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Ganderbal district | |
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| |
Coordinates (Ganderbal): 34°14′N 74°47′E / 34.23°N 74.78°E | |
Administering country | India |
Union territory | Jammu and Kashmir |
Headquarters | Ganderbal |
Area | |
• Total | 1,059 km2 (409 sq mi) |
Population (2011) | |
• Total | 297,446 |
• Density | 280/km2 (730/sq mi) |
Demonym(s) | Shahruk, Ganderbaluk, Ganderbali, Ganderbalia, Ganderbalian |
Languages | |
• Official | Kashmiri, Urdu, Hindi, Dogri, English language [2] [3] |
• Other | Pahari, Gujari, Shina, Balti, Pashto |
Time zone | UTC+05:30 ( IST) |
Pincode | 191201 |
Area code | 194 |
ISO 3166 code | 0194 |
Vehicle registration | JK-16 |
Website |
ganderbal |
The Ganderbal district, or more formally District Ganderbal, is an administrative district of Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region. [1] Ganderbal town is the administrative headquarters of the district. It was formed in 2007 and has 6 subdistricts (tehsils): Kangan, Ganderbal, Tullamulla, Wakura, Lar, and Gund. [4]
There are many lakes within the Ganderbal district, both plain and alpine varieties. Some of the plain lakes in Ganderbal are: [5]
In addition to the plain lakes, Ganderbal is home to over 100 alpine lakes, which include: [6]
Lar town stands out for its grape cultivation, yielding the highest production in the entire valley. This has given Ganderbal the title of the "Grape Town of Kashmir". [7]
The Ganderbal district, particularly the Sherpathri belt, is renowned as the Wicker Hub of Kashmir due to its distinctive wicker artisans. Spanning nearly 25 small hamlets, most of the population in this area is associated with the craft of wickerwork. These skilled craftsmen create a variety of items, including chairs, sofas, baskets, flower vases, and kitchen essentials, using locally sourced willow reeds, highlighting their unmatched skill and craftsmanship. [8]
Kheer Bhawani is a temple dedicated to the goddess Bhavani, constructed over a sacred spring in Tulmul village. The name of the temple is derived from both the rice pudding ( kheer) that is used as an offering, and the goddess it is offerred to.
The Naranag Temple [9] is one of the important archaeological sites of the country. The ancient pilgrimage site is a group of several temples and is situated in the Naranag village near Harmukh Mountain about 50 kilometres (31 mi) from Srinagar city. The ancient name for the place is Sodarteertha; Bhuteshwara (now But Sher, midway on the trek to Gangbal lake) and Nandikshetra ( Nundkol lake area) are two other holy sites associated with it. The site consists of a cluster of temples facing each other at a distance of about 100 metres (330 ft). Historians say that the temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva by the eighth-century ruler Lalithdatiya Muktapid. It is believed that the King Awantivarman paid a visit and donated a pedestal for bathing at Bhutsher. Even today one gets surprised over art and skill of the builders of this temple. Its impressive architecture reveals the glorious past, the magnificent art of the eighth century. The government has only recently constructed walls to protect it from encroachments and nothing else has been done. It is now left in ruins of which only faint traces have survived.
Ganderbal district, has its district headquarters located at 33°44′N 75°09′E / 33.73°N 75.15°E in the town of Ganderbal, [10] is at an average elevation of 1,950 metres (6,400 ft) above mean sea level. The town is at a distance of 21 kilometres (13 mi) from Srinagar city. The total geographical area of Ganderbal district is 1,059 km2 (409 sq mi). [11]
The mountainous Ganderbal district is spread across the Sind River. It is the only river in Jammu and Kashmir on which three hydroelectric power stations are functional, and provides water for irrigation. 80% of the population [12] of the district is engaged with farming. The river sand (bajri), often mixed with cement, it produces is of high value.
Harmukh is the highest peak in the region and Gangbal the largest alpine lake.
The district currently has six subdistricts ( tehsils): [4] [13]
It is further divided into nine CD blocks: Ganderbal, Wakura, Lar, Kangan, Gund, Sherpathri, Phaag, Manigam and Batwina. [13] [14] Each block consists of a number of panchayats. Ganderbal District has 2 assembly constituencies: Kangan and Ganderbal. [13] [15]
Ganderbal district: religion, gender ratio, and % urban of population, according to the 2011 Census. [17] | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Hindu | Muslim | Christian | Sikh | Buddhist | Jain | Other | Not stated | Total | |
Total | 5,592 | 290,581 | 406 | 486 | 25 | 8 | 4 | 344 | 297,446 |
1.88% | 97.69% | 0.14% | 0.16% | 0.01% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.12% | 100.00% | |
Male | 5,182 | 152,571 | 255 | 458 | 19 | 1 | 3 | 231 | 158,720 |
Female | 410 | 138,010 | 151 | 28 | 6 | 7 | 1 | 113 | 138,726 |
Gender ratio (% female) | 7.3% | 47.5% | 37.2% | 5.8% | 24.0% | 87.5% | 25.0% | 32.8% | 46.6% |
Sex ratio (no. of females per 1,000 males) |
79 | 905 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 874 |
Urban | 389 | 46,498 | 53 | 38 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 57 | 47,039 |
Rural | 5,203 | 244,083 | 353 | 448 | 22 | 8 | 3 | 287 | 250,407 |
% Urban | 7.0% | 16.0% | 13.1% | 7.8% | 12.0% | 0.0% | 25.0% | 16.6% | 15.8% |
At the time of the 2011 census, 68.92% of the population spoke Kashmiri, 20.21% Gojri, 3.49% Pashto, 2.61% Pahari and 1.31% Hindi as their first language. Balti and Shina are also spoken by small populations in the high mountains. [18]
The Ganderbal district is located in valley of the Sindh River, also known as Nallah Sindh. It is rich in landscape and is often called the District of Lakes, as it possesses the highest number of lakes in the state of Jammu and Kashmir.
This famous hill station is situated 80 kilometres (50 mi) from Srinagar and located on the banks of Sindh River at an altitude of 2,800 meters. Sonamarg also hosts the International Championships of Rafting on Sindh River. It presents a glamorous look due to its alpine meadows, snow-clad mountains, and healthy climate. Sonamarg skirts Sindh River and torrential flow of water in this river enriches its awesome beauty. Besides several hotels in private sector have come up here and these hotels provide modern facilities to their guests. A number of treks in this region also begin from Sonamarg to high altitude lakes of Vishansar, Krishansar, Gadsar and Gangabal stocked with snow trout and brown trout.
Manasbal Lake is the main attraction for tourists in Ganderbal district, 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) north west of district headquarters of Ganderbal. It is 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) long and 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) wide. It is located in the Jhelum valley, north of Srinagar city in Jammu and Kashmir. The name Manasbal is said to be a derivative of the Lake Manasarovar. [19] Lake is encircled by three villages: Jarokbal, Kondabal (also called Kiln place; is situated on the north-eastern side of the lake) and Ganderbal and is stated to be the deepest lake (at 13 m or 43 ft depth) in the Kashmir valley. The large growth of lotus ( Nelumbo nucifera) at the periphery of the lake (blooms during July and August) adds to the beauty of the clear waters of the lake. The Mughal garden, called the Garoka, (meaning bay window) built by Nur Jahan overlooks the lake. [20]
The lake is a good place for birdwatching as it is one of the largest natural stamping grounds of aquatic birds in Kashmir and has the sobriquet of "supreme gem of all Kashmir Lakes". [21] [22] The rootstocks of lotus plant which grows extensively in the lake are harvested and marketed, and also eaten by the local people. [19]
The lake is approached from Srinagar by a 30-kilometre (19 mi) road via Shadipur, Nasim and Gandarbal. Road to Wular Lake, the largest lake in Kashmir, passes through this lake, via Safapur. [19]
Prang village is 12 kilometres far from the central hub (beehama) of district Ganderbal, towards the east. Srinagar-Leh National Highway (NH 1D) passes right through the middle of this village. This village falls under the jurisdiction of tehsil Kangan.[ citation needed]
The Prang garden used to be the picnic spot in 1990's before army came and established the base camp there. However, the army camp was later evacuated from the garden in the year 2008. This garden is situated on the banks of the famous Sindh River, and forested slopes are on the other side of the garden adding more charm to its beauty. The famous Environmental park (usually known as the "dumping park") is in the adjacent village of Prang.[ citation needed]
This village is considered as the main hub for its adjacent areas. The adjacent areas of this village are "Lari Prang, Check Prang, Herra Prang, Pati Prang and dragtung".[ citation needed]
Mohand Marg is an alpine meadow in the Lar tehsil. In summer it is a tourist destination for trekking and camping. Sir Aurel Stein was the first person to explore the place, pitching his camp in the summer of 1895. [23] [24] [25] [26]
It is hidden in the mountains to the north of Srinagar at the foot of Haramukh Peaks about 25 kilometers from Srinagar via the Ganderbal road towards Leh. From the road it is accessed via 5 kilometer trek up a steep path through the hill-side settlements and fields of Lar and Chount Waliwar before the 'Marg' opens out across the mountain side giving views of the Sindh Valley far below in one direction and the Valley of Kashmir in the other.
Harmukh (also known as Mount Haramukh or Harmukh mountain) is a mountain with a peak elevation [27] of 16,890 ft (5,148 metres), in Ganderbal district of Jammu and Kashmir. Harmukh is part of the Himalaya Range, and is located between Sindh River to its south and Kishanganga River to its north. It rises above the Gangabal Lake in the vicinity of Kashmir Valley. [28] It is more hazardous to reach Mount Haramukh from the east and south side of Ganderbal and has never been climbed from these sides; thus, it is mostly climbed in the north-west from the Arin Bandipore side.
Harmukh was first climbed by the Great Trigonometric Survey's Thomas Montgomerie in 1856 and made the first survey of the Karakoram some 210 km (130 miles) to the south, and sketched the two most prominent peaks, labelling them K1 and K2. [29] Harmukh was later climbed by many other climbers. [30] Therefore, Harmukh is the mountain from which the world's second highest mountain peak K2 was discovered and the Serveyer's mark K2 continues to be the name.
Gangabal Lake, also called Gangbal Lake, is a lake situated at the foothills of Mount Haramukh (one of the highest mountain peak in the vicinity of Kashmir valley) [31] in Ganderbal district, north of Srinagar city in Jammu and Kashmir in India. It is an alpine high altitude oligotrophic lake, [32] and is home to many types of fishes [33] of which one is the brown trout. [34]
The lake has a maximum length of 2.5 kilometres (1.6 mi) and maximum width of 1 kilometre (0.62 mi). It is fed by precipitation, glaciers and springs. The lake water outflows to a nearby small lake (Nundkol) [35] and then via Wangath nullah [36] to Sindh River. [37] The trout fishes are present in the lake. [38] Gangabal lake is approached from Srinagar 45 kilometres (28 mi) by road via Ganderbal up to Naranag [39] and then a 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) track upslope.
Shallabugh Wetland, situated in the Shallabugh village of Kashmir valley, is a haven of natural beauty and ecological significance. It was declared as a Ramsar Site recently. Spanning across acres of marshy terrain, this wetland plays a crucial role in maintaining environmental equilibrium. It serves as a vital habitat for numerous species of migratory birds, offering them a seasonal refuge during their journeys. The wetland's diverse flora and fauna contribute to the rich biodiversity of the region.
The villages of Ganderbal district include:
The colleges and universities located in the District of Ganderbal include: