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 county, counties, several municipality, municipa ...
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. Mos ...
in the
Indian union territory 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 ...
. The district consists of 18 tehsils viz.
Thathri,
Bhaderwah,
Doda,
Mohalla,
Bhagwa
Saffron is a shade of yellow or orange, the colour of the tip of the saffron crocus thread, from which the spice saffron is derived. The hue of the spice saffron is primarily due to the carotenoid chemical crocin.
Etymology
The word ''sa ...
,
Assar,
Bhalla,
Gundna
Gundna is a village in Doda district of the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. The village is located just 40 kilometres from the district headquarters Doda.
Demographics
According to the 2011 census of India, Gundna has 366 househo ...
,
Marmat,
Kahara,
Gandoh (Bhalessa)
Gandoh is a tehsil in district Doda of the Indian union territory 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 ...
,
Bhella,
Bharth Bagla,
Chiralla
Chiralla is an Indian village and a tehsil in Doda district of Jammu and Kashmir. It was formerly part of Thathri
Thathri is a town and a notified area committee in Doda district in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. Thath ...
,
Chilly Pingal
Chilly Pingal or Chilly Pingle (also Chilli Pingal) is a tehsil of Doda district in the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir Jammu and Kashmir may refer to:
* Kashmir, the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent
* Jammu and K ...
,
Phagsoo and
Kastigarh
Kastigarh (also spelt as Kashtigarh) is a village and tehsil in the Doda district of Jammu and Kashmir Jammu and Kashmir may refer to:
* Kashmir, the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent
* Jammu and Kashmir (union territory) ...
.
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 statistical study of populations, especially human beings.
Demographic analysis examines and measures the dimensions and dynamics of populations; it can cover whole societies or groups defined by criteria such as ed ...
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 ...
. In the past, Doda was largely inhabited by
Sarazi
Sarazi or Sirazi (also spelled Siraji) is an Indo-Aryan language of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It is native to the Saraz region, a hilly area taking up the northern half of Doda district and parts of neighbouring Ramban and Kishtwar districts.
...
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 w ...
between historians.
However
Sumantra Bose says it was repression by feudal class that drew people to the district of Doda,
Ramban and
Kishtwar.
The Doda district consists of areas drawn from the ancient principalities of
Kishtwar and
Bhadarwah, both of which became part of a district by the name of 'Udhampur' in the
princely state of Jammu and Kashmir.
In 1948, the erstwhile Udhampur district was partitioned into the present
Udhampur district, containing the Udhampur and
Ramanagar tehsils, and 'Doda' district containing the
Ramban,
Bhadarwah,
Thathri and
Kishtwar 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. Since 1990s, many such incidents of killings by Terrorist and VDCs have been reported.]
Demographics
According to the 2011 census, Doda district has a 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 ...
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
Year 640 (Roman numerals, DCXL) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 640 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar er ...
).[ 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 de ...
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 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.
Languages
Prominent Scholar Sumantra Bose 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 Barua ...
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 and Siraji are the main ones. Others in the district speak Gojri and Dogri.
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, Thathri, Bhaderwah and Bhalessa (Gandoh). It has eighteen tehsils.
* Thathri
* 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 ...
* Bhalla
* Kahara
* Assar
* Bhella
* Bharth Bagla
* Chirala
* Chilly Pingal
Chilly Pingal or Chilly Pingle (also Chilli Pingal) is a tehsil of Doda district in the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir Jammu and Kashmir may refer to:
* Kashmir, the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent
* Jammu and K ...
* Gandoh (Bhalessa)
Gandoh is a tehsil in district Doda of the Indian union territory 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 ...
* Gundna
Gundna is a village in Doda district of the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. The village is located just 40 kilometres from the district headquarters Doda.
Demographics
According to the 2011 census of India, Gundna has 366 househo ...
* Phagsoo
* Kastigarh
Kastigarh (also spelt as Kashtigarh) is a village and tehsil in the Doda district of Jammu and Kashmir Jammu and Kashmir may refer to:
* Kashmir, the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent
* Jammu and Kashmir (union territory) ...
* Charrote
Villages
* Badroon
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
2006 Doda Massacre refers to the massacre of 35 Hindu civilians by unidentified extremists in the Doda district of Jammu and Kashmir, India on 30 April, 2006.
Attacks
Two separate attacks took place on 30 April 2006 in close-by areas.
In the ...
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
Further reading
*
*
External links
Official website
{{Authority control
Doda district
Districts of Jammu and Kashmir
1948 establishments in India
Chenab Valley