Saraz or Siraj is a hilly region in Jammu and Kashmir, northern India. Historically a ''

pargana Pargana ( bn, পরগনা, , hi, परगना, ur, پرگنہ) or parganah, also spelt pergunnah during the time of the Sultanate period, Mughal times and British Raj, is a former administrative unit of the Indian subcontinent and each ...

'' within the erstwhile state of

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 region currently takes up the northern half of

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, Assar, Bhalla, Gundna, Marmat, Kahara, G ...

and parts of neighbouring Ramban and

districts. Its population in 2011 stood at people. The region is defined mainly on the basis of linguistics where the majority of people speak Sarazi as their mother tongue.

About and Demographics

Saraz is a rural area, located on right bank of

Chenab river The Chenab River () is a major river that flows in India and Pakistan, and is one of the 5 major rivers of the Punjab region. It is formed by the union of two headwaters, Chandra and Bhaga, which rise in the upper Himalayas in the Lahaul regi ...

which includes its district headquarter

. The areas on the left bank of river are geographically located in

Bhaderwah 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, India. It is also known as Chota Kashmir (Mini Kashmir) for its sc ...

area. Saraz is a large area, known for Sarazi dialect spoken here. It includes various villages such as Rajgarh, Ganika, Bhagwah, Dessa, Kashtigarh, Koti, Bhangra, Bijarani,

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 ...

, Kulhand, Malwana, Jodhpur, Babor, Jatheli, Bharat and Udayanpur. The major native language of the region is Sarazi. It is widely used as a

lingua franca A lingua franca (; ; for plurals see ), also known as a bridge language, common language, trade language, auxiliary language, vehicular language, or link language, is a language systematically used to make communication possible between groups ...

alongside Hindi/Urdu, but as a first language it is primarily associated with the Hindus. Most Muslims are speakers of

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 ...

; there are also Muslim communities who speak Sarazi,

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, ...

or Watali, but many of these have been shifting to Kashmiri in recent generation, and even those who preserve their native language still acquire Kashmiri as a second language. A minority of people also know

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 Prade ...

. The languages of administration and education are

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
''

History

In the past, Doda was largely inhabited by Sarazi population before people started settling there from Kashmir and other adjoining areas. The reasons for Kashmiri population settling in Saraz during the 17th and 18th centuries is a matter on which historians disagree. 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

. The northern side of Doda district borders with the erstwhile Anantnag district of the

Kashmir region 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 encompass ...

. People often migrated from Kashmir to Saraz area whenever there were famines in Kashmir.

References

Geography of Jammu and Kashmir Doda district {{JammuKashmir-geo-stub Chenab Valley