List of districts of Jammu and Kashmir

The union territory of Jammu and Kashmir consists of two divisions: Jammu Division and Kashmir Division, and is further divided into 20 districts:[1]

Districts of Jammu and Kashmir

History

Princely state of Kashmir

Main article: Jammu and Kashmir (princely state)

Prior to 1947, Kashmir was a princely state under the paramountcy of the British Indian Empire. The central part of the princely state was administratively divided into the provinces Jammu and Kashmir. In addition there were frontier districts and semi-autonomous jagirs (principalities). They were subdivided as follows:[2]

• Kashmir province: Districts of Srinagar, Anantnag, Baramulla and Muzaffarabad.( muzzafarabad later became part of Azad kashmir)
• Internal jagirs: Poonch(half of it later became part of Azad kashmir), Chenani and Bhaderwah
• Jammu province: Districts of Jammu, Udhampur and Mirpur( later became part of Azad kashmir)
• Frontier districts:

• Ladakh district with three sub-districts: Leh, Kargil and Skardu(later skardu became part of Gilgit Baltistan).
• Gilgit district with two sub-districts: Gilgit and Astore.(both later became part of Gilgit Baltistan)
• Frontier ilaqas comprising Punial, Ishkoman, Yasin, Kuh Ghizar, Hunza, Nagar and Chilas.( All of these regions later became part of Gilgit Baltistan)

The Gilgit district and the frontier ilaqas were administered by the British administration as the Gilgit Agency, which were returned to the princely state prior to the Partition of India.

Partition

Main article: Kashmir conflict

Following the independence of India and Pakistan, in October 1947, there was Poonch Rebellion as Muslims were disarmed by the orders of raja of Kashmir.So they rebelled out in the western districts of the princely state coupled with a tribal invasion, both of which were supported by the newly independent Dominion of Pakistan. The princely ruler acceded to India in return for armed assistance. India and Pakistan fought the First Kashmir War that lasted through 1948, at the end of which large parts of the three western districts of Mirpur, Poonch and Muzaffarabad, the whole of the Gilgit Agency and the Skardu sub-district of Ladakh came under Pakistani control. The remainder of the princely state has been organised as a state of India under the name Jammu Kashmir.

Inside India

Main article: Jammu and Kashmir (state)

District map of Jammu and Kashmir in 2015, also showing territories of the former Jammu and Kashmir occupied by other countries:
A. Gilgit
B. Ladakh (northern and eastern portions)
C. Gilgit Wazarat
D. Chilas
E. Tribal territory
F. Muzaffarabad
G. Punch (western portion)
H. Mirpur

The territory under the Indian control include:[3][4]

• Jammu Division: districts of Jammu, Kathua, Udhampur, Reasi; the jagirs of Chenani and Bhaderwah; 11 per cent of the Mirpur district and 40 per cent of the Poonch jagir.[5]
• Kashmir Division: Kashmir South (Anantnag) and Kashmir North (Baramulla); 13 per cent of the Muzaffarabad district.[5]
• Ladakh Division: Kargil and Leh districts. (Became the union territory of Ladakh on 31 October 2019.)

The districts were reorganised by 1968, breaking up some of the larger districts.[6] In 2006, eight new districts were created: Kishtwar, Ramban, Reasi, Samba, Bandipora, Ganderbal, Kulgam and Shopian.[7]

In August 2019, the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act was passed by both houses of the Indian Parliament. The provisions contained in the bill reorganised the state of Jammu and Kashmir into two union territories; Jammu and Kashmir (union territory) and Ladakh with effect from 31 October 2019.

Districts

Jammu Division

Name of District	Headquarters	Area (km²)	Population 2001 Census	Population 2011 Census[8][9]
Doda District	Doda	2,306	320,256	409,576
Jammu District	Jammu	3,097	1,343,756	1,526,406
Kathua District	Kathua	2,651	550,084	615,711
Kishtwar District	Kishtwar	7,737[10]	190,843	231,037
Poonch District	Poonch	1,674	372,613	476,820
Rajouri District	Rajouri	2,630	483,284	619,266
Ramban District	Ramban	1,329	180,830	283,313
Reasi District	Reasi	1,719	268,441	314,714
Samba District	Samba	904	245,016	318,611
Udhampur District	Udhampur	4,550	475,068	555,357
Total	10	26,293	4,430,191	5,350,811

Kashmir Division

Name of District	Headquarters	Area (km²)	Population 2001 Census	Population 2011 Census
Anantnag District	Anantnag	3,984	734,549	1,069,749
Bandipora District	Bandipora	398	316,436	385,099
Baramulla district	Baramulla	4,588	853,344	1,015,503
Budgam District	Budgam	1,371	629,309	755,331
Ganderbal District	Ganderbal	259	211,899	297,003
Kulgam District	Kulgam	1,067	437,885	423,181
Kupwara District	Kupwara	2,379	650,393	875,564
Pulwama District	Pulwama	1,398	441,275	570,060
Shopian District	Shopian	612.87	211,332	265,960
Srinagar District	Srinagar	294	1,027,670	1,236,829
Total	10	16,351	5,514,092	6,894,279

References

1. "Department of Jammu & Kashmir Affairs". Government of India, Ministry of Home Affairs. Archived from the original on 8 December 2008.
2. Karim, Kashmir The Troubled Frontiers 2013, p. 31.
3. Karim, Kashmir The Troubled Frontiers 2013, p. 29–32.
4. Behera, Demystifying Kashmir 2007, p. 15.
5. Snedden, Understanding Kashmir and Kashmiris 2015, p. 167.
6. Behera, Demystifying Kashmir 2007, p. 28.
7. Jammu and Kashmir to have eight new districts, Indo-Asian News Service, 6 July 2006.
8. 2011 census J&K
9. "Department of Jammu & Kashmir Affairs". Government of India, Ministry of Home Affairs. Archived from the original on 2 February 2016. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
10. http://kishtwar.nic.in/districtstats.html

Bibliography

• Behera, Navnita Chadha (2007), Demystifying Kashmir, Pearson Education India, ISBN 8131708462
• Karim, Maj Gen Afsir (2013), Kashmir The Troubled Frontiers, Lancer Publishers LLC, pp. 30–, ISBN 978-1-935501-76-3
• Snedden, Christopher (2015), Understanding Kashmir and Kashmiris, Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-1-84904-342-7

External links

• Jammu and Kashmir district portal