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Udhampur is a district in the
India India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...
n Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. Covering an area of in the Himalayan mountains, the district has its headquarters in the town of
Udhampur Udhampur (ˌʊd̪ʱəmpur) is a city and a municipal council in Udhampur district in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. It is the headquarters of Udhampur District. Named after Raja Udham Singh, it serves as the district capi ...
. The Northern Command headquarters of the Indian Army is located in the district.


Weather conditions

Temperature varies considerably in the Udhampur District, as the altitude ranges from .
Chenab The Chenab River () is a major river that flows in India and Pakistan, and is one of the 5 major rivers of the Punjab region. It is formed by the union of two headwaters, Chandra and Bhaga, which rise in the upper Himalayas in the Lahaul reg ...
, Ans, Tawi and Ujh are the main rivers. The district is rich in minerals such as
coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal is formed wh ...
,
bauxite Bauxite is a sedimentary rock with a relatively high aluminium content. It is the world's main source of aluminium and gallium. Bauxite consists mostly of the aluminium minerals gibbsite (Al(OH)3), boehmite (γ-AlO(OH)) and diaspore (α-AlO ...
,
gypsum Gypsum is a soft sulfate mineral composed of calcium sulfate dihydrate, with the chemical formula . It is widely mined and is used as a fertilizer and as the main constituent in many forms of plaster, blackboard or sidewalk chalk, and dry ...
and
limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms wh ...
.


Administration

Udhampur district comprises eight tehsils ( Chenani, Ramnagar Tehsil, basantgarh, latti,Majalta and seventeen blocks, namely, dudu Basantgarh, Gordi, Chenani, Bajalta, Panchari, Ramnagar and Udhampur. Each block consists of a number of
panchayat The Panchayat raj is a political system, originating from the Indian subcontinent, found mainly in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nepal. It is the oldest system of local government in the Indian subcontinent, and historical ...
s.


Demographics

The 2011 census indicates the population of the district to be 554,985. 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 The Dogras or Dogra people, are an Indo-Aryan ethno-linguistic group in India and Pakistan consisting of the Dogri language speakers. They live predominantly in the Jammu region of Jammu and Kashmir, and in adjoining areas of Punjab, Himachal ...
s in this district. There are a large number of nomadic
Gujjar Gurjar or Gujjar (also transliterated as ''Gujar, Gurjara and Gujjer'') is an ethnic nomadic, agricultural and pastoral community, spread mainly in India, Pakistan and Afghanistan, divided internally into various clan groups. They were tradi ...
s and Bakarwals present in the district as well. According to the 2011 census Udhampur district has a
population Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction using a ...
of 555,357, greater than that of
Brunei Brunei ( , ), formally Brunei Darussalam ( ms, Negara Brunei Darussalam, Jawi: , ), is a country located on the north coast of the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. Apart from its South China Sea coast, it is completely surrounded by th ...
and roughly equal to the EU nation of
Luxembourg Luxembourg ( ; lb, Lëtzebuerg ; french: link=no, Luxembourg; german: link=no, Luxemburg), officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, ; french: link=no, Grand-Duché de Luxembourg ; german: link=no, Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small land ...
. This gives it a ranking of 538th in India (out of a total of
640 Year 640 ( DCXL) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 640 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the pr ...
). The district has a population density of . Its
population growth rate Population growth is the increase in the number of people in a population or dispersed group. Actual global human population growth amounts to around 83 million annually, or 1.1% per year. The global population has grown from 1 billion in 1800 t ...
over the decade 2001–2011 was 20.86%. Udhampur has a
sex ratio The sex ratio (or gender ratio) is usually defined as the ratio of males to females in a population. As explained by Fisher's principle, for evolutionary reasons this is typically about 1:1 in species which reproduce sexually. Many species de ...
of 870
females Female (symbol: ♀) is the sex of an organism that produces the large non-motile ova (egg cells), the type of gamete (sex cell) that fuses with the male gamete during sexual reproduction. A female has larger gametes than a male. Females ...
for every 1000 males (which varies with religion), and a
literacy rate Literacy in its broadest sense describes "particular ways of thinking about and doing reading and writing" with the purpose of understanding or expressing thoughts or ideas in written form in some specific context of use. In other words, huma ...
of 69.9%.


Religion

The religious composition of the district is: Hindu 88.12%, Muslim 10.77%.


Language

At the time of the 2011 census, 81.36% of the population spoke
Dogri Dogri ( Name Dogra Akkhar: ; Devanagari: डोगरी; Nastaliq: ; ) is an Indo-Aryan language primarily spoken in the Jammu region of Jammu and Kashmir, India, with smaller groups of speakers in adjoining regions of western Himachal P ...
, 5.18%
Gojri Gojri (, ), also known as Gujari, Gujri, Gojari, or Gojri, is a variety of Rajasthani spoken by the Gurjars and other tribes of India, Pakistan and Afghanistan. In India, the language is mainly spoken in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Prade ...
, 3.67%
Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been ...
, 2.81% Gaddi, 1.35% Pahari and 1.30% Kashmiri as their first language.


Tourist attractions

Mansar lake: Mansar is a
lake A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much larger ...
fringed by forest-covered hills, over a mile in length by half-a-mile in width. Surinsar-Mansar Lakes is designated as
Ramsar Convention The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitat is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of Ramsar sites ( wetlands). It is also known as the Convention on Wetlands. It ...
in November 2005. Besides being an excursion destination in the state, it is also a holy site, sharing the legend and sanctity of
Lake Manasarovar Lake Manasarovar (Sanskrit: मानसरोवर), also called Mapam Yutso (;) locally, is a high altitude freshwater lake fed by the Kailash Glaciers near Mount Kailash in Burang County, Ngari Prefecture, Tibet Autonomous Region, China. The ...
. On the Eastern Bank of the Lake there is a shrine to Sheshnag, a snake with six heads. Surinsar Lake: Surinsar Lake is surrounded by thickly wooded mountain ranges and it is a picnic spot. Surinsar Lake and Mansar Lake are considered to be twin lakes; Mansar is located 30 km away from it. The Surinsar Mansar Wildlife Sanctuary is located in the midst of both the lakes and supports 3 mammalian species and 15 avifauna species including crane. According to Hindu mythological legends, the origin of the lake is closely associated with the legendary warrior of Mahabharat, Arjun. It is said to believe that Arjun shot an arrow in to the Mansar and a spring gushed of the earth and now it is known as Surinsar Lake. Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee Tunnel: It is India's longest road tunnel with a length of 9.28 km (5.8 mi). It is the first tunnel in the
India India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...
with a fully integrated tunnel control system. The tunnel reduces the distance between
Jammu Jammu is the winter capital of the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. It is the headquarters and the largest city in Jammu district of the union territory. Lying on the banks of the river Tawi, the city of Jammu, with an area of ...
and
Srinagar Srinagar (English: , ) is the largest city and the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It lies in the Kashmir Valley on the banks of the Jhelum River, a tributary of the Indus, and Dal and Anchar lakes. The city is known for its na ...
by 30 km and travel time by two hours. The all-weather tunnel bypasses snowfall and avalanche prone areas in winter at places like
Patnitop Patnitop is a hill station, located, between Ramban Town and Udhampur city in the Ramban district of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It is in located on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway (which is part of National Highway 44, formerly 1A), from ...
, Kud, and
Batote Batote is a town and a notified area committee, near Ramban town in Ramban district of Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir on NH 44 (former name NH 1A) just beyond Ramban, Patnitop while going towards Srinagar. Tourism Batote is ...
that obstruct NH 44 every winter and cause long queues of vehicles - sometimes for days at length. Shool Panishwar Mahadev Temple/ Sudhmahadev: The 2800 years old temple Sudh Mahadev also Shool Panishwar Mahadev Temple is situated in the Chenani Tehsil of District Udhampur. The Temple of Sudh Mahadev is about 50 km away from District Headquarter of Udhampur. The temple is one of the oldest Shiva Temples of Jammu & Kashmir State. Sudh Mahadev is a shrine dedicated to Lord Shiva, situated at a height of approximately 1225m. One legend associated with this shrine is as: Once, when Goddess Parvati was in deep prayer, a demon called Sudheet came to pay his respectful obeisance. But his demonic look frightened the Goddess and She made a loud shriek. Her cry revered acted across the mountains surrounding the valley. Lord Shiva was disturbed by the sound. When He opened His eyes, He saw the demon, at whom he hurled His invincible Trident (Holy Trishul). As the trident pierced through Sudheet, he began to chant Lord Shiva's name. Lord Shiva realized the mistake, so He offered to bring Sudheet back to life. But Sudheet refused to come back to life telling Lord Shiva that only by dying at His hands would he be able to obtain moksha (Salvation). Moved by the demon's words, Lord Shiva ordered that, henceforth, Sudheet's name would be taken before His own at the place where he was killed. That is how the place where Goddess Parvati used to worship a shivling came to be known as Sudhmahadev. Krimchi temples: Krimchi is the site of one of the oldest temple complexes of the state. Believed to have been constructed in the 11th - 12th century AD, this group of temples, also locally known as the Pandava Temples. Consists of four large and three small temples dedicated to Lord Shiv. The architecture of the temples shows Greek (Hellenic) influences. As per the legends, Raja Kichak of Mahabharat was said to be the creator of town Krimchi and the Kingdom. It is also said that Pandavas while in exile remained there for a long period. Latti: Latti is a village in Dudu Block in Udhampur District of Jammu & Kashmir UT, India. It is located 83 km towards East from District headquarters Udhampur. Aparneshar Temple (Mantalai temple): Aparneshar Temple or Mantalai Temple at an elevation of 1450 metres from the ground, surrounded by deodar trees. This is the place where mother Parvati was born and married Lord Shiva. One divine rock (patthar) related to the wedding of Parvati and Shiva can also be spotted in this shrine. Ever since Dhirendra Brahmachari, the Yogic mentor of former Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, was killed in air crash in June 1994 property worth hundreds of crore in Mantalai Aparna Asharam is gathering dust. This facility is now being developed as a state-of-the-art International Yoga Center. Gauri Kund: Place where Parvati took bath regularly located in Sudmahadev.


Temples

Owing to a multitude of shrines and temples, Udhampur is also known as ''Devika Nagari'' meaning ''City of the Goddess''. Places of worship located in the district include Aparneshar Temple ''(Parvati Janmbhoomi),'' Sudh Mahadev ''(Shool Panishwar Mahadev),'' Babore Temples, Kansar Devta's shrine, Shaankari Devta mandir, Shiv Khori Cave Temple, Bhairav Ghati, Krimchi Temples,
Shiv The word Shiv or shiv may refer to: People with the name * Shivnarine Chanderpaul, a West Indies cricketer nicknamed Shiv Arts, entertainment, and media * Shiv, a fictional location in Magic: The Gathering, see Dominaria * Shiv, a villain in th ...
Parvathi Cave shrine, Cairhai, Mutal Pingla Devi shrine, Shri Mata
Vaishno Devi Vaishno Devi (also known as Mata Rani, Trikuta, Ambe and Vaishnavi) is a manifestation of the Hindu Mother Goddess, Durga or Adi Shakti. The words "''Maa''" and "''Mata''" are commonly used in India for ''mother'', and thus are often heavily ...
shrine, Deva Mayi Maa Temple, Sheshnag Shrine In the 7th century text, the
Nilamata Purana The Nilamata Purana ( sa, नीलमत पुराण, translit=nīlamata purāṇa), also known as the ''Kasmira Mahatmya'', is an ancient text (6th to 8th century CE) from Kashmir which contains information on its history, geography, religio ...
by Nila Muni, it is mentioned that the Devika River is a manifestation of the mother Goddess Parvati to benefit people of Mader Desha that covers the areas between river Ravi and
Chenab The Chenab River () is a major river that flows in India and Pakistan, and is one of the 5 major rivers of the Punjab region. It is formed by the union of two headwaters, Chandra and Bhaga, which rise in the upper Himalayas in the Lahaul reg ...
and the river Devika and appears on the Shiv Ratri. Lord Shiva and his consort Uma are believed to manifest together at eight places alongside the Devika river. The subterranean river Devika presently flows under a sandy surface. In
Devi Mahatmya The ''Devi Mahatmya'' or ''Devi Mahatmyam'' ( sa, देवीमाहात्म्यम्, devīmāhātmyam, Glory of the Goddess) is a Hindu philosophical text describing the Goddess as the supreme power and creator of the universe. It is ...
it is mentioned, that there is no need to perform
Japa ''Japa'' ( sa, जप) is the meditative repetition of a mantra or a divine name. It is a practice found in Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism, and Buddhism, with parallels found in other religions. ''Japa'' may be performed while sitting in a me ...
or any ritual for obtaining spiritual benefits at this pilgrimage site, but only to touch the Devika waters or bathing in them. Water from the Devika can be retrieved by digging a foot into the sand bed. Cremation on the sands of Devika is considered as meritorious as on the banks of the
Ganges The Ganges ( ) (in India: Ganga ( ); in Bangladesh: Padma ( )). "The Ganges Basin, known in India as the Ganga and in Bangladesh as the Padma, is an international river to which India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China are the riparian states." is ...
at Kashi.


Important localities


Military

The Northern Command Headquarters of the
Indian Army The Indian Army is the land-based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head is the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), who is a four ...
is based in Udhampur and consists of three
Corps Corps (; plural ''corps'' ; from French , from the Latin "body") is a term used for several different kinds of organization. A military innovation by Napoleon I, the formation was first named as such in 1805. The size of a corps varies grea ...
, the XIV, XV, and XVI. All units are deployed along the
Line of Control The Line of Control (LoC) is a military control line between the Indian and Pakistanicontrolled parts of the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir—a line which does not constitute a legally recognized international boundary, but serv ...
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 ( or ; Urdu, ) is a city in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is the fourth largest city in Pakistan after Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad, and third largest in Punjab after Lahore and Faisalabad. Rawalpindi is next to Pakistan's ...
, and 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 Shimla (; ; also known as Simla, the official name until 1972) is the capital and the largest city of the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. In 1864, Shimla was declared as the summer capital of British India. After independence, the ...
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 First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and reco ...
in 1948. The experience of wars in
1962 Events January * January 1 – Western Samoa becomes independent from New Zealand. * January 3 – Pope John XXIII excommunicates Fidel Castro for preaching communism. * January 8 – Harmelen train disaster: 93 die in the wo ...
,
1965 Events January–February * January 14 – The Prime Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years. * January 20 ** Lyndon B. Johnson is sworn in for a full te ...
and
1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses (Solar eclipse of February 25, 1971, February 25, Solar eclipse of July 22, 1971, July 22 and Solar eclipse of August 20, 1971, August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 1971 lunar eclip ...
reinforced the conviction that the Northern Theatre needed to be commanded by a headquarters 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 is the winter capital of the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. It is the headquarters and the largest city in Jammu district of the union territory. Lying on the banks of the river Tawi, the city of Jammu, with an area of ...
,
Kashmir Kashmir () is the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term "Kashmir" denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal Range. Today, the term encompas ...
and
Ladakh Ladakh () is a region administered by India as a union territory which constitutes a part of the larger Kashmir region and has been the subject of dispute between India, Pakistan, and China since 1947. (subscription required) Quote: "Jammu and ...
. 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 Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and contiguous portions of
Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...
and
Himachal Pradesh Himachal Pradesh (; ; "Snow-laden Mountain Province") is a state in the northern part of India. Situated in the Western Himalayas, it is one of the thirteen mountain states and is characterized by an extreme landscape featuring several peak ...
. 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. Troops of the Northern Command have been manning the highest battlefield in the world at the
Siachen Glacier The Siachen Glacier is a glacier located in the eastern Karakoram range in the Himalayas at about , just northeast of the point NJ9842 where the Line of Control between India and Pakistan ends. At long, it is the longest glacier in the Kara ...
where the altitude of the posts varies from 15,000 to 23,000 ft. This command has played a crucial role in fighting against the
proxy war A proxy war is an armed conflict between two states or non-state actors, one or both of which act at the instigation or on behalf of other parties that are not directly involved in the hostilities. In order for a conflict to be considered a pr ...
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 XIV Corps is the field formation that is responsible for Ladakh and
Kargil Kargil ( lbj, ) is a city and a joint capital of the union territory of Ladakh, India. It is also the headquarters of the Kargil district. It is the second-largest city in Ladakh after Leh. Kargil is located to the east of Srinagar in J ...
, 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. The 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. 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 counterattack 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 into 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. 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.


Politics

Udhampur District has three assembly constituencies namely Udhampur, Chenani and Ramnagar.


See also

* Talwara (Udhampur district)


References


External links

*http://udhampur.nic.in {{Authority control Districts of Jammu and Kashmir