Poonch (or Punch), (called ''Prunts'' in the Kashmiri, Gojri & Pahari languages) is a town and the administrative headquarters of the Poonch district, of the Indian-administered union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, which is part of the larger disputed territory of

Kashmir Kashmir ( or ) is the Northwestern Indian subcontinent, 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 P ...

. It is located near 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 ser ...

– the ''de facto'' border in the disputed region. Poonch shares a ''de facto'' border with the Poonch district of the Pakistan-administered, self-governing territory of

Azad Kashmir Azad Jammu and Kashmir (), abbreviated as AJK and colloquially referred to as simply Azad Kashmir ( ), is a region administered by Pakistan as a nominally self-governing entitySee: * * * and constituting the western portion of the larger ...

History

Based on the Mahābhārata mythology, and the evidence from the seventh-century Chinese traveller

Xuanzang Xuanzang (; ; 6 April 6025 February 664), born Chen Hui or Chen Yi (), also known by his Sanskrit Dharma name Mokṣadeva, was a 7th-century Chinese Bhikkhu, Buddhist monk, scholar, traveller, and translator. He is known for the epoch-making ...

, the districts of Poonch along with Rajauri and Abhisara were under the sway of the Republican

Kambojas The Kambojas were a southeastern Iranian peoples, Iranian people who inhabited the northeastern most part of the territory populated by Iranian tribes, which bordered the Indian subcontinent, Indian lands. They only appear in Indo-Aryan langua ...

during epic times. Poonch has witnessed many historical eras. Around 326 BC when

Alexander the Great Alexander III of Macedon (; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), most commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the Ancient Greece, ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia (ancient kingdom), Macedon. He succeeded his father Philip ...

invaded the lower Jhelum belt to fight with Porus, this region was known as Dravabhisar. In the sixth-century AD, the famous Chinese traveller Huien Tsang passed through this area. According to his observation, this region was known as part of

also known as mini Kashmir. Around 850 AD Poonch became a sovereign state ruled by Raja Nar, who was basically a horse trader. According to Rajatarangani, Raja Trilochanapala From Mangral Rajput Dynasty of the Poonch area gave a tough fight to Mahmood Ghaznvi, who invaded this area in 1020 A.D. In 1596, the Mughal emperor

Jahangir Nur-ud-din Muhammad Salim (31 August 1569 – 28 October 1627), known by his imperial name Jahangir (; ), was List of emperors of the Mughal Empire, Emperor of Hindustan from 1605 until his death in 1627, and the fourth Mughal emperors, Mughal ...

made Raja Siraj-Ud-Din Rathore, the descendant of Rao Jodha and Rao Suraj Singh, the new ruler of Poonch. Siraj-Ud-Din and his descendants Raja Shahbaz Khan Rathore, Raja Abdul Razak Rathore, Raja Rustam Rathore and Raja Bahadur Rathore ruled this area up to 1798 AD. From 1819 to 1846, Poonch was a part of the Sikh Empire of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. Maharaja granted it as a jagir to Raja Dhian Singh, one of his nobles and a brother of Dogra Rajput Raja Gulab Singh of Jammu. In 1846 Poonch was part of the territories transferred to Gulab Singh, who became the Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir under the suzerainty of the

British Raj The British Raj ( ; from Hindustani language, Hindustani , 'reign', 'rule' or 'government') was the colonial rule of the British The Crown, Crown on the Indian subcontinent, * * lasting from 1858 to 1947. * * It is also called Crown rule ...

. However, Poonch remained a jagir under the descendants of Dhian Singh. In the 1930s, on the recommendation of the Glancy Commission, a 75-member Legislative Assembly had come into existence under the name of Praja Sabha. Two seats were allotted to the Poonch principality. In the 1940s, Maharaja Hari Singh started integrating it with Jammu and Kashmir, as a ''de facto'' district. In 1947, after the

Partition of India The partition of India in 1947 was the division of British India into two independent dominion states, the Dominion of India, Union of India and Dominion of Pakistan. The Union of India is today the Republic of India, and the Dominion of Paki ...

, a

rebellion Rebellion is an uprising that resists and is organized against one's government. A rebel is a person who engages in a rebellion. A rebel group is a consciously coordinated group that seeks to gain political control over an entire state or a ...

started in the western part of the Poonch district (in the Bagh and Sudhanoti tehsils) against the Maharaja's rule and demanding accession to the newly independent Pakistan. The rebels were armed and supported by Pakistan and they evicted the State Forces, who became ensconced in their garrison at the Poonch town. The town remained besieged for almost a year, until it was relieved by the Indian Army on 20 November 1948. The western part of the district remained under the control of the rebels, who joined Pakistan as the state of

. The

between the two parts of the district runs to the west of the Poonch town.

Recent developments

During the 2019 India-Pakistan standoff, the Pakistan Air Force conducted an airstrike in Poonch as part of a larger operation in Indian-administered Kashmir. This standoff was the first time since 1971 that the

was violated by fighter aircraft. After the 2025 Pahalgam terror attack, India blamed Pakistan-based militant groups and a diplomatic crisis ensued between the two countries. Pakistan resorted to shelling across the Line of Control on the border regions including the Poonch town, starting 24 April 2025. After the Indian missile strikes on Pakistani terror infrastructure on 7 May, extensive shelling followed, killing 13 people, including four children and a Sikh ragi. It also damaged a Sikh gurdwara, an Islamic school and dozens of houses.

Geography

The town is at an elevation of , on the bank of the Poonch River at its point of confluence with the Betar Nala. The Poonch river originates in the Pir Panjal range and flows west until the town of Poonch, after which it turns southwest. The Betar Nala originates northeast of the Poonch town, in the Pakistan-administered portion of the former district.

Climate

Poonch has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa), which is much cooler than much of the rest of India due to its moderately high elevation and northerly position. Winters are cool, with January daytime temperatures averaging 2.5 °C (36.5 °F) and nighttime temperatures falling below freezing. Summers are short and generally pleasant, with temperatures rarely exceeding 31 °C. Winters are marked by rainfall due to western disturbances, and snowfall is quite common in January and February. The Pir Panjal range of mountains separates the Poonch Valley from the Kashmir Valley. With the completion of the

Mughal Road Mughal Road is the road between Bufliaz, a town in the Poonch district, to the Shopian district, in the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, India. The 84-kilometre roadhttp://www.greaterkashmir.com/full_story.asp?Date=6_12_2008&ItemID=3 ...

in 2010, via the Pir Panjal Pass, there is now a direct road link between the two areas.

Demographics

India

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 ...

, Poonch had a population of 26,854, of which 16,063 were male (60%), and 10,791 were female (40%).
Poonch has an average literacy rate of 79%: male literacy is 84%, and female literacy is 77%. In Poonch, 13% of the population is under 6 years of age. Islam is the largest religion in the Poonch town, followed by over 44% of people. Sikhism is the second-largest religion with 33.49% adherents. Christianity and Hinduism form 1.28% and 20.79% of the population respectively.

Transportation

Road

A bus across the LoC, the Poonch- Rawalakot bus, has helped to re-establish ties across the border. The NH 144A starts from Jammu and ends at Poonch, thus connecting Poonch to the rest of

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 ...

and India beyond. The

via the Pir Panjal Pass connects Poonch to the Kashmir Valley.

Rail

There is no rail connectivity to Poonch yet. Jammu–Poonch Railway Line is a proposed railway line from Jammu Tawi station via the Historic City of Akhnoor to Poonch. The nearest major railway station to Poonch is Jammu Tawi railway station, located at a distance of 236 kilometres and is a 6 hr drive. The nearest railway stations are Bijbehara railway station and Anantnag railway station, both located at a distance of 152 kilometres from Poonch Town.

Air

Poonch Airport is a small airstrip which was constructed during Indo-Pakistani War of 1947. The airport is currently non-operational. The nearest airport is Srinagar International Airport located at a distance of 177 kilometres and is a 5.5 hr drive.