Poonch
| Poonch पुंछ |
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| Coordinates | 33°46′N 74°06′E / 33.77°N 74.1°ECoordinates: 33°46′N 74°06′E / 33.77°N 74.1°E |
| Country | India |
| State | Jammu and Kashmir |
| District(s) | Poonch |
| Population | 23,442 (2001[update]) |
| Time zone | IST (UTC+05:30) |
| Area |
• 981 metres (3,219 ft) |
Poonch (also referred to as Punch) is a town and a municipal committee in Poonch District in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. Based on the Mahābhārata evidence,[1] and the evidence from 7th Chinese traveler Xuanzang,[2] the districts of Poonch along with Rajauri and Abhisara had been under the sway of the Republican Kambojas during epic times.[3][4][5][6][7]
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[edit] Geography
Poonch is located at 33°46′N 74°06′E / 33.77°N 74.1°E.[8] It has an average elevation of 981 metres (3218 feet). Pir Panjal range of mountains separates Poonch valley from Kashmir valley. For a long time the only road connection between the two valleys was from Jammu. But now with the completion of Mughal Road (connecting Bufliaz in Poonch to Shopian in Kashmir) there will be a direct connectivity between the two. It consist of 4 tehsils viz Haveli, Mendhar Surankote and Mandi.
[edit] Climate
The Climate of Poonch is somewhat cooler than rest of the areas of Duggardesh plains.Summers are short and pleasant while sometimes they may be irritating.The summer temperature generally doesnot cross 31 degrees.Winters are cool and chilly characterized with rainfall due to western disturbances.Snowfall is uncommon but may occur in cool months like that of Dec 2012.Rainfall is 669 millimetres (26.3 in) in the wettest months.
| Climate data for Poonch | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 19 (66) |
20 (68) |
31 (88) |
32 (90) |
33 (91) |
34.5 (94.1) |
32 (90) |
31 (88) |
28 (82) |
26 (79) |
24 (75) |
21 (70) |
34.5 (94.1) |
| Average high °C (°F) | 11.8 (53.2) |
19.9 (67.8) |
23.6 (74.5) |
25.9 (78.6) |
27.3 (81.1) |
29.6 (85.3) |
31.5 (88.7) |
29.7 (85.5) |
22.6 (72.7) |
21.7 (71.1) |
16.8 (62.2) |
10.1 (50.2) |
30.1 (86.2) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 1.2 (34.2) |
4.7 (40.5) |
13.6 (56.5) |
16.0 (60.8) |
19.4 (66.9) |
24.8 (76.6) |
24.5 (76.1) |
22.0 (71.6) |
18.0 (64.4) |
16.4 (61.5) |
9.6 (49.3) |
1.5 (34.7) |
17.7 (63.9) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −4.9 (23.2) |
−3 (27) |
3 (37) |
6 (43) |
7 (45) |
9 (48) |
12 (54) |
8 (46) |
12 (54) |
4 (39) |
2 (36) |
−4.4 (24.1) |
−4.9 (23.2) |
| Rainfall mm (inches) | 50.0 (1.969) |
46.4 (1.827) |
53.2 (2.094) |
26.3 (1.035) |
16.0 (0.63) |
51.8 (2.039) |
283.4 (11.157) |
344.5 (13.563) |
123.9 (4.878) |
38.1 (1.5) |
11.9 (0.469) |
42.2 (1.661) |
1,087.7 (42.823) |
| Source no. 1: BBC Weather | |||||||||||||
| Source no. 2: IMD | |||||||||||||
[edit] Demographics
As of 2001[update] India census,[9] Poonch had a population of 23,442. Males constitute 56% of the population and females 44%. Poonch has an average literacy rate of 79%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 84%, and female literacy is 72%. In Poonch, 11% of the population is under 6 years of age. Muslims form 87% of the total population,Hindus 6% and Sikhs 7%. About 50% of the total population of the district belong to the ST category which consists primarily of Gujjar and Bakarwaal population.Now poonch is connected with shopian with nearest distance of 180 km.
[edit] History
Poonch has witnessed many historical era. Around 326 BC when Alexander the Great invaded the lower Jhelum belt to fight with Porus, this region was known as Dravabhisar. In 6th Century AD, the famous Chinese traveller Huien Tsang passed through this area. According to his observation, this region was known as Part of Kashmir. Around 850 AD Poonch became a sovereign state ruled by Raja Nar, who was basically a horse trader. According to Rajtrangani Raja Trilochan Pal of Poonch gave a tough fight to Mahmood Ghaznvi who invaded this area in 1020 A.D.
In 1596, the Mughal emperor Jahangir made Raja Siraj-Ud-Din Rathore, the descendant of Rao Jodha and Rao Suraj Singh, new ruler of Poonch. Siraj-Ud-Din and his descendent Raja Shahbaz Khan Rathore, Raja Abdul Razak Rathore, Raja Rustam Rathore and Raja Bahadur Rathore ruled this area up to 1798 AD. In 1819 this area was captured by Maharaja Ranjit Singh and it remained under the occupation of Sikh Empire until 1850.
[edit] See also
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Poonch |
- Poonch District (J&K), a district of Jammu and Kashmir, India
- Poonch District (AJK), a district of Azad Kashmir, Pakistan
- Poonch Airport
[edit] References
- ^ MBH 7.4.5; 7/91/39-40.
- ^ Watters, Yuan Chawang, Vol I, p 284.
- ^ See: Political History of Ancient India, 1996, p 133, 219/220, Dr H. C. Raychaudhury, Dr B. N. Mukerjee.
- ^ A History of India, p 269-71, N. R. Ray, N. K. Sinha.
- ^ Journal of Indian History, P 304, University of Allahabad. Department of Modern Indian History, University of Kerala - 1921; Military History of India, 1980, p 38, Hemendra Chandra Kar - History.
- ^ Bimbisāra to Aśoka: with an appendix on the later Saud, 1977, p 16, Sudhakar Chattopadhyaya - India - 1977.
- ^ Purana Index , 1992, p 79, A. B. L. Awasthi.
- ^ Falling Rain Genomics, Inc - Poonch
- ^ "Census of India 2001: Data from the 2001 Census, including cities, villages and towns (Provisional)". Census Commission of India. Archived from the original on 2004-06-16. http://web.archive.org/web/20040616075334/http://www.censusindia.net/results/town.php?stad=A&state5=999. Retrieved 2008-11-01.
Kallai Poonch
[edit] Further reading
- Hutchinson, J. & J. PH Vogel (1933). History of the Panjab Hill States, Vol. I. 1st edition: Govt. Printing, Pujab, Lahore, 1933. Reprint 2000. Department of Language and Culture, Himachal Pradesh. Chapter XXIII Punch State, pp. 698–724.
