spot many of the colleges the heaven of the earth.SHRI MATA VAISHNO DEVI pilgrims are also located in udhampur which makes the udhampur a great district.
Cities and Towns
Batle,Mansar,
Thabu,
Chenani,
Narsu,
Thalora,
Domail,
Ramkot,
Jib,
Udhampur,
Jaghanu,
Ramnagar,
Patnitop,
Manwal,
Kishanpur,
Reasi,
Katra,
Tangar,
Sansoo,Balwalta,
pancheri,
Garhi,
Chopra bazaar,
Palthyar
Military
The Northern Command Headquarters of the Indian ArmyIndian Army
The Indian Army is the land based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. With about 1,100,000 soldiers in active service and about 1,150,000 reserve troops, the Indian Army is the world's largest standing volunteer army...
is based in Udhampur and consists of three Corps
Corps
A corps is either a large formation, or an administrative grouping of troops within an armed force with a common function such as Artillery or Signals representing an arm of service...
, the XIV, XV, and XVI. All units are deployed along the Line of Control
Line of Control
The term Line of Control refers to the military control line between the Indian- and Pakistani-controlled parts of the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir—a line which, to this day, does not constitute a legally recognized international boundary but is the de facto border...
in Kashmir, with the exceptions of the 39th Infantry Division, and the 2nd, 3rd, and 16th Independent Armored Brigades.
Prior to Independence, Northern Command Headquarters was located at Rawalpindi
Rawalpindi
Rawalpindi , locally known as Pindi, is a city in the Pothohar region of Pakistan near Pakistan's capital city of Islamabad, in the province of Punjab. Rawalpindi is the fourth largest city in Pakistan after Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad...
, and it was responsible for the defence of North West India. After Partition
Partition of India
The Partition of India was the partition of British India on the basis of religious demographics that led to the creation of the sovereign states of the Dominion of Pakistan and the Union of India on 14 and 15...
, the Command Headquarters was allocated to Pakistan. In India, a new Headquarters designated as Western Command was located at Shimla
Shimla
Shimla , formerly known as Simla, is the capital city of Himachal Pradesh. In 1864, Shimla was declared the summer capital of the British Raj in India. A popular tourist destination, Shimla is often referred to as the "Queen of Hills," a term coined by the British...
to look after the Northern borders with Pakistan and some portions of Tibet.
The need for a separate Headquarters in the North was felt during First Kashmir War in 1948. The experience of wars in 1962
Sino-Indian War
The Sino-Indian War , also known as the Sino-Indian Border Conflict , was a war between China and India that occurred in 1962. A disputed Himalayan border was the main pretext for war, but other issues played a role. There had been a series of violent border incidents after the 1959 Tibetan...
, 1965
Indo-Pakistani War of 1965
The Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 was a culmination of skirmishes that took place between April 1965 and September 1965 between Pakistan and India. This conflict became known as the Second Kashmir War fought by India and Pakistan over the disputed region of Kashmir, the first having been fought in 1947...
and 1971
Indo-Pakistani War of 1971
The Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 was a military conflict between India and Pakistan. Indian, Bangladeshi and international sources consider the beginning of the war to be Operation Chengiz Khan, Pakistan's December 3, 1971 pre-emptive strike on 11 Indian airbases...
reinforced the conviction that geo-strategically Northern Theatre was too important to be effectively commanded by a Headquarters based at Shimla. The 1965 and 1971 Wars demonstrated that the area under General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Western Command was too vast for effective command.
Accordingly, in 1971, duplicate headquarters with duplicated staff were set up at Shimla and Bhatinda. After 1971, Headquarter Northern Command was established at Udhampur, taking over responsibility for Jammu
Jammu
Jammu , also known as Duggar, is one of the three administrative divisions within Jammu and Kashmir, the northernmost state in India.Jammu city is the largest city in Jammu and the winter capital of Jammu and Kashmir...
, 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...
and Ladakh
Ladakh
Ladakh is a region of Jammu and Kashmir, the northernmost state of the Republic of India. It lies between the Kunlun mountain range in the north and the main Great Himalayas to the south, inhabited by people of Indo-Aryan and Tibetan descent...
.
It was decided in June 1972 to raise Northern Command at Udhampur, with two corps under it, to look after the defence of this region. This strength has now increased to three corps. Northern Command now controls this sensitive region of the country which covers the entire state of Jammu and Kashmir and contiguous portions of Punjab
Punjab (India)
Punjab ) is a state in the northwest of the Republic of India, forming part of the larger Punjab region. The state is bordered by the Indian states of Himachal Pradesh to the east, Haryana to the south and southeast and Rajasthan to the southwest as well as the Pakistani province of Punjab to the...
and Himachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh is a state in Northern India. It is spread over , and is bordered by the Indian states of Jammu and Kashmir on the north, Punjab on the west and south-west, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh on the south, Uttarakhand on the south-east and by the Tibet Autonomous Region on the east...
.
The first GOC-in-C of Northern Command was Lt Gen PS Bhagat. The command has been in the operational mode since its inception. It saw a number of high and low intensity operations. Today, the command complements the nation's efforts in countering the most serious challenge to her security, namely, the scourge of terrorism and proxy war in Jammu and Kashmir.
Troops of the Northern Command have been manning the highest battlefield in the world at the Siachen Glacier
Siachen Glacier
The Siachen Glacier is located in the eastern Karakoram range in the Himalaya Mountains at about , just east of the Line of Control between India-Pakistan. India controls all of the Siachen Glacier itself, including all tributary glaciers. At long, it is the longest glacier in the Karakoram and...
where the average altitude of the posts varies from 15,000 to 23,000 ft. The battle is not just against the enemy but also sub zero conditions, extreme wind chill, deep crevasses frost bite and hypoxia. Operation Vijay
Operation Vijay
Operation Vijay may refer to:*Operation Vijay , the operation by the Military of India that led to the capture of Goa, Daman and Diu and Anjidiv Islands*Operation Vijay , the Indian operation to push back infiltrators in the Kargil War...
was possibly Northern Command's finest hour. It was a unique operation marked with unparalleled bravery, guts, determination and sacrifice beyond the call of duty.
This command has played a crucial role in fighting against the proxy war
Proxy war
A proxy war or proxy warfare is a war that results when opposing powers use third parties as substitutes for fighting each other directly. While powers have sometimes used governments as proxies, violent non-state actors, mercenaries, or other third parties are more often employed...
that began in 1990. Over 18,000 terrorists have been killed, more than 80 tons of explosives and almost 40,000 weapons have been recovered. The command also took the onus of fencing the Line of Control to curtail the levels of infiltration and exfiltration.
The greatest battle that the Northern Army has been fighting is for the hearts and minds of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. A sum of over Rs. 50 crore has been spent on operation Sadbhavna so far to carryout development projects in this area. This year there has been a quantum jump in the scope and scale of this operation. Trials are underway to use water mills in the villages as microhydel plants. If successful, these plants could usher in a mini revolution at the grassroots level.
The XIV Corps is the field formation that is responsible for Ladakh and Kargil
Kargil District
Kargil is a district of Ladakh, Kashmir, India. Kargil lies near the Line of Control facing Pakistan-occupied Kashmir's Baltistan to the west, and Kashmir valley to the south. Zanskar is part of Kargil district along with Suru, Wakha and Dras valleys...
, and is responsible for intelligence about enemy positions near the Line of Control. The Kargil operation in 1999 was primarily the responsibility of the 8 Mountain Division, the formation that was rushed there after the intrusions were detected in May 1999. 56 Mountain Brigade deployed two battalions to contain intrusions in Mashkoh and Dras while the third battalion (18 Grenadiers) established the crucial firm base 1000 feet below Tololing at 15,000 feet. 8 Mountain Div was tasked to clear nearly 50 pockets of intrusions in Mashkoh. Of the 16 battalions involved in the war, only 10 were employed at Kargil. 8 Mountain Division played a major role in evicting intrusions and defeating the Pakistan army at Kargil. It switched in 1990 from a counterinsurgency division in the North-East to the Srinagar valley and now to a high altitude mountain division at Kargil.
Lieutenant General V.G. Patankar on 31 December 2001 assumed command of the most challenging and prestigious corps of the Indian Army - the Srinagar-based 15 Corps. Lt. Gen. Patankar replaced Lt. Gen. J.R. Mukherjee, who proceeds to Eastern Command HQ, Kolkata.
XVI Corps is believed to be one of the largest corps in the world as it consists of five divisions.
As of mid-1999 there were two divisions, comprising approximately 15,000 soldiers each, manning the LoC and the Line of Actual Control with China from Kargil to Siachen. While the 8 Mountain Division had been given sole charge of guarding 150 kilometers of the border in the Kargil sector, the 3 Infantry Division was in charge of Siachen and the Aksai Chin border. Significantly, as the 15 Corps mobilised its forces for the counter attack and elements of the 18 Mountain Division poured into the various sectors of Kargil, the people of Jammu & Kashmir were steadfast against the enemy forces.
With the induction of 14 Corps in to Ladakh, the supply-load on the Army Service Corps (ASC) has increased tremendously. Given the politico-military situation on India's borders, a large portion of the Army is deployed in some of the most inhospitable terrain with complementary climatic conditions where supply of even the simplest of essentials is achieved by a herculean effort. The recent induction of the new XIV Corps in Ladakh has undeniably put a huge strain on the logistics aspects.
As of early 2002 these units had been joined by Central Command's I Corps Strike Force consisting of three divisions.
The Indian Army announced the creation of its new command known as South Western Command with its Headquarters at Jaipur, which formally came into being on 18 April 2005. the South-Western Command, will operate in conjunction with the Udhampur-based Northern Command and Chandimandir-based Western Command. The reallocation of forces to the South-Western Command from Northern Command and Western Command was not immediately apparent.
For an effective operational preparedness in the western sector, in mid-2005 Indian Army raised a new corps at Yol Cantt in Kangra Valley of Himachal Pradesh. The new corps, christened 9 Corps, comprises 26 and 29 Infantry Divisions, which had previously been allocated to XVI Corps / Nagrota Corps, and a number of brigades.
Northern Command memorial DHRUVA, named after the Hindi word for the Northern Star, to be the guiding light for the future generations of Soldiers guarding the Northern frontiers of India.
Politics
Udhampur District has 3 assembly constituencies: Udhampur, Chenani and Ramnagar. National Panthers party has good following in udhampur district followed by BJP and INCExternal links
- http://udhampur.nic.in