Bhimber

Bhimber (Urdu: بھمبر‎) is the capital of Bhimber District, in the Pakistan-administered territory of Azad Kashmir. The town is on the border between Kashmir and Pakistan, about 29 mi (47 km) by road southeast of Mirpur.[2]

Bhimber


بھمبر
Bhimber
Bhimber
Coordinates: 32°58′50″N 74°04′10″E
CountryPakistan
TerritoryAzad Kashmir
DistrictBhimber District
Established7th century AD
Population
 (2017)[1]
 • Total27,636
Time zoneUTC+5 (PST)
Postal code
10040
Dialling code0092-05828
WebsiteOfficial Website

History

Bhimber was the capital of the Chibhal dynasty, which lasted from 1400 to 1856. Katoch.[3][4][5]

Bhimber lies on the route that was followed by the Mughal Emperors for their frequent visits to the Kashmir Valley. It is also known as "Baab-e-Kashmir" (Door to Kashmir) because of its importance and geographical location, which was ideal for the Mughal Emperors to use to enter Kashmir. Therefore, the Mughals used Bhimber as a staging point for their journey to Srinagar. The Mughal Emperor Jahangir discussed Bhimber in his book Tuzk-e-Jahangiri.[6]

Modern history

In the 19th century, Chibhal came under the Sikh Empire of the Maharaja Ranjit Singh. Around 1822, along with Poonch, it was granted as a jagir (feudal land grant) to Raja Dhian Singh of the Dogra dynasty, Gulab Singh's brother. After the death of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the Sikh court fell into disunity, and Dhian Singh was murdered in a court intrigue. Subsequently, the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir was formed under the suzerainty of the British Empire, and these territories were transferred to Jammu and Kashmir. The jagir given to Dhian Singh was respected, however, and Dhian Singh's sons Moti Singh and Jawahir Singh were retained as its Rajas.[7][8][9]

In 1852, the brothers Jawahir and Moti Singh quarreled, and the Punjab Board of Revenue awarded a settlement. Moti Singh was awarded the Poonch district, and Jawahir Singh was awarded Bhimber, Mirpur and Kotli.[10][11] In 1859, Jawahir Singh was accused of 'treacherous conspiracy' by Maharaja Ranbir Singh (r. 1857–1885), who succeeded Gulab Singh. The British agreed with the assessment and forced Jawahir Singh to exile in Ambala. Ranbir Singh paid Jawahir Singh an annual stipend of Rs. 100,000 until his death, and appropriated his territory afterwards because Jawahir Singh had no heirs.[12]

The appropriated territory was organised as the Bhimber district (wazarat) in 1860. In the decade preceding 1911, the district headquarters was shifted to Mirpur and it came to be called the Mirpur district.[13][14] Bhimber remained a tehsil headquarters until 1947. It had a Hindu majority population, mostly consisting of Mahajans.[15]

Geography and climate
Panoramic view of Bhimber

Bhimber is a valley. Its hot, dry climate and other geographical conditions closely resemble those of Gujrat, the adjoining district of Pakistan.

Its climate is classified as warm and temperate. Summers have a good deal of rainfall; winters have very little. This location is classified as Cwa by Köppen and Geiger. The average annual temperature is 23.6 °C (74.5 °F) with a yearly average rainfall of 974 mm (38.3 in). July and August are the wettest months. Temperatures are highest in June.[16]

Landmarks
Tomb of Baba Shadi Shaheed

Baghsar Fort is an ancient Mughal fort in the Samahni Valley overlooking Baghsar Lake.[17] Sarai Saadabad is located near Bandala in the Samahni Valley and was used as a staging camp during Mughal Era for the caravans moving from Lahore to Kashmir. Also of note is the Tomb of Sufi saint Baba Shadi Shaheed.

Notable people
gollark: I really should have codehunted instead of just picking up two.
gollark: https://dragcave.net/lineage/mpWNuApparently I can breed this. I have weird saltkins.
gollark: Wow, that's very cool.
gollark: https://dragcave.net/lineage/1d53hA slightly confusing code.
gollark: If you live in Europe probably no gifts anyway, I doubt Santa is GDPR-compliant.

References
  1. "Statistical Year Book 2019" (PDF). Statistics Azad Jammu and Kashmir. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
  2. Google (1 February 2020). "Bhimber" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
  3. Gulabnama of Diwan Kirpa Ram: A History of Maharaja Gulab Singh of Jammu & Kashmir, page 41
  4. History of the Punjab Hill States by Hutchison and Vogel, reprinted edition, 2 volumes in 1 Chapter XXIV. 1933 AD
  5. The Ancient Geography of India by Alexander Cunningham page 134 1871
  6. Government of Azad Jammu & Kashmir Website. "Jahangir discussed Bhimber in his book Tuzk-e-Jahangiri". Archived from the original on 28 September 2011. Retrieved 8 December 2011.
  7. Panikkar, Gulab Singh 1930, pp. 121–123.
  8. Brahma Singh, History of Jammu and Kashmir Rifles 2010.
  9. Satinder Singh, Raja Gulab Singh's Role 1971, pp. 52–53.
  10. Snedden, Kashmir: The Unwritten History 2013, p. 232.
  11. Panikkar, Gulab Singh 1930, p. 123.
  12. Snedden, Kashmir: The Unwritten History 2013, p. 233.
  13. "A peep into Bhimber". dailyexcelsior.com. 6 November 2016. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
  14. India. Census Commissioner (1912), Census of India, 1911, Superintendent of government printing, India
  15. Saraf, Kashmiris Fight for Freedom, Volume 2 2015, p. 238.
  16. "Climate Bhimber". en.climate-data.org. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
  17. Ashgar Ahmad (1986). Pakistan Tourism Directory, 86. Holiday Weekly. p. 170.

Bibliography
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