Surankote () is a town in the Surankote Tehsil of the Poonch district of the

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

n union territory of

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 ...

. It occupies the Surankote valley, located between the

Pir Panjal The Pir Panjal Range ( ; ) is a range of mountains in the Lower Himalayan region located in the Western Himalayas of northern Indian subcontinent. It runs southeast to northwest between the Beas and Neelam/Kishanganga rivers, in the Indi ...

and ranges within the

Himalayas The Himalayas, or Himalaya ( ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the Earth's highest peaks, including the highest, Mount Everest. More than list of h ...

. It receives snowfall in winters. It is famous for the existence of lakes (9 major and few small) on the Pir Panjal range which are not still connected with the outside world. Although some people visit these lakes by foot for recreation and refreshment.

Geography

Surankote township is located at some 27 kilometres to the south-east of Poonch city and 221 kilometres from winter capital

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 ...

. The valley comprises 33 villages. The total projected population of the valley is 124,755 which includes Paharis,

Gujjar The Gurjar (or Gujjar, Gujar, Gurjara) are an agricultural ethnic community, residing mainly in India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, divided internally into various clan groups. They were traditionally involved in agriculture, pastoral and nomadic ...

Bakerwal The Bakarwal (also spelled Bakkarwal or Bakrawala) are a nomadic Muslim ethnic group and a sub-tribe of the larger Gujjar community. They primarily inhabit the Indian Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, where they have been list ...

s and a visible

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 ...

minority. Twenty-four villages are located on the western slopes of the main

Pir Panjal range The Pir Panjal Range ( ; ) is a range of mountains in the Lower Himalayan region located in the Western Himalayas of northern Indian subcontinent. It runs southeast to northwest between the Beas and Neelam/Kishanganga rivers, in the Indi ...

while 19 villages are found on the slopes of the Rattan Panchal range. The climatic conditions resemble that 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 ...

. Some high peaks of this valley can be seen from Lahore on a very clear day the highest peak is Tatakuti standing at 15502 ft. With crystal-clear water, the alpine lakes viz. Sukhsar, Neelsar, Bhagsar, Katorasar, Kaldachnisar and Nandansar, fall in this region. The historical waterfalls, Noori chamb falls in Behramgala of this region. In local dialect the passes, alpine lakes and meadows are called gallies, sars and margs or dhoks respectively. Some of the common dhoks in Poonch are Girjan, Panjtari, Isanwali, Nainsukh, Dharamarg, Pirmarg and Sarimastan etc.

Demographics

As of the 2011 census Surankot has a population of 8,892. Males constitute 53% of the population while females form 47% share. The average literacy is 73%.

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 ...

is followed by almost 86% population. Paharis are an agricultural tribe and are estimated to be the largest community living in Surankote.

Tourist attractions

Noori Chamb

Noori Chamb associated with the name of Mughal Queen

Nur Jahan Nur Jahan (; 31 May 1577 – 18 December 1645), born Mehr-un-Nissa was the twentieth wife and chief consort of the Mughal emperor Jahangir. More decisive and proactive than her husband, Nur Jahan is considered by certain historians to have be ...

is known for its waterfall. It is situated near Behram Galla in Surankote Tehsil about 45 kilometres from Poonch town. The fall of the stream gives rise to dense clouds of water vapours which engulfs the area & spread all over. The 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 ...

had developed so much fancy & liking for this fall that he named it Noori Chamb after the name of his beloved queen

. Mughal queen used to stay here for relaxation. She had got fixed a mirror beside the fall on the mountain wall where she used to have her make-up after the bath. Many locals call Noori Chamb a milky waterfall, due to the white-coloured vapours formed during descending.

Peer Ki Gali

Peer ki Gali is a holy place situated between two villages, Poshana and Heer Pur, along Mughal road. Peer ki Gali is likely to be called the heart of the Mughal road. The name Peer Ki Gali has some auspicious relevance as the word 'peer' means a person devoted to religion, as per the Muslim faith. The history of this place dates back to the time of a holy and religiously elevated person named as Alamdar-e-Kashmir, Sheikh Noor-u-Din Noorani (RA) (1378 to 1441).

Transport

Road

Surankote is well-connected by road to other places in Jammu and Kashmir and India by the NH 144A.

Rail

Surankote is not connected with railways. The nearest railway station is

Jammu Tawi railway station Jammu Tawi railway station (station code: JAT) is a railway station in the city of Jammu in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. Background Jammu Tawi is the largest railway station in Jammu and Kashmir. It is a major railhead for ...

located at a distance of 208 kilometres.

Air

The nearest airport is

Jammu Airport Jammu Airport, officially known as Jammu Civil Enclave , is a domestic airport serving Jammu, the winter capital of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It is located south of the city centre and from the India–Pakistan border. Infrastructure T ...

located at a distance of 210 kilometres.

References

Poonch District, India Tourist attractions in Poonch District, India {{JammuKashmir-geo-stub