Doda is a

district A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...

in the eastern part of

Jammu Division The Jammu division (; ) is a revenue and administrative division within Jammu and Kashmir, a union territory of India. It consists of the districts of Jammu, Doda, Kathua, Ramban, Reasi, Kishtwar, Poonch, Rajouri, Udhampur and Samba. Most o ...

in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. The district consists of 18 tehsils viz.

Thathri Thathri is a town and a notified area committee in Doda district in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. Thathri valley is located in the foothills of the Himalayan mountains, about 85 km from Batote. Apart from having ample ...

, Bhaderwah, Doda,

Mohalla is an Arabic word variously translated as district, quarter, ward, or "neighborhood" in many parts of the Arab world, the Balkans, Western Asia, the Indian subcontinent, and nearby nations. History Historically, mahallas were autonomous social ins ...

, Bhagwa,

Assar Assar is a tehsil and Subdivision (India), sub division in the Doda district of Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), Jammu and Kashmir In 2022, Assar became the part of Doda West Assembly constituency. References

{{reflist Villages in Doda ...

, Bhalla, Gundna, Marmat, Kahara, Gandoh (Bhalessa),

Bhella Bhella is a tehsil in the Doda district of Jammu and Kashmir. It was previously part of the Thathri Thathri is a town and a notified area committee in Doda district in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. Thathri valley is loc ...

, Bharth Bagla, Chiralla, Chilly Pingal,

Phagsoo Phagsoo (also Fagsu) is a village and tehsil in the Doda district of the Jammu division of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It was previously part of the Thathri tehsil. Geography Phagsoo's boundaries are a dense forest in the north, two streams (Nal ...

and Kastigarh. The climate of the area is not uniform due to wide variations in altitude from place to place. The area, in general, enjoys temperate to sub-tropical type of climate. The climate of the district is almost dry. The rainfall is scanty. The temperature of the district varies from place to place. Ramban and Doda tehsils are fairly warmer while the regions like Dessa Valley tehsil Bhagwah, Gundna, Padder, Marwah and Warwan remain snow bound for five-six months of the year. Summer is generally without rain and precipitation. Almost all the regions experiences snowfall in the winter. The precipitation occurs either in the form of snowfall in higher regions and as rainfall in the lower regions. Monsoons prevail from July to September. Rainfall in the Doda district is heavy during July and September. The average annual rainfall is 926 mm and snowfall of about 135 mm.

History

The

demography Demography () is the statistics, statistical study of populations, especially human beings. Demographic analysis examines and measures the dimensions and Population dynamics, dynamics of populations; it can cover whole societies or groups ...

of district Doda is complex as compared to its neighbouring districts primarily because of the wide diversity in its

population Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction using a ...

. In the past, Doda was largely inhabited by Sarazi population before people started settling here from Kashmir and other adjoining areas. It got name Doda due to Opium plant which is known as Doddi in local language. The reasons for kashmiri population settling here in the past in 17th and 18th century is matter of

ambiguity Ambiguity is the type of meaning in which a phrase, statement or resolution is not explicitly defined, making several interpretations plausible. A common aspect of ambiguity is uncertainty. It is thus an attribute of any idea or statement ...

between historians. However

Sumantra Bose Sumantra Bose is an Indian political scientist and professor of international and comparative politics at the London School of Economics. He specialises in the study of ethnic and national conflicts and their management, with a particular focus on ...

says it was repression by feudal class that drew people to the district of Doda, Ramban and

Kishtwar Kishtwar is a town, municipality and administrative headquarter of the Kishtwar District in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. The district was carved out of the Doda district in 2007. It is located in the Jammu division. T ...

. The Doda district consists of areas drawn from the ancient principalities of

and

Bhadarwah Bhaderwah or Bhadarwah (also ''Bhaderwah Valley'') is a town, tehsil, sub-division and also additional district in the Doda district of the Jammu Division of Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), Jammu and Kashmir, India. It is also known as Cho ...

, both of which became part of a district by the name of 'Udhampur' in the

princely state of Jammu and Kashmir Jammu and Kashmir, officially known as the Princely State of Kashmir and Jammu, was a princely state during the Company rule in India from 1757 to 1858 as well as the British Raj in India from 1846 to 1952. The princely state was created afte ...

. In 1948, the erstwhile Udhampur district was partitioned into the present

Udhampur district Udhampur is a district in the Indian Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. Covering an area of in the Himalayan mountains, the district has its headquarters in the town of Udhampur. The Northern Command headquarters of the Indian Army is lo ...

, containing the Udhampur and Ramanagar tehsils, and 'Doda' district containing the Ramban,

and

tehsils. In 2006, Ramban was made into an independent district and the hilly area to the east of the present Doda district was separated as the Kishtwar district. The remaining areas include the Doda tehsil carved out of Kishtwar and the original Bhadarwah, now divided into three tehsils. In 1990s, various incidents were reported about the suppression of Hindus by the Militant organizations. In response to the rising terrorism, the government authorities made Village Defense Committee (VDC) in various villages. However some reports of VDC members indulging in criminal activities have also reported in the past. In a village called Karada, four Muslims were allegedly killed by VDC members. This incident also triggered the Terrorist organisations to target those who supported the VDCs, believing them to be

anti-Muslim Islamophobia is the fear of, hatred of, or prejudice against the religion of Islam or Muslims in general, especially when seen as a geopolitical force or a source of terrorism. The scope and precise definition of the term ''Islamophobia'' ...

. Since 1990s, many such incidents of killings by Terrorist and VDCs have been reported.

Demographics

According to the 2011 census, Doda district has a

of 409,936, roughly equal to the nation of

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

. This gives it a ranking of 556th in India (out of a total of 640). The district has a population density of . Its

population growth rate Population growth is the increase in the number of people in a population or dispersed group. Actual global human population growth amounts to around 83 million annually, or 1.1% per year. The global population has grown from 1 billion in 1800 to ...

over the decade 2001–2011 was 27.89%. Doda has a

sex ratio The sex ratio (or gender ratio) is usually defined as the ratio of males to females in a population. As explained by Fisher's principle, for evolutionary reasons this is typically about 1:1 in species which reproduce sexually. Many species devia ...

of 922

females Female (symbol: ♀) is the sex of an organism that produces the large non-motile ova (egg cells), the type of gamete (sex cell) that fuses with the male gamete during sexual reproduction. A female has larger gametes than a male. Females a ...

for every 1000 males (this varies with religion), and a

literacy rate Literacy in its broadest sense describes "particular ways of thinking about and doing reading and writing" with the purpose of understanding or expressing thoughts or ideas in written form in some specific context of use. In other words, huma ...

of 65.97%.

Religion

The district has a Muslim majority 53.82%, with Hindus constituting 45.77% of the population and the remainder consisting of Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists and Jains. Doda's society is a mixture of all religions with Hindus and Muslims being two major communities. The population ratio between the Muslims and the Hindus as per the census report of 2011 is around 55:45. Muslims of the region are mostly ethnic Kashmiris and are culturally and linguistically connected to the people of

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 ...

Languages

Prominent Scholar

states that the plurality of population of Doda speaks

Kashmiri Kashmiri may refer to: * People or things related to the Kashmir Valley or the broader region of Kashmir * Kashmiris, an ethnic group native to the Kashmir Valley * Kashmiri language, their language People with the name * Kashmiri Saikia Baruah ...

as their mother language. A study conducted in 2014 identified 40% of the population as Kashmiri-speaking. The Pahadi languages are spoken by the second largest group:

Bhadarwahi Bhadarwahi is an Indo-Aryan language of the Western Pahari group spoken in the Bhaderwah region of Jammu and Kashmir, India. The name Bhadarwahi can be understood either in a narrow sense as referring to the dialect, locally known as Bhiḍl ...

and Siraji are the main ones. Others in the district speak

Gojri Gojri (, ), also known as Gujari, Gujri, Gojari, or Gojri, is a variety of Rajasthani spoken by the Gurjars and other tribes of India, Pakistan and Afghanistan. In India, the language is mainly spoken in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, ...

and

Dogri Dogri ( Name Dogra Akkhar: ; Devanagari: डोगरी; Nastaliq: ; ) is an Indo-Aryan language primarily spoken in the Jammu region of Jammu and Kashmir, India, with smaller groups of speakers in adjoining regions of western Himachal Prad ...

. Doda's population comprises different communities who live together peacefully despite following different religions and speak different languages. Most of the people of the region are well-versed with all the languages spoken in the area.

Administration

Administratively, the district has 406 villages. Doda District has been divided into three subdivisions viz., Doda,

, Bhaderwah and Bhalessa (Gandoh). It has eighteen tehsils. *

* Bhaderwah * Doda * Marmat * Bhagwah *

Mahalla is an Arabic word variously translated as district, quarter, ward, or "neighborhood" in many parts of the Arab world, the Balkans, Western Asia, the Indian subcontinent, and nearby nations. History Historically, mahallas were autonomous social ins ...

* Bhalla * Kahara *

{{reflist Villages in Doda ...

* Bharth Bagla *

Chirala Chirala (), (, Telugu) a city in Bapatla district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is a municipality and the headquarters of Chirala mandal in Chirala revenue division. , it had a population of above 170,000. Chirala is the most popu ...

* Chilly Pingal * Gandoh (Bhalessa) * Gundna *

* Kastigarh * Charrote

Villages

Badroon Badroon is a village in the Doda district Doda is a district in the eastern part of Jammu Division in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. The district consists of 18 tehsils viz. Thathri, Bhaderwah, Doda, Mohalla, Bhagwa, ...

Politics

Doda District has now three assembly constituencies: Bhaderwah , Doda , and Doda West.

Terrorism

Doda had a history of terrorism with one of the highest concentration of militants in Jammu and Kashmir. According to local authorities, about 200 militants were active in the district in early 2000s. 28 April, 2007 Three LeT militants were killed during an encounter with troops of Rashtriya Rifles and police at village Panjan in Dessa area of Doda district. One of the militants was identified as Mubarak Ali of Dessa. Another unidentified militant is believed to be a Pakistani national. Militants targeted the Hindu community while Muslim villagers were also targeted by militants as well as some anti-social outfits mostly who misused the VDCs. A report said that of the 489 civilians killed in the region till 2005. There have been a number of killings of innocent civilians by militants and some anti-social outfits including: *In August 1998, four Muslims were allegedly killed by VDC members in Karada village. * On June 19, 1998, 25 Hindus were brutally massacred by militants in Chapnari village of Doda district. *On 25 October 1998, four Muslim civilians shot dead allegedly by Indian troops in Doda, according to Police and local residents. * On 3 August 2001, 17 Hindu Civilians brutally massacred by Militants in ladder village. * The 2006 Doda massacre where 35 Hindu civilians killed on 30 April 2006. * Massacre of 19 Hindu villagers in Thawa village on 15 May 2006. * On 15 May 2019, Nayeem Ahmad Shah was killed by cow vigilantes in Bhaderwah, while he was not carrying any animal during attack. Eight Hindus were arrested in this case.

References

External links

Official website
{{Authority control Doda district Districts of Jammu and Kashmir 1948 establishments in India Chenab Valley