Awantipora

Awantipora or Avantipur or Aavantipur, known as Woontpor  in Kashmiri, is a town, just opposite of Pulwama city, on the banks of the river Jhelum in the Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir, India.

It is on the Jammu–Srinagar National Highway (now called the NH 44), south of Srinagar and north of Anantnag. Awantipora is a subdistrict of Pulwama district.

History
The town of Avantipura was founded by Avantivarman the Kashmiri Hindu ruler, who was the first king of the Utpala dynasty and ruled Kashmir from 855 to 883 AD. Avantivarman built a Hindu temple in Awantipora dedicated to Vishnu called "Avantisvamin" before he became king, and during his reign he built a second Hindu temple in Awantipora called "Avantisvara" dedicated to Shiva. Both temples were built in spacious rectangular paved courtyards. They were destroyed in the Middle Ages. They were excavated by the archeologist Daya Ram Sahni in the early 20th century. The Avantisvamin temple is located at 33.92326°N, 75.01285°W and Avantisvara is at 33.92796°N, 75.00453°W. They are protected and maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India.

Demographics
As per the 2011 census, Awantipora has an average literacy rate of 69.41%, lower than the national average of 74%. Male literacy was 80.17%, and female literacy was 43.03% 9% of the population is under 6 years of age. Awantipora has a population of 12,647 people.

Villages in awantipora tehsil
The villages along with their patwar halqa (revenue circle) in Awantipora tehsil are listed below.

IUST Awantipora
Awantipora is home to Islamic University of Science and Technology(IUST) dating back to 2005. The university has been set up as a centre for higher learning for the people of the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir and its neighbouring regions.

AIIMS Awantipora
AIIMS Awantipora, sanctioned by the central government in 2019, is projected to have a budget of approximately Rs 1,828 crore. This facility will augment the healthcare infrastructure in Kashmir by providing an additional 1000 beds, including 300 beds dedicated to super-specialty services. Within the project, there will be a Medical College designed to accommodate 100 students and a Nursing College with a capacity of 60 students. The first batch of MBBS at the upcoming AIIMS at Awantipora in south Kashmir will start in August 2021. The temporary accommodation is in Srinagar.

Air force station
Awantipur Air Force Station is situated near Awantipora at Malangpora about 5 km from Pulwama town.