Kokernag is a sub-district town and a

notified area committee A nagar panchayat (town panchayat; ) or Notified Area Council (NAC) in India is a settlement in transition from rural to urban and therefore a form of an urban political unit comparable to a municipality. An urban centre with more than 12,000 ...

in Breng Valley (The Golden Crown of Kashmir),

Anantnag district Anantnag district is a district in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. It is one of ten districts which make up the Kashmir Valley. The district headquarters is Anantnag city. As of 2011, it was the third most populous district ...

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. The place is known for the botanical gardens, pristine freshwater springs, and rainbow trout farm. It is 25.3 km from Anantnag via NH244. It is one of the most popular weekend getaways from the state capital of Srinagar.

Etymology

The etymology of the word 'Kokernag'(کوکرناگ in Urdu language) is controversial and there are various theories, none of which has any conclusive historical proof. One theory is that the name derives from the two words ''koker'' and ''nag''. ''Koker'' has been taken from a Kashmiri word for chicken, while ''nag'' has been taken from a

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

word for springs. The springs gush out of the base of a thickly wooded hill from where it divides into channels, which resembles the claw-foot of a hen, hence the name. A second theory is that Koker means 'fowl' and nag means 'serpent'. Yet another theory is that the word Kokernag originates from Koh (Mountain) kan (from or under) nag (spring). Kokernag is known also as Breng Kokernag, the name given by poet and scholar Shiekh ul Alam. He said "kokernag breng chu sunsund preng" which means that "Kokernag is crown of gold". Kokernag is also mentioned in Ain Akbari, wherein it has been mentioned that the water of Kokernag satisfies both hunger and thirst and it is also a remedy for indigestion.

Geography

Kokernag is at an altitude of approximately 2,000 m above sea level. Towns situated around Kokernag are Wangam, Devalgam, Hangalgund, Nagam, Sagam, Zalengam, Magam, and Soaf Shali. The total area of the Kokernag trout farm is about 400 kanals, of which 129 kanals is for the purpose of gardens and area.

Climate

Economy

It is known for its trout streams and the largest fresh water spring in Kashmir. The trout hatchery department has constructed pools in series in which trout is reared. The Trout Fish Farming Project Kokernag through European Economic Community Assistance was established in 1984 and serves as the mother unit for production of quality Rainbow Trout and Brown Trout. Under the extension program of this project, 59 trout rearing units/hatcheries have been established in almost all the districts of the state, including Leh and

Kargil Kargil ( lbj, ) is a city and a joint capital of the union territory of Ladakh, India. It is also the headquarters of the Kargil district. It is the second-largest city in Ladakh after Leh. Kargil is located to the east of Srinagar in Jam ...

. More new trout rearing units are also coming up. The trout is made readily available to the common man at all the rearing units of the department, including a special sale outlet at Gagribal. The state's first rural mart has been set up in Kokernag to promote and market the handicraft products manufactured by the local women self help groups, by

NABARD National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) is an apex regulatory body for overall regulation of regional rural banks and apex cooperative banks in India. It is under the jurisdiction of Ministry of Finance, Government of India ...

Demographics

According to the 2011 India

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

, Kokernag had a population of 6,553. Males constitute 68% of the population and females constitute 32% of the population. Kokernag has an average literacy rate of 63%, higher than the national average of 59.5%. Male literacy is 77%, female literacy is 33%. In Kokernag, 9% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Transportation

Road

Kokernag is situated at a distance of about 25 km from

Anantnag Anantnag (/ə'nʌntna:g/ or /-nɑːg/ ), also called Islamabad, is the administrative headquarters of the Anantnag district in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. It is located at a distance of 53 kilometres (33 miles) from the u ...

on the right side of NH 244. The easiest and most comfortable means of transportation is to hire a Sumo at Anantnag. One can also catch a local bus that is easily available in Anantnag and head towards Kokernag. It takes about one hour to reach Kokernag.

Rail

The nearest railway station is

railway station on the 119 km long Kashmir Railway that runs from Baramulla to Banihal. It lies at a distance of 30 km from Kokernag.

Air

The nearest airport is

Srinagar International Airport Sheikh ul-Alam International Airport also known as Srinagar Airport and Budgam Airbase, is an international airport serving Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It is owned by the Indian Air Force, and the Airports Autho ...

, located 85 kilometres from Kokernag.

References

External links

* {{Kashmir Valley Ancient Indian cities Cities and towns in Anantnag district Anantnag district