Reasi district

Reasi district is an administrative district in the Jammu division of Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir in the Jammu region. The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of Kashmir and a mention of the Kashmir dispute is supported by the tertiary sources (a) through (d), reflecting due weight in the coverage. Although "controlled" and "held" are also applied neutrally to the names of the disputants or to the regions administered by them, as evidenced in sources (f) through (h) below, "held" is also considered politicized usage, as is the term "occupied," (see (i) below). (a) (subscription required) Quote: "Kashmir, region of the northwestern Indian subcontinent ... has been the subject of dispute between India and Pakistan since the partition of the Indian subcontinent in 1947. The northern and western portions are administered by Pakistan and comprise three areas: Azad Kashmir, Gilgit, and Baltistan, the last two being part of a territory called the Northern Areas. Administered by India are the southern and southeastern portions, which constitute the state of Jammu and Kashmir but are slated to be split into two union territories."; (b)  (subscription required) Quote: "Aksai Chin, Chinese (Pinyin) Aksayqin, portion of the Kashmir region, at the northernmost extent of the Indian subcontinent in south-central Asia. It constitutes nearly all the territory of the Chinese-administered sector of Kashmir that is claimed by India to be part of the Ladakh area of Jammu and Kashmir state."; (c)  C. E Bosworth, University of Manchester Quote: "KASHMIR, kash'mer, the northernmost region of the Indian subcontinent, administered partlv by India, partly by Pakistan, and partly by China. The region has been the subject of a bitter dispute between India and Pakistan since they became independent in 1947"; (d) Quote: "Jammu and Kashmir: Territory in northwestern India, subject to a dispute betw een India and Pakistan. It has borders with Pakistan and China." (e) Quote: "We move from a disputed international border to a dotted line on the map that represents a military border not recognized in international law. The line of control separates the Indian and Pakistani administered areas of the former Princely State of Jammu and Kashmir."; (f)  (subscription required) Quote: "... China became active in the eastern area of Kashmir in the 1950s and has controlled the northeastern part of Ladakh (the easternmost portion of the region) since 1962."; (g)  Quote: "J&K: Jammu and Kashmir. The former princely state that is the subject of the Kashmir dispute. Besides IJK (Indian-controlled Jammu and Kashmir. The larger and more populous part of the former princely state. It has a population of slightly over 10 million, and comprises three regions: Kashmir Valley, Jammu, and Ladakh.) and AJK ('Azad" (Free) Jammu and Kashmir. The more populous part of Pakistani-controlled J&K, with a population of approximately 2.5 million. AJK has six districts: Muzaffarabad, Mirpur, Bagh, Kodi, Rawalakot, and Poonch. Its capital is the town of Muzaffarabad. AJK has its own institutions, but its political life is heavily controlled by Pakistani authorities, especially the military), it includes the sparsely populated "Northern Areas" of Gilgit and Baltistan, remote mountainous regions which are directly administered, unlike AJK, by the Pakistani central authorities, and some high-altitude uninhabitable tracts under Chinese control." (h) Quote: "Kashmir’s identity remains hotly disputed with a UN-supervised “Line of Control” still separating Pakistani-held Azad (“Free”) Kashmir from Indian-held Kashmir."; (i)  Quote:"Some politicised terms also are used to describe parts of J&K. These terms include the words 'occupied' and 'held'." The Reasi district is bordered by Udhampur district and Ramban district in the east, Jammu district in the south, Rajouri district in the west and by Kulgam district on the north. The Reasi and Rajouri tehsils formed a joint district called the "Reasi district" at the time of the princely state's accession to India in 1947. As part of the reorganisation, the two tehsils were separated and Reasi was merged with the Udhampur district. It again became a separate district in 2006.

Reasi is one of the oldest towns of the Jammu and Kashmir State. It was the seat of the erstwhile Bhimgarh State, said to have been established by Raja Bhim Dev sometime in the 8th century. It remained an independent principality till 1822, when Raja Gulab Singh the then Raja of Jammu hill region, under the Sikh empire, consolidated the small states.

Geography
Reasi is located at a distance of 64 km from Jammu and is bounded by Tehsil Gool-Gulabgarh in the north, Tehsil Sunderbani and Kalakote of District Rajouri in the west, Tehsil Udhampur in the east, Tehsils Jammu and Akhnoor of District Jammu on the south. Climatically a major part of this Sub-Division falls in the sub-tropical zone and the rest in temperate zone. Summers are generally warm and winters cold with snowfall on the high ridges.

Hindu sites
Major Hindu pilgrimage sites like Vaishno Devi, Shiv Khori, Baba Dhansar and Siyad Baba Waterfall are located in this district.

Access
Being far away from Jammu–Udhampur–Srinagar Highway 1-A and somewhat inaccessible due to the hilly area, economic progress in the mostly hilly region of Reasi has been rather slow. With the commissioning of Salal Hydroelectric Project at Dhyangarh near Reasi, the economic activity of the area has picked up considerably. Construction work for this project was started in 1970 by the National Hydro-Electric Power Corporation (NHPC) and the project was commissioned in 1987 when the first stage of 345 Megawatt power station was completed and balance/the second stage of the project with 345 MW was commissioned in 1995 making the total generation to 690 MW. Power from this project flows to the Northern Grid from where it is distributed to the states of J&K, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Chandigarh.

The Jammu–Srinagar–Baramulla Railway line which is under construction passes through the Reasi district. The Railway line to Katra was inaugurated on 4 July 2014, by the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra railway station. From Katra, the Railway line traverses to Reasi-Banihal area with stations at Reasi, Salal A–Salal B, Surukot, Barala, Sangaldan, Kohli and Laole. The 1315 meters long railway bridge under construction over the river Chenab near Salal with a height of 383.10 meters from the river surface.

Demographics
According to the 2011 census Reasi district has a population of 314,667, roughly equal to the nation of The Bahamas. This gives it a ranking of 570th in India (out of a total of 640). The district has a population density of 184 PD/sqkm. Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 27.06%. Reasi has a sex ratio of 890 females for every 1000 males (which varies with religion), and a literacy rate of 59.42%. The Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes account for 12% and 28.1% of the population of the district.

Reasi has a population which is nearly evenly split between Muslims and Hindus. Reasi's population stands at 314,667 (2011), of whom 49.67% are Muslims and 48.90% are Hindus.

The main languages spoken in Reasi are Dogri, Gojri, Kashmiri, Pahari, Hindi and Punjabi.

Bhimgarh Fort
A historical fort named Bhimgarh Fort, but generally also known as ‘Reasi Fort’ is located in the town of Reasi on a hillock approximately 150 meters high. As per local lore initially, the fort was made of clay which later on was reconstructed with stone masonry and was generally used by the royal family for taking shelter during emergencies. Presently the fort is in the charge of the Department of Archaeology, J&K Government since 1989. Today the fort stands out as one of the important landmarks in the town. During that time this was damaged several times due to its age and natural violence. Over time the government understanding the importance of this fort has tried its best to reconstruct it. It's due to this fact that this fort is still standing in Reasi and it adds shine to the Reasi city.

Inside India
After the accession of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir to India in 1947, the Rajouri and Reasi tehsils of the former "Reasi district" were separated. Rajouri was merged with the Indian-administered Poonch district, India and Reasi was merged with the Udhampur district.

The people of this hilly area have long agitated for restoring the district status for Reasi. The Wazir Commission report, among other recommendations, proposed that it be upgraded to a district. Rishi Kumar Koushal, a prominent leader of the erstwhile Jan Sangh, now Bharatiya Janata Party, led the agitation to restore the district status in the late nineties.

Reasi was upgraded to district level in the year 2007 due to the constant efforts made by the people.

Director and actor Sumit Raina is also a resident of Reasi district.

Mineral Deposits
Lithium deposits have been discovered in Reasi, the first such discovery in India. The Geological Survey of India estimated that there are 5.9 million tonnes of lithium deposits in the Salal-Haimama region in the district as confirmed by India's Ministry of Mines.

Lithium is a key component in rechargeable batteries that power numerous gadgets like smartphones and laptops, as well as electric vehicles.

Administration
Reasi district is one of the 10 districts in the J&K, which came into existence on 1 April 2007. It is predominantly a hill district, which enjoys variable climatic conditions, ranging from sub-tropical to semi-temperate. The district can be divided into 'hilly' and 'low-lying hilly' regions.

The district is divided into nine tehsils and 22 niabats. There are 12 development blocks with 147 panchayat halquas.

Tehsils

 * 1) Reasi
 * 2) Pouni
 * 3) Katra
 * 4) Bhomag
 * 5) Arnas
 * 6) Throo
 * 7) Chassana
 * 8) Thakrakote
 * 9) Mahore

Blocks

 * 1) Reasi
 * 2) Gulabgarh
 * 3) Pouni
 * 4) Katra
 * 5) Bhomag
 * 6) Arnas
 * 7) Thuroo
 * 8) Chassana
 * 9) Thakrakote
 * 10) Mahore
 * 11) Panthal
 * 12) Jij

Villages

 * 1) Domaldi

Places of interest

 * GULAB GARH
 * Dhagantop
 * RAMA KUNDA
 * Bhimgarh Fort
 * Shivkhori
 * Vaishno Devi Temple
 * Kalika Temple
 * Baba Dhansar
 * Dhyangarh
 * Baba Bidda
 * Siarh Baba
 * Sula Park
 * Dhera Baba
 * Thanpal
 * Dewel Marg
 * Kote Gali
 * Ans River