Bhimber ( ur, ) is the capital of

Bhimber District The Bhimber District ( ur, ) is the southernmost district of the 10 districts of Pakistan's dependent territory of Azad Kashmir. It has an area of 1516 km², and the district headquarter is the town of Bhimber. History The area is rich in ...

, in the

Azad Kashmir Azad Jammu and Kashmir (; ), abbreviated as AJK and colloquially referred to as simply Azad Kashmir, is a region administered by Pakistan as a nominally self-governing entitySee: * * * and constituting the western portion of the larger Ka ...

. 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 dynasty, which lasted from 1400 to 1856. Bhimber lies on the route that was followed by the Mughal Emperors for their frequent visits to the

Kashmir Valley The Kashmir Valley, also known as the ''Vale of Kashmir'', is an intermontane valley concentrated in the Kashmir Division of the Indian- union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. The valley is bounded on the southwest by the Pir Panjal Range and ...

. 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 Kashmir () is the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term "Kashmir" denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal Range. Today, the term encompas ...

. Therefore, the Mughals used Bhimber as a staging point for their journey to

Srinagar Srinagar (English: , ) is the largest city and the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It lies in the Kashmir Valley on the banks of the Jhelum River, a tributary of the Indus, and Dal and Anchar lakes. The city is known for its natu ...

. The Mughal Emperor

Jahangir Nur-ud-Din Muhammad Salim (30 August 1569 – 28 October 1627), known by his imperial name Jahangir (; ), was the fourth Mughal Emperor, who ruled from 1605 until he died in 1627. He was named after the Indian Sufi saint, Salim Chishti. Ear ...

discussed Bhimber in his book '' Tuzk-e-Jahangiri''.

Modern history

In the 19th century, Chibhal came under the Maharaja Gulab Singh. Around 1822, along with

Poonch Poonch, sometimes also spelt Punchh, may refer to: * Historical Poonch District, a district in the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir in British India, split in 1947 between: ** Poonch district, India ** Poonch Division, in Azad Kashmir, Pakistan, ...

, it was granted as a

jagir A jagir ( fa, , translit=Jāgir), also spelled as jageer, was a type of feudal land grant in the Indian subcontinent at the foundation of its Jagirdar (Zamindar) system. It developed during the Islamic rule era of the Indian subcontinent, start ...

(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 death ...

of the Dogra dynasty, Gulab Singh'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 Jammu and Kashmir may refer to: * Kashmir, the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent * Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), a region administered by India as a union territory * Jammu and Kashmir (state), a region administered ...

was formed under the

suzerainty Suzerainty () is the rights and obligations of a person, state or other polity who controls the foreign policy and relations of a tributary state, while allowing the tributary state to have internal autonomy. While the subordinate party is cal ...

of the British Empire, 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. 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 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 ...

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. 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 Manzoor Hussain Mirza (13 August 1930 – 28 March 2016) was a Pakistani educationist who also was an Additional Secretary of Education, and Professor of Economics. He authored many books on English and economics, as well as writing severa ...

, economist *

Ghulam Rasul Raja Lieutenant Colonel Ghulam Rasul Raja MC was an army officer of the British Indian Army and later of the Pakistan Army who served in the 16th Punjab regiment under the British Raj. He later served Pakistan when the regiment was ceded to the Pakis ...

, Pakistan Army officer

References

Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * * * * {{Tehsils of Azad Kashmir Populated places in Bhimber District Tehsils of Bhimber District