HISTORY

Kishtwar the land of saffron and sapphire was an independent hilly state during the medieval period. Maharaja Gulab Singh, the Dogra ruler of Jammu annexed it in 1821 A.D. and brought it to the status of a province under a governor. In 1875 A.D., Maharaja Ranbir Singh further brought it to the status of a district. Ultimately, in 1909 A.D. Maharaja Pratab Singh made it a Tehsil of Udhampur District. Doda District, with its headquarter at Doda city was carved out of Udhampur District in 1948 A.D and Kishtwar which was once an independent state was brought to the status of a Tehsil of Doda district. The Present day District Kishtwar was carved out from the erstwhile District Doda during the year 2007 and it started functioning as independent District administrative unit on 01-04-2007. Kishtwar town is the HQ of District Kishtwar situated at a distance of 235 km from Jammu and 280 Km from Srinagar Cities. Kishtwar is first referred to in the Rajatarangini by the ancient name Kashthavata, during the reign of Raja Kalsa of Kashmir (1063–1089), when "Uttamaraja", the ruler of Kashthavata visited the court of the Kashmir King in company with several other hill chiefs to pay their respects to the Raja. The current name, Kishtwar, is a combination of the earlier name Kishaswar and "Kishat Rishi", who stayed there.

GEOGRAPHY

It is a mountainous district which lies between 33°.10´and33°.25´ latitude and 75°.25´ and 76°.10 longitude. It has an average elevation of 1631 meters (5300 feet). However, the altitude of the District varies from 3000-15000 ft. above the sea level. The Kishtwar District is spread over a large area ranging from the border of Himachal Pradesh on South, Ladakh on East, Kashmir valley (District Anantnag) on north-west & Doda on the west. Kishtwar is bounded on the North by Kashmir and Zanskar valleys, on the South by Bhaderwah and Doda Tehsils, on the east by Himachal Pradesh and on the west by Anantnag and Ramban district. The Chenab River flows through the district and is the site of the hydroelectric power projects of Dul Hasti 390 MW, Ratle 850 MW, Kirthai 1400 MW, Pakal Dool 1,000 MW, Lower Kalnai 200 MW and Chaudhary 150 MW with the highest per capita wattage production in world for such a small area.

CLIMATE

The climate of the district being temperate remains cool during summers and very cold during winters. Due to its varying physical features, the District does not have a uniform climate. Average rainfall in District Kishtwar has been recorded as 36.04 inches per year which is lowest as compared to other Districts of Jammu Division. It is very cold in summer also. Kishtwar District summer highest day temperature is in between 6 ° C to 27°C. Average temperatures of January is -1 ° C , February is 1 ° C , March is 6 ° C , April is 9 °C, May is 13 ° C. The rainfall is scanty, Climate is generally dry and because of this reason the District has been declared as Drought Prone Area. The temperature of the District varies from place to place. Most of the areas of Tehsil Padder & Marwah remain snow bound for five-six months of the year. In fact Block Warwan and Marwah besides some of areas of Dachhan and Padder remain cut off from the rest of the world during winter. Summer hardly witnesses any rain and precipitation often occurs during the winter season.

GEOLOGY

Geologically District Kishtwar is rich, but the mineral resources have not been fully explored and exploited. Sumcham area of Padder Tehsil is known for Sapphire, a precious mineral. Nagseni and Padder blocks are rich in Lead and Shilajit (Bitumen). Kashmir sapphire was mined at Padder valley. And gypsum is mined at Trigam. The famous Sinthan and Margan tops are high motorable road passes. The Steep Brahma mountain peak is situated at Dachhan. Saffron of purest quality is produced in the iron rich soil at Pochhal, Matta, Lachdayaram and Hidyal. Kishtwar National Park, in the northeast region of the district, has a large number of peaks and glaciers. Kishtwar is endowed with dense forests of deodar, pine and fir. There are high altitude mountains ranging between 20,000 feet to 21,000 feet like Num Kum, Burmah and Barnag.

POPULATION

As per 2011 Census, the total population of the Kishtwar District is 230696, which includes 120165 male population and 110531 female population in the district. This works out to be 1.839 percent of the total population of the state. The urban population is of 14862 and the rural population figures at 215834 souls and comes to 93.55% of the population of the district. The density of the population is 125 per sq km. The schedule castes represent 0.06 % of the population while schedule tribes i.e. Gujjar and Bakerwals represent 0.16 % only of the total population of the District. The main stay of the population of the district is agriculture. The average literacy rate of the District is 56.20 Percent with male literacy 68.90 percent and female 42.40 percent. The existing sex ratio in the District is 917. Out of total 46011 households in the District, 42499 are rural and 3512 are urban.

HOW TO REACH KISHTWAR

District Headquarter Kishtwar is located about 235 Km. from Jammu and about 280 Km. from Srinagar. There are two National Highways connecting the District viz.NH-1A and NH-1B. The general approach to the whole of the District is through road transport i.e. Taxi, Deluxe 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 Headquarter Kishtwar and to other Tourist Spots of the District. One can have the view of River Chenab while approaching to Kishtwar.