Akhnoor
Akhnoor
Akhnoor | |
|---|---|
city | |
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| Population (2001) | |
| • Total | 10,770 |
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Akhnoor is a town in Jammu district in the state of Jammu & Kashmir, India.
Demographics
As of 2001 India census,[1] Akhnoor had a population of 10,770. Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. Akhnoor has an average literacy rate of 76%, higher than the national average of 59.5%; with 55% of the males and 45% of females literate. 11% of the population is under 6 years of age.
28 km from Jammu, Akhnoor is located on the foot hills of the Himalayas. It is an extremely beautiful town. The army cantonments make it more beautiful with their lovely old houses and clean and green environment. The picturesque town is located on the banks of the river Chenab. The K.V. school located at the banks of the river is another beauty spot. Akhnoor's beauty has been made popular by a few army people spreading the stories of its beauty around the country. One of the admirers of Akhnoor, Abhinav Vats, an artist (ex-School Captain of Kendriya Vidhyalaya 1992- next to the river Chenab) has gone on lengths to describe its beauty to people the nation over and outside the country as well. Akhnoor has to be seen to be believed.
Akhnoor has historical places to visit, such as the caves where the pandavas were believed to have hidden.
The popular story of how 'Virat nagar' got its name converted to Akhnoor is that the Mughal emperor's wife had vision problem in her eyes. She was prescribed to wash her eyes with the holy water of Chenab using some ayurvedic medicines by a local Hindu priest. Her vision was regained and hence the name in Urdu the word 'noor' means vision/glow/shine and the word 'aankh' means the eye, so the vision regained to her eyes and hence Akhnoor.
The places to visit in Akhnoor are Kameshwar Temple which is believed to be 5000 yrs old of Lord Sri Krishna Era, remains of Harappa civilization, Jiapota bank of river chenab, Pandav cave, Durga Mandir at Jiapota presently looked after by Mahant Ramanand Das, Sikh Gurudwara in Chandian, remains of Akhnoor Fort, Peer Baba in Bal-da-Bagh etc.
A very large number of people gather in evening at the banks of river in hot summer to get relief from the heat, as cold breeze flows along the banks. The water temperature is around 25 degree Celsius in summer and many people take a dip or swim. A good number of hawkers with eatables also come to earn their living.
The people of this town had fled during Indo-Pak war in 1965 and 1971 and returned back after ceasefire. The border is around 18 km by road, aerial distance is only around 8 km. The people had also suffered problems when the main bridge over Chenab was washed away on 10 Sep 1992 until it was rebuilt and opened on 13 Apr 1994.
The languages spoken are Dogri followed by Punjabi, Urdu, Hindi and English.