Bhimber ( ur, ) is the capital of
Bhimber District, in the
Azad Kashmir. The town is on the border between Jammu region and Punjab in Pakistan proper about by road southeast of
Mirpur.
History
Bhimber was the capital of the
Chibhal
Chibhal was a princely state founded by a cadet branch of the Katoch Rajputs of Kangra in 1400.
History
Chibhal's first ruler was Raja Partab chand Katoch, who was the youngest son of Raja Megh chand Katoch of Kangra. Chibhal was also known to ...
dynasty, which lasted from 1400 to 1856.
Bhimber lies on the route that was followed by the
Mughal Emperors
The Mughal emperors ( fa, , Pādishāhān) were the supreme heads of state of the Mughal Empire on the Indian subcontinent, mainly corresponding to the modern countries of India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. The Mughal rulers styled ...
for their frequent visits to the
Kashmir Valley. It is also known as "Baab-e-Kashmir" (Door to Kashmir) because of its importance and geographical location, which was ideal for the Mughal Emperors to use to enter
Kashmir. Therefore, the Mughals used Bhimber as a staging point for their journey to
Srinagar. The Mughal Emperor
Jahangir discussed Bhimber in his book ''
Tuzk-e-Jahangiri
''Tuzuk-e-Jahangiri'' or ''Tuzuk-i-Jahangiri'' ( fa, ) or Jahangir-nama ( fa, ) is the autobiography of Mughal Emperor Jahangir (1569–1627). Also referred to as ''Jahangirnama'', the ''Tuzk-e-Jahangiri'' is written in Persian, and follows th ...
''.
Modern history
In the 19th century, Chibhal came under the Maharaja Gulab Singh. Around 1822, along with
Poonch, it was granted as a
jagir (feudal land grant) to Raja
Dhian Singh
Raja Dhian Singh (22 August 1796 – 15 September 1843) was the longest serving wazir of the Sikh Empire, during the reign of Maharajah Ranjit Singh, and four of his successors. He held the office for twenty five years, from 1818 up till his deat ...
of the
Dogra dynasty
The Dogra dynasty of Dogra Rajputs from the Shiwalik Himalayas created Jammu and Kashmir when all dynastic kingdoms in India were being absorbed by the East India Company. Events led the Sikh Empire to recognise Jammu as a vassal state in 1820 ...
,
Gulab Singh
Gulab Singh Jamwal (1792–1857) was the founder of Dogra dynasty and the first Maharaja of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir, the largest princely state under the British Raj, which was created after the defeat of the Sikh Empire in ...
's brother. After the death of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the Sikh court fell into disunity, and Dhian Singh was murdered in court intrigue. Subsequently, the princely state of
Jammu and Kashmir was formed under the
suzerainty of the
British Empire
The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts e ...
, and these territories were transferred to Jammu and Kashmir. The jagir given to Dhian Singh was respected, however, and Dhian Singh's sons Moti Singh and Jawahir Singh were retained as their Rajas.
In 1852, the brothers Jawahir and Moti Singh quarrelled, and the Punjab Board of Revenue awarded a settlement. Moti Singh was awarded the
Poonch district, and Jawahir Singh was awarded
Bhimber, Mirpur and Kotli. In 1859, Jawahir Singh was accused of 'treacherous conspiracy' by Maharaja
Ranbir Singh (r. 1857–1885), who succeeded Gulab Singh. The British agreed with the assessment and forced Jawahir Singh to exile in
Ambala
Ambala () is a city and a municipal corporation in Ambala district in the state of Haryana, India, located on the border with the Indian state of Punjab and in proximity to both states capital Chandigarh. Politically, Ambala has two sub-are ...
. Ranbir Singh paid Jawahir Singh an annual stipend of Rs. 100,000 until his death, and appropriated his territory afterwards because Jawahir Singh had no heirs.
The appropriated territory was organised as the Bhimber district (''wazarat'') in 1860. In the decade preceding 1911, the district headquarters was shifted to
Mirpur and it came to be called the Mirpur district.
Bhimber remained a
tehsil
A tehsil (, also known as tahsil, taluka, or taluk) is a local unit of administrative division in some countries of South Asia. It is a subdistrict of the area within a district including the designated populated place that serves as its administ ...
headquarters until 1947. It had a
Hindu
Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
majority population, mostly consisting of
Mahajan Mahajan is an Indian surname.This is title for Vaishya Comunitiy. It signifies the profession of a moneylender or merchants,bankers and administrators.
In the caste system, Mahajan is a trader who belongs to the Vaishya varna and the last name ma ...
s.
Geography and climate
Bhimber is a valley. Its hot, subhumid climate and other geographical conditions closely resemble those of
Gujrat, the adjoining district in Punjab.
The climate in Bhimber is classified as warm and temperate. Summers have a good deal of rainfall; winters have much less. This location is classified as ''Cwa'' by
Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer
* Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan
* Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...
. The average annual temperature is with a yearly average rainfall of . July and August are the wettest months. Temperatures are highest in June.
Notable people
*
Manzoor Mirza, economist
*
Ghulam Rasul Raja, Pakistan Army officer
References
Bibliography
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{{Tehsils of Azad Kashmir
Populated places in Bhimber District
Tehsils of Bhimber District