Surankote () is a town in the

Surankote Tehsil Surankote Tehsil is a tehsil of the Poonch district in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. It is headquartered at the Surankote. Administration The Surankote tehsil is headquartered at Surankote. Demographics The total proj ...

of the Poonch district of 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 ...

. It occupies the Surankote valley, located between the

Pir Panjal The Pir Panjal Range (Kashmiri: ) is a group of mountains in the Lesser Himalayan region, running from east-southeast (ESE) to west-northwest (WNW) across the Indian territories of Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir and then Pakistan's ...

and ranges within the

Himalayas The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; ; ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the planet's highest peaks, including the very highest, Mount Everest. Over 100 ...

. It receives snowfall in winters. It is famous for the existence of lakes (9 major and few small) on the Pir Panjal range which are not still connected with the outside world. Although some people visit these lakes by foot for recreation and refreshment.

Geography

Surankote township is located at some 27 kilometres to the south-east of

Poonch Poonch, sometimes also spelt Punchh, may refer to: * Historical Poonch District, a district in the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir in British India, split in 1947 between: ** Poonch district, India ** Poonch Division, in Azad Kashmir, Pakistan, ...

city and 221 kilometres from winter capital

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 ...

. The valley comprises 33 villages. The total projected population of the valley is 124,755 which includes Paharis,

Gujjar Gurjar or Gujjar (also transliterated as ''Gujar, Gurjara and Gujjer'') is an ethnic nomadic, agricultural and pastoral community, spread mainly in India, Pakistan and Afghanistan, divided internally into various clan groups. They were tradit ...

Bakerwal The Bakarwal (also Bakkarwal, Bakharwal, Bakrawala and Bakerwal) are a nomadic ethnic group, who along with Gujjars are listed as Scheduled Tribes in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir since 1991.https://tribal.nic.in/downloads/CLM/CLM_1/1 ...

s and a visible

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 ...

minority. Twenty-four villages are located on the western slopes of the main

Pir Panjal range The Pir Panjal Range (Kashmiri: ) is a group of mountains in the Lesser Himalayan region, running from east-southeast (ESE) to west-northwest (WNW) across the Indian territories of Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir and then Pakistan's ...

while 19 villages are found on the slopes of the Rattan Panchal range. The climatic conditions resemble that 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 ...

. Some high peaks of this valley can be seen from Lahore on a very clear day the highest peak is Tatakuti standing at 15502 ft. With crystal-clear water, the alpine lakes viz. Sukhsar, Neelsar, Bhagsar, Katorasar, Kaldachnisar and Nandansar, fall in this region. The historical waterfalls, Noori chamb falls in Behramgala of this region. In local dialect the passes, alpine lakes and meadows are called gallies, sars and margs or dhoks respectively. Some of the common dhoks in

are Girjan, Panjtari, Isanwali, Nainsukh, Dharamarg, Pirmarg and Sarimastan etc.

Demographics

As of the 2011 census Surankot has a population of 8,892. Males constitute 53% of the population while females form 47% share. The average literacy is 73%. Islam is followed by almost 86% population. Paharis are an agricultural tribe and are estimated to be the largest community living in Surankote.

Tourist attractions

Noori Chamb

Noori Chamb associated with the name of Mughal Queen

Nur Jahan Nur Jahan, born Mehr-un-Nissa P ersian: نورجهان (; – 18 December 1645) was the wife and chief consort of the Mughal emperor Jahangir from 1620 until his death in 1627. Nur Jahan was born Mehr-un-Nissa, as the daughter of a Mirza Ghi ...

is known for its waterfall. It is situated near Behram Galla in Surankote Tehsil about 45 kilometres from Poonch town. The fall of the stream gives rise to dense clouds of water vapours which engulfs the area & spread all over. The 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 ...

had developed so much fancy & liking for this fall that he named it Noori Chamb after the name of his beloved queen

. Mughal queen used to stay here for relaxation. She had got fixed a mirror beside the fall on the mountain wall where she used to have her make-up after the bath. Many locals call Noori Chamb a milky waterfall, due to the white-coloured vapours formed during descending.

Peer Ki Gali

Peer ki Gali is a holy place situated between two villages, Poshana and Heer Pur, along Mughal road. Peer ki Gali is likely to be called the heart of the Mughal road. The name

Peer Ki Gali The Pir Panjal Pass, also called Peer Ki Gali (or ''Peer Gali''), is a mountain pass and a tourist destination located in the Pir Panjal Range in Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), Jammu and Kashmir. It connects the Kashmir Valley to the Rajou ...

has some auspicious relevance as the word 'peer' means a person devoted to religion, as per the Muslim faith. The history of this place dates back to the time of a holy and religiously elevated person named as Alamdar-e-Kashmir, Sheikh Noor-u-Din Noorani (RA) (1378 to 1441).

Transport

Road

Surankote is well-connected by road to other places in Jammu and Kashmir and India by the NH 144A.

Rail

Surankote is not connected with railways. The nearest railway station is

Jammu Tawi railway station Jammu Tawi (station code: JAT) is a railway station in Jammu city in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. Background Jammu Tawi is the largest railway station in Jammu and Kashmir. It is a major railhead for other places in the r ...

located at a distance of 208 kilometres.

Air

The nearest airport is

Jammu Airport Jammu Airport, officially known as Jammu Civil Enclave, is a domestic airport serving Jammu, Jammu and Kashmir, India. It is situated 14 km (8.7 miles) from the India–Pakistan border. Infrastructure Terminal 1 The terminal can only ...

located at a distance of 210 kilometres.

References

Poonch district, India Tehsils of India Tourist attractions in Poonch district {{JammuKashmir-geo-stub