Kishtwar is a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

, municipality and administrative headquarter of the

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

in the

Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir Kashmir ( or ) 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. The term has since a ...

. The district was carved out of the

Doda district Doda district is an administrative district of the Jammu division in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir in the Kashmir region. The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of Kashmir and a mention of the Kash ...

in 2007. and is located in the

Jammu division The Jammu division (; ) is a Divisions of India, revenue and administrative division of the Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region.The application of the term "administered" to t ...

. The town of Kishtwar is situated at a distance of from the summer capital 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 from the winter capital of

Jammu Jammu () is a city in 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 mention of the Kashmir dispute ...

. A large ground locally called as

Chowgan ground Chowgan is a large ground and tourist attraction in the Kishtwar town, in the Jammu division of Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), Jammu and Kashmir, India, surrounded by Chinar tree, chinar, Cedrus deodara, cedar and other trees. It measures ab ...

is located in the heart of the town. The old name of Kishtwar was "Kashtvatha" as mentioned in Rajtarangni of Kalhana Pandita written in 1148 CE. In 2013, the municipality was the location of the Kishtwar Riots, which claimed three lives and injured 80 more, and was a conflict between

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

and

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

communities that occurred in the aftermath of the Eid festival on 9 August 2013 at Kishtwar,

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 ...

Demographics

As of the 2011 Indian

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

, Kishtwar had a population of 14,865. Males constitute 63% of the population and females 37%. Kishtwar has an average literacy rate of 78%, higher than the Indian national average: male literacy is 82%, and female literacy is 42%. In Kishtwar, 11% of the population is under six years of age. The main language spoken here by Muslims is

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 ...

, while the Hindus of Kishtwar speak a

dialect A dialect is a Variety (linguistics), variety of language spoken by a particular group of people. This may include dominant and standard language, standardized varieties as well as Vernacular language, vernacular, unwritten, or non-standardize ...

of Kashmiri language called

Kishtwari Kishtwari or Kashtwari is an Indo-Aryan language closely related to the Kashmiri language, with strong influences from neighbouring Western Pahari varieties. It is spoken by Hindus in Kishtwar district of Jammu division in Jammu and Kashmir, In ...

. The dominant religion in Kishtwar is

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

, at 70.3% of the population, while there are 28.6% followers of

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Hypernymy and hyponymy, umbrella term for a range of Indian religions, Indian List of religions and spiritual traditions#Indian religions, religious and spiritual traditions (Sampradaya, ''sampradaya''s) that are unified ...

Transport

Air

Kishtwar does not have its own airport as 2023, although there is a helipad located 3 km north of the city. The government has a project for a 1200–1300

airstrip An aerodrome, airfield, or airstrip is a location from which aircraft flight operations take place, regardless of whether they involve air cargo, passengers, or neither, and regardless of whether it is for public or private use. Aerodromes in ...

in Kishtwar in upcoming years. The nearest airports to Kishtwar is

Srinagar International Airport Srinagar International Airport , officially named as Sheikh Ul Alam International Airport, is an international airport serving Srinagar, the summer capital of the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. It is owned by the Indian Air Force ...

located 208.8km away.

Rail

There is no rail connectivity to Kishtwar. The nearest railway station is

Udhampur railway station Martyr Captain Tushar Mahajan Udhampur railway station, also known as ''Udhampur railway station'', is situated in municipal committee of Udhampur, Jammu and Kashmir, India. Its station code is MCTM. The average elevation of the station is ...

, located at a distance of 150 kilometres.

Road

Kishtwar is well-connected by roads to other places in Jammu and Kashmir and rest of India, as several highways and roads pass through Kishtwar including NH 244.

References

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

Demographics

Transport

Air

Rail

Road

See also

Devigol

References