Pogal Paristan is a valley in the mountains 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

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

n 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 ...

. Since 2014 its area has constituted a separate

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 administr ...

within

Ramban district Ramban district is a district in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, located in the lap of the Pir Panjal range. It was carved out as a separate district from erstwhile Doda district in 2007. It is located in the Jammu division. Th ...

. The valley is situated about 35 kilometers far from District Headquarter Ramban and 23 kilometers from Sub-District

Banihal Banihal () is a town and a notified area committee, near Ramban town in Ramban district in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. It is a rural and hilly area with Kamirwah being one of the most prominent hills. It is located about ...

. It is situated in Ramban District in Chenab Valley which is located 150 Kilometers from

Jammu Jammu is the winter capital of the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), Jammu and Kashmir. It is the headquarters and the largest city in Jammu district of the union territory. Lying on the banks of the river Tawi Ri ...

making it almost the central point on the national highway (NH-44).

Etymology

The name Pogal Paristan is derived from the names of two valleys, the Pogal and Paristan Valleys. The name

Paristan In Persian cosmology, Paristan, Peristan or Pariestan ( fa, پریستان ''Pariyestân'', ''Peristân'', "Land of the Peris"; also Koh-i-Qaf or Qafkuh) is the home of peris. Muslim folklore Although originating in pre-Islamic Persian lite ...

is derived from Muslim folklore. It means land of the fairies . Pogal is derived from two words 'pooh' (

Pausha Pausha ( sa, पौष ; hi, पूस ; ta, தை ), also called Paush, Poush, Pausa or Pushya, is the tenth month of the Hindu calendar, corresponding with December/January of the Gregorian calendar. In the Indian national calendar, Pausha ...

) a month in the

Hindu calendar The Hindu calendar, Panchanga () or Panjika is one of various lunisolar calendars that are traditionally used in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, with further regional variations for social and Hindu religious purposes. They adopt a s ...

and 'Gul' means flower. A local flora called 'Chhraund' (ژریونڈ) blooms here in the month of 'pooh', a Kashmiri calendar season which usually comes in December.

Geography

The Pogal Valley lies on the southeast end of Tehsil Banihal, and a stream known as 'Sundari'or pogal stream, The two rivers of pogal and paristan meet and forms a river called as 'Madhumati' runs through it. The Paristan Valley is a narrow valley situated at the southeast end of Tehsil Banihal that runs roughly east to west. Its south side is a forest-covered mountain range of considerable elevation, while the north is a range of mostly bare and stony hills. The path from

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 ...

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 ...

, by the Nandmarg pass, crosses the Paristan Valley; it is used early in the season before the Brari Bal route becomes usable. A village in the valley named Paristan, which is a part of the Banihal area, lies along this path. It Paristan is located on a spur above the west side of the village of Halan. The valley contains large villages but does contain numerous hamlets and a considerable amount of agricultural cultivation. In 2014, Pogal Paristan Tehsil was carved out of Banihal Tehsil. The valley comprises a Block Development Constituency (BDC) current bdc 2022 (KARLEEP SINGH BALI), two District Development Constituencies, and nineteen Panchayats. There are ten revenue villages in the tehsil; Pogal, Panchal, Alinbass, Muthlal, Hochak, Paristan, Senabathi, Bingara, Nardyal, Dhanmasta, and Yamuna.

Economy

Inhabitants in Pogal Paristan are mostly agricultural, and grow crops such as

Maize Maize ( ; ''Zea mays'' subsp. ''mays'', from es, maíz after tnq, mahiz), also known as corn (North American and Australian English), is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago. Th ...

Potato The potato is a starchy food, a tuber of the plant ''Solanum tuberosum'' and is a root vegetable native to the Americas. The plant is a perennial in the nightshade family Solanaceae. Wild potato species can be found from the southern Unit ...

es, and Pluses (Rajma). The place has several scenic and valiant niches, i.e. Chapnagla, Pasthati etc. Some most famous tourist spot include Sunaseri, Sarwadhar, Hinjni , Dhoobdanda' Tookra' Hamargali, Kakargali, Googli Dhar, Beranbass in Paristan area and Sargali, Rohan Top, Taparwan, Hansraj top in Pogal area. but the only thing that requires the most is better road connectivity. If it gets through then it will create ample resources for the natives to boost the economic constraints. If this region is promoted under rural tourism, it has the potential to attract a huge footfall of tourists and has the potential of generating local employment to uplift the socio-economic conditions of the natives. Promotion of rural tourism by exposing the tourists to local traditions, handicrafts, architecture, folk dance, folk music etc. can attract a large footfall of from outside. The charming beauty of these scenic spots, along with the simple and healthy lifestyle of local people living in a pure and pollution-free environment in the lap of nature can provide a much-needed respite to the tourist, especially those who live in over congested and polluted cities.

Weather

The climate is described as pleasant in the summer and cold and harsh in the winter.

Streams

The two major streams in Pogal Paristan are the 'Sundari' or 'Pogal Stream' and the Paristan (or Peristan) stream. The Paritsan stream flows west from its headwaters on a mountain at the north-east end of the valley, while the Sundari (Pogal Stream) flows southwest down the southern slopes of the Nandimarg Mountain, until the two unite upstream of the Paristan (Peristan) Stream's junction with the Madhumati River. The banks of the Paristan (Peristan) Stream are mostly high and steep, especially on its north side. It is bridged just west of the Village of Chewly. A ford is located a short distance upstream of the bridge, and its possible that there are more in other parts of the river.

References

{{reflist Ramban district Chenab Valley