Bhimber is the famous district and bordering region in Azad Kashmir. This district is very famous due to the literacy personalities of this district. Moreover, it was also the resting place for many of the Mughal Kings.
Bhimber is a town and the headquarters of an eponymous district in Azad Kashmir, Pakistan. The town and district are between the Jammu region of Indian-administered Kashmir and Pakistan proper, about 47 km (29 mi) by road southeast of Mirpur.
History of District Bhimber
Bhimber was the capital of the Chibhal dynasty, which lasted from 1400 to 1856. In this way, this district has a great and rich history.
Additionally, 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.
Related: Kotli Azad Kashmir
Modern History of Bhimber
In the 19th century, Chibhal came under the Maharaja Gulab 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.
Further, after the death of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the Sikh court fell into disunity, and Dhian Singh was murdered in 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 their Rajas.
In 1852, the brothers Jawahir and Moti Singh quarrelled, 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. 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 afterward because Jawahir Singh had no heirs.
The appropriated territory was organized 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. Bhimber remained a tehsil headquarters until 1947. It had a Hindu majority population, mostly consisting of Mahajans.
Related: All About Kashmir
Geography and Climate of Bhimber
Panoramic view of Bhimber, Bhimber has a mixed topography of plains, plateau, and mountains.
Bhimber is a valley. Its hot, subhumid climate and other geographical conditions closely resemble those of Gujrat, the adjoining district in Punjab.
The climate in Bhimber is classified as warm and temperate. Summers have a good deal of rainfall; winters have much less. This location is classified as Cwa by Köppen. 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.
The Bhimber District is the southernmost district of the 10 districts of Pakistan’s dependent territory of Azad Kashmir. It has an area of 1516 km², and the district headquarters is the town of Bhimber.
Route for Mughal Emperors
The area is rich in archeological remains due to its strategic location on the route that was followed by the Mughal emperors on their frequent visits to the Kashmir Valley.
It is strategically important from a defense and military standpoint. Due to its location, it became known as the Gateway to Kashmir (Bab-e-Kashmir).
Previously, Bhimber was a tehsil of the Mirpur District but was elevated to district status in 1996.
Location of Bhimber Azad Kashmir
The Bhimber District is bounded on the north by the Kotli District, on the east by the Rajouri District and the Jammu District of Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir, on the south by the Gujrat District of Pakistan’s Punjab Province, and on the west by the Mirpur District. The town of Bhimber is 50 km from the city of Mirpur.
Administrative Divisions
The Bhimber District is subdivided into three tehsils:
- Barnala Tehsil
- Bhimber Tehsil
- Samahni Tehsil
Demography
According to the 2017 census, the population of the district is 420,624.
The main native languages are Punjabi (according to a rough estimate, spoken by 35% of the population), Pahari-Pothwari (30%), Dogri (30%) and Gujari (5%). The Urdu language has an ‘official’ status.
Education and Literacy Rate
According to the Alif Ailaan Pakistan District Education Rankings 2015, the Bhimber District ranked 10th out of 145 districts in Pakistan and its two dependent territories in terms of education. For facilities and infrastructure, the district ranked 116 out of 145.
Climate
The southern zone of the Mirpur Division has a climate similar to the neighboring areas of the Punjab province. Hot summer temperatures are often over 45 C from May to September. Winters are cold, and rainfall is concentrated in the monsoon season from late June to the end of August. There is often a prolonged dry period from October to early January, followed by winter rains from mid-January to March.