Poonch

Poonch, popularly known as Mini Kashmir, is bounded by the Line of Control (boundary between Indian and Pakistan-administered Kashmir) on three sides (north, west and south). The 1947-48 war between India and Pakistan divided it into two parts. One went to Pakistan and the other became part of India. It is a conglomeration of various cultures and religions and is also bestowed with religious shrines which are widely visited by tourists from the whole world.

History

Poonch has witnessed many historical era. Around 326 BC when Alexander the Great invaded the lower Jhelum belt to fight with Porus, this region was known as Dravabhisar. In 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. Around 850 AD Poonch became a sovereign state ruled by Raja Nar, who was basically a horse trader. According to Rajtrangani Raja Trilochan Pal of Poonch gave a tough fight to Mahmood Ghazanavi who invaded this area in 1020 A.D.

In 1596, Mughal King Jahangir made Raja Siraj-Ud-Din Rathore, the descendant of Rao Jodha and Rao Suraj Singh, new ruler of Poonch. Siraj-Ud-Din and hisdescendent Raja Shahbaz Khan Rathore, Raja Abdul Razak Rathore, Raja Rustam Rathore and Raja Bahadur Rathore ruled this area up to 1798 AD. In 1819 this area was captured by Maharaja Ranjit Singh and it remained under the occupation of Sikh Empire until 1850.

Accessibility

Air:

Rail:

Road: District Poonch is connected to other parts of the state / country through Road links. It is about 250 Km form Jammu, the winter capital of Jammu and Kashmir State. As road passes through hilly region the time taken to travel this distance is significantly more than that taken in plan area. The Public transport takes about 9 to 10 hours to reach Poonch from Jammu.

District
Poonch District