Poonch (or Punch), (called ''Prunts'' in the

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 ...

, Gojri & Pahari languages) is a town and the administrative headquarters of the Poonch district, in the Jammu division 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 ...

, India. It is located near the

Line of Control The Line of Control (LoC) is a military control line between the Indian and Pakistanicontrolled parts of the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir—a line which does not constitute a legally recognized international boundary, but serve ...

– the ''de facto'' border with Pakistan administered

History

Based on the

Mahābhārata The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; sa, महाभारतम्, ', ) is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India in Hinduism, the other being the ''Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the struggle between two groups of cousins in the Kuruk ...

evidence, and the evidence from the 7th-century

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of va ...

traveller Xuanzang, the districts of Poonch along with Rajauri and Abhisara were under the sway of the Republican Kambojas during

epic Epic commonly refers to: * Epic poetry, a long narrative poem celebrating heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation * Epic film, a genre of film with heroic elements Epic or EPIC may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and medi ...

times. Poonch has witnessed many historical eras. Around 326 BC when Alexander the Great invaded the lower Jhelum belt to fight with Porus, this region was known as Dravabhisar. In the 6th Century AD, the famous Chinese traveller Huien Tsang passed through this area. According to his observation, this region was known as part 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 ...

also known as mini Kashmir. Around 850 AD Poonch became a sovereign state ruled by Raja Nar, who was basically a horse trader. According to Rajatarangani, Raja Trilochanapala of the Poonch area gave a tough fight to

Mahmood Ghaznvi Yamīn-ud-Dawla Abul-Qāṣim Maḥmūd ibn Sebüktegīn ( fa, ; 2 November 971 – 30 April 1030), usually known as Mahmud of Ghazni or Mahmud Ghaznavi ( fa, ), was the founder of the Turkic Ghaznavid dynasty, ruling from 998 to 1030. At th ...

, who invaded this area in 1020 A.D. In 1596, the

Mughal Mughal or Moghul may refer to: Related to the Mughal Empire * Mughal Empire of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries * Mughal dynasty * Mughal emperors * Mughal people, a social group of Central and South Asia * Mughal architecture * Mug ...

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 ...

made Raja Siraj-Ud-Din Rathore, the descendant of Rao Jodha and Rao Suraj Singh, the new ruler of Poonch. Siraj-Ud-Din and his descendants Raja Shahbaz Khan Rathore, Raja Abdul Razak Rathore, Raja Rustam Rathore and Raja Bahadur Rathore ruled this area up to 1798 AD. From 1819 to 1846, Poonch was a part of the Sikh Empire of Maharaja

Ranjit Singh Ranjit Singh (13 November 1780 – 27 June 1839), popularly known as Sher-e-Punjab or "Lion of Punjab", was the first Maharaja of the Sikh Empire, which ruled the northwest Indian subcontinent in the early half of the 19th century. He s ...

. Ranjit Singh granted it 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 ...

to Raja Dhian Singh, one of his nobles and a brother of Raja Gulab Singh of Jammu. In 1846 Poonch was part of the territories transferred to Gulab Singh, who became the Maharaja of

under the suzerainty of the British Raj. However, Poonch remained a jagir under the descendants of Dhian Singh. In the 1930s, on the recommendation of the

Glancy Commission Glancy is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Adam Scott Glancy, game designer * Bertrand Glancy (1882–1953), Irish-born British colonial administrator * Christopher Glancy (born 1960), Catholic bishop in Belize * Daniel Glancy ...

, a 75-member Legislative Assembly had come into existence under the name of

Praja Sabha The Sree Moolam Popular Assembly in the erstwhile state of Travancore was the first popularly elected legislature in the history of India. Its predecessor legislative council was formed in Travancore in 1888 with eight appointed members. Sri Mu ...

. Two seats were allotted to the Poonch principality. In the 1940s, Maharaja Hari Singh started integrating it with Jammu and Kashmir, as a ''de facto'' district. In 1947, after the

Partition of India The Partition of British India in 1947 was the Partition (politics), change of political borders and the division of other assets that accompanied the dissolution of the British Raj in South Asia and the creation of two independent dominions: ...

, a

rebellion Rebellion, uprising, or insurrection is a refusal of obedience or order. It refers to the open resistance against the orders of an established authority. A rebellion originates from a sentiment of indignation and disapproval of a situation and ...

started in the western part of the Poonch district (in the

Bagh Bagh ( fa, باغ, link=no, meaning "garden") may refer to: Places India * Bagh Caves in Madhya Pradesh, India * Bagh, Dhar, a town in Madhya Pradesh, India Iran * Bagh, Ardabil, a village in Ardabil Province * Bagh, Larestan, a village ...

and Sudhanoti tehsils) against the Maharaja's rule and demanding accession to the newly-independent Pakistan. The rebels were armed and supported by Pakistan and they evicted the State Forces, who became ensconced in their garrison at the Poonch town. The town remained besieged for almost a year, until it was relieved by the Indian Army on 20 November 1948. The western part of the district remained under the control of the rebels, who joined Pakistan as the state of

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

between the two parts of the district runs to the west of the Poonch town.

Geography

The town is at elevation of , on the bank of the

Poonch River The Poonch River (also known as Punch River, Punch Tohi, Tohi of Punch) is a tributary of the Jhelum River that flows through Jammu and Kashmir in India, and Azad Jammu and Kashmir in Pakistan. Name According to Georg Bühler, the ancient fo ...

at its point of confluence with the Betar Nala. The Poonch river originates in the Pir Panjal range and flows west till the town of Poonch, after which it turns southwest. The Betar Nala originates northeast of the Poonch town, in the Pakistan-administered portion of the former district.

Climate

Poonch has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa), much cooler than what is found in much of the rest of India, due to its moderately high elevation and northerly position. Winters are cool, with daytime a January average of 2.5 °C (36.5 °F), and temperatures below freezing at night. Summers are short and usually pleasant. The summer temperature generally does not rise above 31 °C. Winters are cool and characterized by rainfall due to western disturbances. Snowfall is quite common during the months of January and February. The Pir Panjal range of mountains separates the Poonch Valley from 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 ...

. With the completion of the

Mughal Road Mughal Road is the road between Bufliaz, a town in the Poonch district, to the Shopian district, in the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, India. The 84-kilometre roadhttp://www.greaterkashmir.com/full_story.asp?Date=6_12_2008&ItemID=35& ...

in 2010, via the Pir Panjal Pass, there is now a direct road link between the two areas.

Demographics

India census, Poonch had a population of 26,854, of which 16,063 were male (60%), and 10,791 were female (40%).
Poonch has an average literacy rate of 79%: male literacy is 84%, and female literacy is 77%. In Poonch, 13% of the population is under 6 years of age. Hinduism is the largest religion in the Poonch town, followed by over 44% of people. Islam is the second-largest religion with 33.49% adherents. Christianity and Sikhism form 1.28% and 20.79% of the population respectively.

Transportation

Road

A bus across the

LoC LOC, L.O.C., Loc, LoC, or locs may refer to: Places * Lóc, a village in Sângeorgiu de Pădure, Mureș County, Romania * Lócs, a village in Vas county, Hungary * Line of Contact, meeting place of Western and Eastern Allied forces at the e ...

, the Poonch-

Rawalakot Rawalakot ( ur, ) is the capital of Poonch district in Azad Kashmir, Pakistan. It is located in the Pir Panjal Range. History Along with Pallandri, Rawalakot was the focal point of the 1955 Poonch uprising. It was led by the local Sudhans ...

bus, has helped to re-establish ties across the border. The NH 144A starts from Jammu and ends at Poonch, thus connecting Poonch to the rest of Jammu Division and India beyond. The

via the Pir Panjal Pass connects Poonch to the

Rail

There is no rail connectivity to Poonch yet. Jammu–Poonch Railway Line is a proposed railway line from Jammu Tawi station via the Historic City of Akhnoor to Poonch. The nearest major railway station to Poonch is Jammu Tawi railway station, located at a distance of 236 kilometres and is a 6 hr drive. The nearest railway stations are Bijbehara railway station and

Anantnag railway station Anantnag railway station is a railway station on the Northern railway network. It is the headquarters of Anantnag division of Northern Railway zone. It lies in Firozpur division. History The station has been built as part of the Jammu–Bara ...

, both located at a distance of 152 kilometres from Poonch Town.

Air

Poonch Airport Poonch Airport (also known as ''Poonch Airstrip'') is an airport located in the Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir, India. Though no scheduled flights operate from Poonch, in 2005, then Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Ghulam Nabi Azad m ...

is a small airstrip which was constructed during Indo-Pakistani War of 1947. The airport is currently non-operational. The nearest airport is Srinagar International Airport located at a distance of 177 kilometres and is a 5.5 hr drive.