The Warwan Valley is a Himalayan sub-valley and a

tehsil A tehsil (, also known as tahsil, taluk, or taluka () is a local unit of administrative division in India and Pakistan. It is a subdistrict of the area within a Zila (country subdivision), district including the designated populated place that ser ...

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

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 ...

union territory Among the states and union territories of India, a Union Territory (UT) is a region that is directly governed by the Government of India, central government of India, as opposed to the states, which have their own State governments of India, s ...

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 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 ...

. The Valley lies northeast of

Kishtwar Kishtwar is a town, municipality and administrative headquarter of the Kishtwar district in the Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir. The district was carved out of the Doda district in 2007. and is located in the Jammu division. The town ...

and from

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 winter capital of Jammu and Kashmir. It falls under the jurisdiction of

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 Marwah sub-Division of Jammu and Kashmir.

Geology

The Warwan Valley is drained by the Warwan River. It is a river formed by the confluence of the Batkot and Gumbar streams. The river is called Marusudar in the lower reaches of the valley and is the biggest right tributary of the

Chenab River The Chenab River is a major river 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, the Chandra and Bhaga, which rise in the upper Himalayas in the Lahaul region of Hima ...

which in turn is a tributary of the

Indus River The Indus ( ) is a transboundary river of Asia and a trans-Himalayas, Himalayan river of South Asia, South and Central Asia. The river rises in mountain springs northeast of Mount Kailash in the Western Tibet region of China, flows northw ...

system. A geological mapping survey has revealed that the Warwan Valley has experienced three distinct phases of folding in polyphase deformation.

Geography

The Warwan is a Himalayan valley situated at an altitude of above sea level. It is bordered by main

Kashmir Valley The Kashmir Valley, also known as the Vale of Kashmir, is an intermontane valley in northern Jammu and Kashmir, a region in Indian-administered Kashmir.(a) (subscription required) Quote: "Kashmir, region of the northwestern Indian subcont ...

in the north and

Ladakh Ladakh () is a region administered by India as a union territory and constitutes an eastern portion of the larger Kashmir region that has been the subject of a Kashmir#Kashmir dispute, dispute between India and Pakistan since 1947 and India an ...

in the east. Its parent district Kishtwar lies in the south. A few villages are Sukhnai, Margi, Busmina, Aftee and Inshan. Its main crops are wheat, paddy, trumba, potatoes etc. Its soil is not fertile as such it is sandy. Warwan valley receives a huge amount of snowfall in winters as it is at altitude of 2134 m above sea level.

Religion

The region has a Muslim majority population, with a significant Hindu minority.

Language

The vast majority of the population speaks

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 ...

Flora and fauna

About 75% of the valley remains under vegetation-cover and a total of 285 plant species, belonging to 191 genera in 60 families were recorded in a floristic survey, conducted in 2015. Among these plant species, 26 are categorised as threatened. The main flowering season in the valley is June to July. The valley is rich in medicinal plants, which are used to treat ailments of the local people.

Accessibility

Warwan Valley is one of the most remote valleys of Jammu and Kashmir and it suffers from a lack of access to proper roads, communication facilities and electricity. The valley remains cut off for about six or seven months every year due to heavy snowfall. In 2016, Margi village of the valley got completely destroyed by fire.

References

{{India topics Valleys of Jammu and Kashmir River valleys of India Jammu Division Kishtwar district Tehsils of Jammu and Kashmir (union territory)