Doda district

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

Location of Doda District within Jammu & Kashmir state

Area	11,691 km²
Population	525,000 (1991)
Population density	36/km2 (1991)
Literacy	18.5% (1981)

Doda is a district of Jammu region in the state of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It is the third largest district in Jammu and Kashmir after Leh and Kargil. Doda acquired the status of a district when it was carved out of the erstwhile district of Udhampur in the year 1948. Lying in the middle and outer Himalayan ranges of Jammu Region of J&K State, the district has mostly a hilly terrain. In view of its vastness and due to the inconvenience faced by people living in its far-flung areas and for making the whole area administratively manageable, the State Government, in July, 2006, trifurcated the district into the districts namely Doda, Ramban & Kishtwar. The district is surrounded by district Anantnag of Kashmir Division on its North, district Kishtwar in the North-East, Chamba area of Himachal Pardesh in the South, district, Kathua in the south, district Udhampur in the South-West and district Ramban in the West.

History

This District has a rich history. The district derived its name from its district headquarters Doda. It is said that one of the ancient Rajas of Kishtwar whose dominion extended beyond Doda persuaded one utensil maker Deeda, a migrant from Multan (now in Pakistan), to settle permanently in this territory and set up an utensil factory there. Deeda is said to have settled in a village which later on was called with his name. With the passage of time the name Deeda has changed into Doda, the present name of the town.

The entire area of district, including Allaqa Dengbatal (Tehsil Mahore), was initially divided into two independent States of Kishtwar and Bhaderwah.

Kishtwar State consisted of some areas of the present District Doda viz., Doda-Siraj excluding present Bhaderwah, Bhallessa and Thathri Tehsils, Marmat Galihan, Raggi, Assar, Batote areas of Doda and Ramban Districts.

The Islamic faith entered the region of Doda as a spiritual and moral force, when Hazrat Shah Farid-ud-Din came over to Doda via Dengbattal and Ramban in 1650 A.D. He stayed at Doda for 14 long years and then left for Kishtwar.

The principality of Bhaderwah was distributed into 15 tharas or administrative units. The total area of Bhaderwah Jagir (including Bhalessa etc.) was 533 sq. miles which after delimitation of Udhampur district in 1931 was reduced to 213 sq. miles only. From 1112 AD to 1930 AD the Bhaderwah Jagir remained under the control of different Rajas.

Its name as private Jagir was changed to Private Domain and in charge jagir was changed to Director Private Domains. On the recommendations of Private Domain Assimilation Committee, the status of Bhaderwah ended in 1930. Consequently Bhaderwah became a Tehsil of Udhampur district in 1931. After the carving out of district Doda from district Udhampur in 1948, Bhaderwah became a Tehsil of District Doda. Consequent upon reorganization of District, Naibat Tahthri and Niabat Bhalessa of Bhaderwah Tehsil also became full fledged Tehsils in 1981.

Geography

Total area of Distt. Doda is 4500 km².(approx.). Doda District has been carved out from the erstwhile District Udhampur in 1948. The State Govt. on July 2006 trifurcated the district into three districts namely Doda, Ramban and Kishtwar. Lying in the outer Himalayan range in J&K State, the district falls between 32 degree-53’ and 34 degree 21’ north latitude and 75 degree-1' and 76 degree-47' east longitude. On its north is Anantnag District of Kashmir Division, District Kishtwar in the North-East, while south-west and south are bordered by the Districts of Udhampur, Kathua and Chamba area of Himachal Pradesh. On its west is District Ramban.From east and south-east is Leh District There are most famous mountain peaks in District Doda like Marble Pass, Nunkun on the Suru Border which rise to a height of 2300 ft.above sea level. Two other famous peaks are Brahma and Moon Sikle.

Climate

Due to its varying physical features, the District does not have a uniform climate. The climate is temperate in the places like Kishtwar, Bhadarwah etc. and sub tropical in areas like Ramban. Average rainfall in District Doda has been recorded as 35.08 inches per year which is lowest as compared to other Districts of Jammu Division. Due to low average annual precipitation, the whole of District Doda has been declared as Drought prone. The Climate of Bhadarwah and Kishtwar is totally different to that of Doda. In these areas there is lot of snow fall during the winter season and the summer is as pleasant as Kashmir. These places are worth visiting in the winters for enjoying the Snowfall specially. Due to this feature of Bhadarwah, it is generally called as "MINI KASHMIR".

Economy

In 2006 the Ministry of Panchayati Raj named Doda one of the country's 250 most backward districts (out of a total of 640).^[1] It is one of the three districts in Jammu and Kashmir currently receiving funds from the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme (BRGF).^[1]

Culture

The District is known, not only for its rich cultural heritage and ethical values but also popular for its age-old traditions of secularism and the spirit of tolerance, which have been since times immemorial, binding the people together. The peaceful co-existence in this vast district has been possible only because of the observance in letter and spirit of these traditions which have since long been guiding the very destinies of the people professing varied faiths. The District is having mixed culture and the people are Pehari Speaking. Because of its connectivity with Jammu, Srinagar, Himachal Pradesh and Ladakh, the people are generally speaking Kashmiri, Ladakhi, Dogri,and some Pehari languages like Bhadarwahi, Kishtwari and Serazi. The people are also credited to have unity in diversity. For example, besides regional languages, there are about one dozen languages being spoken in different areas. These are Kashmiri, Dogri, Bhaderwahi, Kishtwari, Siraji, Pogli, Khashali, Gojri, Paddri and Panjabi etc.

According to Dr. G.A.Fierson the word "Pahari" applies to the groups of languages spoken in the sub-himalayan hills extending from Bhaderwah to the eastern parts of the Nepal. The Bhaderwah group includes three dialects, viz Bhaderwahi, Bhalesvi and Padri. Bhaderwahi language is abundantly rich in words, phrases and idioms.

Approach

District Headquarters Doda is located about 175 km. from Jammu and about 200 km. from Srinagar. The District has mountainous terrains. There are two National Highways connecting the District. These National Highways are NH-1A and NH-1 B. The general approach to the whole of the District is through road transport i.e. Taxi, Delux Buses etc. Visitors coming from other parts of the country can also utilize the Flight or Train services up to Jammu / Srinagar. From Jammu / Srinagar, road transport services are easily available to reach District Head Quarter Doda and to other Tourist Spots of District Doda. One can have the view of River Chenab while approaching to Doda, Bhadarwah etc.

Demographics

According to the 2011 census Doda district has a population of 409,576 ,^[2] roughly equal to the nation of Malta.^[3] This gives it a ranking of 556th in India (out of a total of 640).^[2] The district has a population density of 79 inhabitants per square kilometre (200 /sq mi) .^[2] Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 27.89 %.^[2] Doda has a sex ratio of 922 females for every 1000 males,^[2] and a literacy rate of 65.97 %.^[2]

Languages

Vernaculars include Bhadrawahi, a Dogri-Kangri language spoken by about 53 000 people in Doda district, written in both the Arabic and Devanagari scripts.^[4]

Administration

Administratively, the district with 406 villages, three being un-inhabited. Doda District has been divided in two Sub Divisions viz Doda, Bhadarwah. It has four Tehsils Doda, Bhadarwah, Thathri,Gandoh. There are 08 Rural Development Blocks comprising Bhadarwah, Ghat(Doda), Thathri, Gandoh, Bhagwah, Assar, Marmat and Gundana. The number of Panchyats is 232.

Features

The District is endowed with vast wealth of natural beauty and is extensively rich in forests. The region is surrounded by snow clad lofty mountains from all sides and mighty river Chenab flows through it. The entire district is hilly and mountainous with a few plain and low lying areas. Due to its varying physical features, the district does not have a uniform climate. The climate is temperate in places like Bhaderwah & Gandoh and Sub-tropical in areas like Doda & Thathri. The Chenab, river flowing through the District, is commercially very vital for transportation of timber from forest and power generation. According to an estimate, the river has hydel potential of about 15,000 MWs.

This district consists of 8 blocks: Bhagwa, Assar, Doda (Ghat), Gundana, Marmat, Bhaderwah, Gandoh (Bhalessa), and Thathri.^[5] Each block consists of a number of panchayats.

Politics

Doda District has 2 assembly constituencies: Bhaderwah and Doda.^[6]

See also

• Chinta Valley
• Chenab River

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Ministry of Panchayati Raj (September 8, 2009). "A Note on the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme". National Institute of Rural Development. http://www.nird.org.in/brgf/doc/brgf_BackgroundNote.pdf. Retrieved September 27, 2011. 
2. ^ ^{a b c d e f} "District Census 2011". Census2011.co.in. 2011. http://www.census2011.co.in/district.php. Retrieved 2011-09-30. 
3. ^ US Directorate of Intelligence. "Country Comparison:Population". https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2119rank.html. Retrieved 2011-10-01. "Malta 408,333 July 2011 est." 
4. ^ M. Paul Lewis, ed (2009). "Bhadrawahi: A language of Pakistan". Ethnologue: Languages of the World (16th edition ed.). Dallas, Texas: SIL International. http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=bhd. Retrieved 2011-09-28. 
5. ^ Statement showing the number of blocks in respect of 22 Districts of Jammu and Kashmir State including newly Created Districts dated 2008-03-13, accessed 2008-08-30
6. ^ "ERO's and AERO's". Chief Electoral Officer, Jammu and Kashmir. http://ceojammukashmir.nic.in/ERos_AERos.html. Retrieved 2008-08-28. 

External links

• My Bhaderwah - The Heaven on Earth
• Profile of Doda district on website of government of Jammu and Kashmir
• Heaven of earth in Jammu and Kashmir
• Welcome to Valley of Chenab