Doda district
Doda district is a district in the eastern part of Jammu Division in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
Doda district | |
|---|---|
View of Doda city | |
Location of Doda district in Jammu and Kashmir | |
| Coordinates (Doda): 33°08′45″N 75°32′52″E / 33.145733°N 75.547817°ECoordinates: 33°08′45″N 75°32′52″E / 33.145733°N 75.547817°E | |
| Country | India |
| Union Territory | Jammu and Kashmir |
| Division | Jammu |
| Region | Chenab Valley |
| Headquarters | Doda |
| Government | |
| • District Magistrate | Vishesh Paul Mahajan (JKAS)[1] |
| • Additional Deputy Commissioner | Dr. Ravi Kumar Bharti (JKAS)[2] |
| • Assistant Commissioner Revenue | Sanjeev Kumar (JKAS)[2] |
| Area | |
| • Total | 2,625 km2 (1,014 sq mi) |
| • Urban | 19.75 km2 (7.63 sq mi) |
| • Rural | 2,605.25 km2 (1,005.89 sq mi) |
| Population (2011)[4] | |
| • Total | 409,936 |
| • Density | 160/km2 (400/sq mi) |
| • Urban | 32,689 |
| • Rural | 377,247 |
| Demographics | |
| • Literacy | 64.68% |
| • Sex ratio | 919 |
| Time zone | UTC+05:30 (IST) |
| Vehicle registration | JK-06 |
| Major highways | NH 244 |
| Website | doda |
Administration
The district consists of 18 tehsils: Thathri, Bhaderwah, Doda, Mohalla, Bhagwa, Assar, Bhalla, Gundna, Marmat, Kahara, Gandoh (Bhalessa), Bhella, Bharat Bagla, Chiralla, Chilly Pingal, Phagsoo and Kastigarh.[5]
Climate
The climate of the area is not uniform due to its wide variations in altitude. The area, in general, enjoys a temperate to sub-tropical climate. The climate of the district is almost dry and rainfall is scanty. The temperature varies from place to place. Ramban and Doda tehsils are warmer, while regions like Dessa Valley, tehsil Bhagwah, Gundna, Padder, Marwah and Warwan remain snow-bound for five-six months of the year. Summer is generally without precipitation. Almost all regions experiences snowfall in the winter, either in the form of snowfall in higher regions or as rainfall in the lower regions. Monsoons prevail from July to September. Rainfall in the Doda district is heavy during July and September. The average annual rainfall is 926 mm and snowfall of about 135 mm.
History
The demography of Doda district is complex compared to neighbouring districts, because of its very diverse population. In the past, Doda was largely inhabited by a Sarazi population before people started settling here from Kashmir and other adjoining areas.[6][7] It got the name Doda due to the opium plant, known as doddi in the local language. Kashmiri populations settled here in the 17th and 18th centuries.[8] Sumantra Bose says repression by feudal classes elsewhere drew people to the districts of Doda, Ramban and Kishtwar.[9][10]
The Doda district consists of areas drawn from the ancient principalities of Kishtwar and Bhadarwah, both of which became part of a district by the name of 'Udhampur' in the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir.[11]
The district of Doda in Jammu and Kashmir has a long history intertwined with legends and stories of various rulers and dynasties. According to records from the State Revenue Department, the district got its name from its headquarters in Doda, which was named after a migrant from Multan, a utensil maker. He was persuaded by one of the ancient rulers of Kishtwar to settle in the area and establish a utensil factory. Over time, the name Deeda was distorted into Doda.[12]
The early history of Doda is not well documented, with few chronicles available about the rulers of Kishtwar. The settlement reports indicate that the area was ruled by various groups including Ranas, Rajas, and independent chiefs from time to time, including the Jaral Ramas, Katoch Rajas, Bhaus Manhases, Chibs, Thakkars, Wanis, and Gakkars. In 1822 AD, Doda was conquered by Maharaja Gulab Singh and became the winter capital of the Kishtwar state.[13]
The Fort of Doda was significant in the district's history and was one of the seventy forts in Jammu province, according to author Thakur Kahan Singh Balowria. The fort served as the office of the Thanedar and provided storage space for armaments and food grains. The fort was also built to protect against potential attacks from the Bhaderwah Rajas. The fort was made of unbaked bricks and had walls that were four feet wide and forty to fifty feet high, with dome-like towers at the corners. The fort was demolished in 1952 and as of 2023, the Government Boys Higher Secondary School occupies its site.[14]
English traveller G.T. Vigne visited Doda in 1829 and described his journey through the district. He mentions traveling through a deep and rocky nullah which joins the Chenab River,[a] and then crossing the river over a dangerous bridge in the Himalayas. Vigne writes about the bridge in Doda, a strong rope stretched from one bank to the other, tied to rocks. A wooden structure was placed over the rope and additional ropes were tied to it, allowing the structure to move back and forth. He also encountered another type of bridge, which was crossed on foot, made of small ropes bound with pieces of bark and woven into a thick rope. Hanging ropes were provided for support.[12][14]
The area that includes the tehsil of Bhaderwah has a long history dating back to the 10th century. In 1846, Doda and Kishtwar became part of the newly created Jammu and Kashmir state after the Amritsar pact between the British government, Lahore Darbar, and Raja Gulab Singh of Jammu. Bhaderwah was once a principality with 15 administrative units and has a recorded history going back to the Rajtarangni of Kalhan. The state of Bhadhrwah was established in the 15th century by a Sicon of the Baloria family of Bilawar. It was later ruled by the Raja of Chamb until Raja Nagpal became the ruler in the 16th century. Bhaderwah was then ruled by Nagpal's descendants until it was captured by the Kishtwar Raja. It became part of Chamba in 1821 and was transferred to Jammu Darbar in 1846. During this time, Bhaderwah was military-administered Label was appointed as the Kardar. The Bhaderwah Jagir was later bestowed upon Raja Amar Singh of Jammu and then to his son, Raja Hari Singh. When Raja Hari Singh became the Maharaja of J&K in 1925, he dissolved his Jagirs and converted Bhaderwah into a tehsil of Udhampur in 1931.[15]
In 1948, the erstwhile Udhampur district was partitioned into the present Udhampur district, containing the Udhampur and Ramanagar tehsils, and 'Doda' district containing the Ramban, Bhadarwah, Thathri and Kishtwar tehsils.[16][9][17]
In 2006, Ramban was made into an independent district and the hilly area to the east of the present Doda district was separated as the Kishtwar district. The remaining areas include the Doda tehsil carved out of Kishtwar and the original Bhadarwah, now divided into three tehsils.[16][18]
In 1990s, various incidents were reported about the suppression of Hindus by the Militant organizations. In response to the rising terrorism, the government authorities made Village Defense Committee (VDC) in various villages. However some reports of VDC members indulging in criminal activities have also reported in the past. In a village called Karada, four Muslims were allegedly killed by VDC members. This incident also triggered the Terrorist organisations to target those who supported the VDCs, believing them to be anti-Muslim. Since 1990s, many such incidents of killings by Terrorist and VDCs have been reported.[19]
Demographics
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1901 | 102,011 | — |
| 1911 | 112,009 | +9.8% |
| 1921 | 117,759 | +5.1% |
| 1931 | 127,477 | +8.3% |
| 1941 | 140,446 | +10.2% |
| 1951 | 147,489 | +5.0% |
| 1961 | 154,532 | +4.8% |
| 1971 | 170,787 | +10.5% |
| 1981 | 224,197 | +31.3% |
| 1991 | 290,727 | +29.7% |
| 2001 | 372,613 | +28.2% |
| 2011 | 476,835 | +28.0% |
| † 1951 and 1991 populations are estimated Source: Census of India[20] | ||
According to the 2011 census, Doda district has a population of 409,936,[22] roughly equal to the nation of Malta.[23] This gives it a ranking of 556th in India (out of a total of 640).[22] The district has a population density of 79 inhabitants per square kilometre (200/sq mi) .[22] Its population growth rate over the decade 2001–2011 was 27.89%.[22]
Doda has a sex ratio of 922 females for every 1000 males[22] (this varies with religion), and a literacy rate of 65.97%.[22]
Religion
The district has a Muslim majority 53.82%, with Hindus constituting 45.77% of the population and the remainder consisting of Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists and Jains.[24]
Doda's society is a mixture of all religions with Hindus and Muslims being two major communities. The population ratio between the Muslims and the Hindus as per the census report of 2011 is around 55:45. Muslims of the region are mostly ethnic Kashmiris and are culturally and linguistically connected to the people of Kashmir.[9][8][25]
| Doda district: religion, gender ratio, and % urban of population, according to the 2011 Census.[4] | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hindu | Muslim | Christian | Sikh | Buddhist | Jain | Other | Not stated | Total | |
| Total | 187,621 | 220,614 | 472 | 422 | 21 | 22 | 42 | 722 | 409,936 |
| 45.77% | 53.82% | 0.12% | 0.10% | 0.01% | 0.01% | 0.01% | 0.18% | 100.00% | |
| Male | 98,252 | 114,372 | 324 | 286 | 9 | 11 | 24 | 363 | 213,641 |
| Female | 89,369 | 106,242 | 148 | 136 | 12 | 11 | 18 | 359 | 196,295 |
| Gender ratio (% female) | 47.6% | 48.2% | 31.4% | 32.2% | 57.1% | 50.0% | 42.9% | 49.7% | 47.9% |
| Sex ratio (no. of females per 1,000 males) | 910 | 929 | – | – | – | – | – | 989 | 919 |
| Urban | 9,786 | 22,668 | 40 | 153 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 28 | 32,689 |
| Rural | 177,835 | 197,946 | 432 | 269 | 21 | 8 | 42 | 694 | 377,247 |
| % Urban | 5.2% | 10.3% | 8.5% | 36.3% | 0.0% | 63.6% | 0.0% | 3.9% | 8.0% |
Languages
Prominent Scholar Sumantra Bose states that the plurality of population of Doda speaks Kashmiri as their mother language.[26][27] A study conducted in 2014 identified 40% of the population as Kashmiri-speaking.[28] The Pahadi languages are spoken by the second largest group: Bhadarwahi and Siraji are the main ones.[29] Others in the district speak Gojri and Dogri.
Doda's population comprises different communities who live together peacefully despite following different religions and speak different languages. Most of the people of the region are well-versed with all the languages spoken in the area.[30][7]
Administration
Administratively, the district has 406 villages. Doda District has been divided into three subdivisions viz., Doda, Thathri, Bhaderwah and Bhalessa (Gandoh). It has eighteen tehsils.[31]
- Bhella
- Bharth Bagla
- Chirala
- Chilly Pingal
- Gandoh (Bhalessa)
- Gundna
- Phagsoo
- Kastigarh
- Charrote
Villages
Politics
Doda district has three assembly constituencies: Bhaderwah, Doda and Doda West.[32][33]
Terrorism
Doda had a history of terrorism, with one of the highest concentration of militants in Jammu and Kashmir. According to local authorities, about 200 militants were active in the district in the early 2000s.[34]
Militants targeted the Hindu and Muslim villagers. Some anti-social outfits mostly misused the VDCs. A report said that the 489 civilians had been killed in the region as of 2005.[35]
There have been a number of killings of innocent civilians by militants and anti-social outfits including:
- On June 19, 1998, 25 Hindus were brutally massacred by militants in Chapnari village of Doda district.[36]
- In August 1998, four Muslims were allegedly killed by VDC members in Karada village.[19]
- On 25 October 1998, four Muslim civilians were shot dead, allegedly by Indian troops in Doda, according to police and local residents.[37]
- On 3 August 2001, 17 Hindu Civilians brutally massacred by Militants in ladder village.[38][39]
- The 2006 Doda massacre in which 35 Hindu civilians were killed on 30 April 2006.[40][41]
- Massacre of 19 Hindu villagers in Thawa village on 15 May 2006.[42]
- On 15 May 2019, Nayeem Ahmad Shah was killed by cow vigilantes in Bhaderwah, while he was not carrying any animal during attack. Eight Hindus were arrested in this case.[43][44][45]
References
- ^ "Deputy commissioner of Doda - Official Website".
- ^ a b "Who's Who in Doda district". Retrieved 13 September 2021.
- ^ District Census Handbook Doda, Part B (PDF). Census of India 2011 (Report). 18 June 2014. pp. 9, 12, 99. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
- ^ a b c d C-1 Population By Religious Community – Jammu & Kashmir (Report). Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
- ^ (PDF). Jammu and Kashmir Revenue Department. Government of Jammu and Kashmir. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 September 2008.
- ^ "Sarazi: Endangered Language of the Chenab Valley".
- ^ a b "Story of Doda misunderstood by Kashmir". Greater Kashmir. 13 March 2015. Retrieved 6 September 2019.
- ^ a b "Mini Kashmir". Kashmir Life. 11 January 2011. Retrieved 6 September 2019.
- ^ a b c Snedden, Christopher (2015), Understanding Kashmir and Kashmiris, Oxford University Press, p. xxi, 23, ISBN 978-1-84904-342-7
- ^ "Sarazi: Endangered Language of the Chenab Valley". Sahapedia. Retrieved 6 September 2019.
- ^ . Jammu Redefining. Archived from the original on 17 March 2016.
- ^ a b CT, News Desk (1 February 2023). "The lost history of Doda". The Chenab Times. Doda, Jammu and Kashmir. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
- ^ "History | District Doda | India". National Informatics Centre. Doda Administration. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
- ^ a b "Doda: Brief History, Places of Attraction". The Dispatch. 19 April 2019. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
- ^ Maini, K D (6 February 2016). "Past, present of Doda". Daily Excelsior. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
- ^ a b "District profile". Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Doda. Retrieved 23 October 2016.
- ^ Behera, Navnita Chadha (2007), Demystifying Kashmir, Pearson Education India, p. 28, ISBN 978-8131708460
- ^ "8 New Districts in JK, 13 New Tehsils". Greater Kashmir. 7 July 2006.
- ^ a b Joshi, Rajesh (17 August 1998). "Slow Death in Doda". Outlook. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
- ^ "A-2 Decadal Variation In Population Since 1901". Censusindia.gov.in. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
- ^ C-16 Population By Mother Tongue – Jammu & Kashmir (Report). Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. Retrieved 18 July 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f "District Census 2011". Census2011.co.in. 2011. Retrieved 30 September 2011.
- ^ US Directorate of Intelligence. . Archived from the original on 13 June 2007. Retrieved 1 October 2011.
Malta 408,333 July 2011 est.
- ^ "District Census Handbook: Doda" (PDF). Directorate of Census Operations, Jammu & Kashmir, 2017.
- ^ "Untitled Document". fathom.lse.ac.uk. Retrieved 6 September 2019.
- ^ Bose, Sumantra (10 September 2010). . London School of Economics. Archived from the original on 16 December 2011.
- ^ "Kashmir: Roots of Conflict, Paths to Peace". Foreign Affairs. 28 January 2009. ISSN 0015-7120. Retrieved 6 September 2019.
- ^ Bukhari, Shujaat (29 June 2014). "Nearly 35% People Speak Kashmiri In Erstwhile J&K: Study". Rising Kashmir.
- ^ "Saraz and Sarazi: Situating a Language and Linguistic Zone in Jammu and Kashmir".
- ^ "Saraz and Sarazi: Situating a Language and Linguistic Zone in Jammu and Kashmir". Sahapedia. Retrieved 6 September 2019.
- ^ Creation of new Administrative Units in the State (PDF). Government of Jammu and Kashmir. 16 July 2014.
- ^ "Jammu gets 6 new assembly constituencies, 12 segments reserved for STS, SCS". 5 May 2022.
- ^ . Chief Electoral Officer, Jammu and Kashmir. Archived from the original on 22 October 2008. Retrieved 28 August 2008.
- ^ Hussain, Aijaz (15 May 2006). "The Doda Deathtrap". India Today. Retrieved 25 February 2017.
- ^ "India: Kashmir massacre sparks ethnic cleansing fears". ReliefWeb, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). 6 May 2006. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
- ^ Pillai, Ajith; Meraj, Zafar (29 June 1998). "Slaughter Of The Innocents". Outlook India.
- ^ "Chronology for Kashmiris in India". 25 October 1998. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
- ^ "Ultras massacre 17 in Doda". The Tribune. 5 August 2001.
- ^ "Militants massacre 15 Hindu villagers in Doda". Rediff. 4 August 2001.
- ^ Sengupta, Somini (2 May 2006). "Militants Kill 35 Hindus Days Before Talks on Kashmir". New York Times.
- ^ "Voices of Doda". The Times of India. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
- ^ Hussain, Aijaz (15 May 2006). "19 villagers massacred in Kashmir Valley, act suspected to polarise two communities". India Today.
- ^ "Cow vigilantes kill lone breadwinner of family in J&K". 18 May 2019. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
- ^ Naseem, Ishfaq (16 May 2019). "Nayeem Ahmad Shah, who was killed by cow vigilantes in Jammu's Bhaderwah, was carrying no animal during attack, claims relative". Retrieved 20 June 2020.
- ^ "J&K: Five-member SIT constituted to probe killing of a man by alleged cow vigilantes in Bhaderwah". Retrieved 21 June 2020.
Further reading
- Qazi, S.A. (2005), "Part II: Doda district", Systematic Geography of Jammu and Kashmir, APH Publishing, p. 210, ISBN 978-81-7648-786-3
- Sapru, Chander Shakher (17 October 2006). District Census Handbook Part A & B, Doda District (PDF). Census of India 2001 (Report).
Notes
- ^ The Nullah traversed by Vigne is most likely the Neeru river, which joins the Chenab at Pul Doda.
External links
- doda
.nic .in