Awantipora () or Avantipur or Aavantipur, known as Woontpor () in

Kashmiri Kashmiri may refer to: * People or things related to the Kashmir Valley or the broader region of Kashmir * Kashmiris, an ethnic group native to the Kashmir Valley * Kashmiri language, the language of the Kashmiris ethnic group People with the nam ...

, is a town, just opposite of Pulwama city, on the banks of the

river Jhelum The Jhelum River is a major river in South Asia, flowing through India and Pakistan, and is the westernmost of the five major rivers of the Punjab region. It originates at Verinag and flows through the Indian-administered territory of Jammu ...

in the

Pulwama district The Pulwama district is an administrative district of Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region.The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of Kashmir and a mention of the Kashmir dispute is sup ...

Jammu and Kashmir Jammu and Kashmir may refer to: * Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), a region administered by India as a union territory since 2019 * Jammu and Kashmir (state), a region administered by India as a state from 1952 to 2019 * Jammu and Kashmir (prin ...

, India. It is on the

Jammu–Srinagar National Highway The Jammu–Srinagar National Highway is the northernmost segment of NH 44 (formerly NH 1A before the renumbering of all national highways). It runs from Srinagar in the Kashmir Valley southward to the city of Jammu. It is one of the two ro ...

(now called the

NH 44 National Highway 44 (NH 44) is a major north–south National Highway in India and is the longest in the country. It passes through the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, in addition to the states of Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh ...

), south of

Srinagar Srinagar (; ) is a city in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region.The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of Kashmir and a mention of the Kashmir dispute is supported by the tertiary ...

and north of

Anantnag Anantnag ( ; ), also called Islamabad ( ; ), is the administrative headquarters of Anantnag district of Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region.The application of the term "admi ...

. Awantipora is a subdistrict of

History

The town of Avantipura was founded by Avantivarman the

Kashmiri Hindu Kashmiri Hindus are ethnic Kashmiris who practice Hinduism and are native to the Kashmir Valley of India. With respect to their contributions to Indian philosophy, Kashmiri Hindus developed the tradition of Kashmiri Shaivism. After their exodu ...

ruler, who was the first king of the

Utpala dynasty The Utpala Dynasty was a medieval Kashmiri Hindu dynasty that ruled over Kashmir from the 9th to 10th centuries. Founded by Avantivarman in 855 CE, it replaced the Karkota dynasty. It came into existence in the northern region of the Indian su ...

and ruled Kashmir from 855 to 883 AD.
This web-page spells the town ''Avantipur'', and says that it is in

Anantnag district Anantnag district is an administrative district of Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region. The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of Kashmir and a m ...

, which it was before the creation of

in 1979. Avantivarman built a Hindu temple in Awantipora dedicated to

Vishnu Vishnu (; , , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism, and the god of preservation ( ...

called " Avantisvamin" before he became king, and during his reign he built a second Hindu temple in Awantipora called "Avantisvara" dedicated to

Shiva Shiva (; , ), also known as Mahadeva (; , , Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐh and Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the God in Hinduism, Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions w ...

. Both temples were built in spacious rectangular paved courtyards. They were destroyed in the Middle Ages. They were excavated by the archeologist

Daya Ram Sahni Rai Bahadur Daya Ram Sahni CIE (16 December 1879 – 7 March 1939) was an Indian archaeologist who supervised the excavation of the Indus valley site at Harappa in 1920 to 1921. The first report on Harappan excavations came out on 29 March ...

in the early 20th century. The Avantisvamin temple is located at and Avantisvara is at . They are protected and maintained by the

Archaeological Survey of India The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is an Indian government agency that is responsible for archaeological research and the conservation and preservation of cultural historical monuments in the country. It was founded in 1861 by Alexander ...

. File:Avantipura 1.jpg, The Avantisvamin temple File:Avantisvara_Temple.JPG, The Avantisvara temple

Demographics

As per the 2011 census, Awantipora has an average literacy rate of 69.41%, lower than the national average of 74%. Male literacy was 80.17%, and female literacy was 43.03% 9% of the population is under 6 years of age. Awantipora has a population of 12,647 people.

Villages in awantipora tehsil

The villages along with their patwar halqa (revenue circle) in Awantipora tehsil are listed below.

IUST Awantipora

Awantipora is home to Islamic University of Science and Technology(IUST) dating back to 2005. The university has been set up as a centre for higher learning for the people of the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir and its neighbouring regions.

AIIMS Awantipora

AIIMS Awantipora, sanctioned by the central government in 2019, is projected to have a budget of approximately Rs 1,828 crore. This facility will augment the healthcare infrastructure in Kashmir by providing an additional 1000 beds, including 300 beds dedicated to super-specialty services. Within the project, there will be a Medical College designed to accommodate 100 students and a Nursing College with a capacity of 60 students. The first batch of

MBBS A Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (; MBBS, also abbreviated as BM BS, MB ChB, MB BCh, or MB BChir) is a medical degree granted by medical schools or universities in countries that adhere to the United Kingdom's higher education tradi ...

at the upcoming AIIMS at Awantipora in south Kashmir will start in August 2021. The temporary accommodation is in

Air force station

Awantipur Air Force Station is situated near Awantipora at Malangpora about 5 km from Pulwama town.

External links

Ruins of Ancient Temples of Awantipora

References

{{Pulwama district Cities and towns in Pulwama district Tehsils of Jammu and Kashmir (union territory)