Baramulla Varmul | |
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 Baramulla Public School in Baramulla, Jammu & Kashmir | |
 Interactive map of Baramulla | |
![Baramulla lies in the Kashmir division (neon blue) of the Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir (shaded tan) in the disputed Kashmir region.[1]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aKashmir_region._LOC_2003626427_-_showing_Kashmir_division_administered_by_India_in_neon_blue.jpg) Baramulla lies in theKashmir division (neon blue) of the Indian-administeredJammu and Kashmir (shadedtan) in the disputedKashmir region.[1] | |
| Coordinates:34°11′53″N74°21′50″E / 34.198°N 74.364°E /34.198; 74.364 | |
| Administeringcountry | India |
| Union Territory | Jammu & Kashmir |
| Division | Kashmir |
| District | Baramulla |
| Government | |
| • Type | Municipal Council |
| • Body | Municipal council Baramulla |
| Area | |
• Total | 23.98 km2 (9.26 sq mi) |
| Population | |
• Total | 71,434 |
| • Density | 2,979/km2 (7,715/sq mi) |
| Demonym(s) | Baramullan, Baramullia, Baramulli, Varmulyik |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Kashmiri,Urdu,Hindi,Dogri, English |
| Demographics | |
| • Literacy | 79.6% |
| • Sex ratio | 846.9♀/ 1000♂ |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
| PIN | 193101 (New City), 193102 (Old City), 193103 |
| Telephone code | 01952 |
| Vehicle registration | JK-05 |
| Website | baramulla |
Baramulla (Urdu pronunciation:[bɑːɾɑːmuːlɑː]), also known asVarmul[6] (Kashmiri pronunciation:[ʋarmul]) inKashmiri, is a city and municipality of theBaramulla district of the Indian-administeredJammu and Kashmir in the disputedKashmir region.[1] It is also the administrative headquarters of the Baramulla district, located on the banks of theRiver Jhelum downstream fromSrinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir. The town was earlier known as gateway of Kashmir, serving as the major distribution centre for goods arriving in Kashmir valley through the Jhelum valley cart road. It is located within theKashmir Valley on the foothills of thePir Panjal Range.
The town was earlier known asVarāhamūla. The name is derived from twoSanskrit words,varāha (meaning wild boar) andmūla (meaning root/origin). The town was a major urban settlement and trade centre, before suffering extensive damage during theFirst Kashmir War. Currently, Baramulla is a major centre of business and education in northern Kashmir.
The name Baramulla is derived from the SanskritVarāhamūla (वराहमूल), a combination ofvarāha (boar) andmūla (root or deep) meaning "boar's molar."[7]
According to Hindu mythology, theKashmir Valley was once a lake known asSatisaras (Parvati's Lake in Sanskrit). Ancient Hindu texts relate that the lake was occupied by thedemon Jalodbhava (meaning "originated from water") untilLord Vishnu assumed the form of aboar and struck the mountain at Varahamula. This created an opening for the water to flow out of the lake.[8]
The modern Baramulla was called Varahamulaksetra or Varahaksetra in the ancient days. Originally, it was a suburb of Huviskapura (modern Ushkur). Associated with the Adivaraha, the boar incarnation of Vishnu, it was considered very sacred. Consequently, many temples and monasteries were built in the ninth and tenth centuries, during the region ofLalitaditya Muktapida, (Queen) Sugandha, and Ksemagupta, when the worship of Vishnu flourished there.
According to some accounts the city of Baramulla was founded by Raja Bhimsina in 2306 B.C.[9] A number of visitors have travelled to Baramulla, includingXuanzang from China and a Britishhistorian named Moorcraft. In 1508 A.D.,Akbar, who entered the valley via Pakhil, spent several days at Baramulla. According to Tarikh-e-Hassan, the city was decorated duringAkbar's stay.Jahangir stayed at Baramulla during his visit to Kashmir in 1620.
From the beginning, Baramulla has had religious importance.Hindu Teertha andBuddhistVihars (monasteries) made the city sacred to both Hindus and Buddhists. During the 15th century, it became important toMuslims as well. Syed Janbaz Wali, who visited the valley with his companions in 1421, chose Baramulla as the center of his mission and was later buried there. His shrine attracts pilgrims from throughout the valley.
In 1620, the sixthSikh Guru, Shri Hargobind, visited the city. In Baramulla Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists, andSikhs lived in harmony and contributed to its culture.[10]
Baramulla was the oldest and most-important town in northernKashmir and Jammu (princely state) and Kashmir Valley (by theRawalpindi-Murree-Muzaffarabad-Baramulla Road) until 27 October 1947. It was ceded to India when theMaharajah signed theinstrument of accession on 26 October 1947. The city is the headquarters of theBaramulla district.
Pashtun tribesmen from Pakistan (guided and aided by Pakistani army regulars[11] in civilian clothes) launched a campaign to seize the state on 22 October 1947. They moved along theRawalpindi-Murree-Muzaffarabad-Baramulla Road;[12][13] Muzaffarabad fell on 24 October 1947, and Baramulla was captured the following day.Jammu and Kashmir State Forces of Maharaja Hari Singh led by Brig. Rajendra Singh fought back atUri from 22–23 October but could not stop the advance.
In Baramulla, the advance slowed. Some tribesmen stopped to rape and killChristian Missionary Nuns and nurses at St Joseph's Hospital in a looting spree.[14] Thousands of Hindus and Sikhs were also killed and thousands of young women, girls and children were kidnapped and taken captive in theMirpur andRajouri areas ofJammu division.[15][16][17][18][19]
On the morning of 27 October, India airlifted troops fromDelhi to theSrinagar airfield while the tribal forces were still at Baramulla. The population of Baramulla town had been decimated from 14,000 to just 1,000 by killing of men and kidnapping of girls and women;[20] and the prosperous and thriving town had been reduced to smouldering ruins in just five days. The Indian army took control of Baramulla on 9 November 1947.
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Aastair Lamb wrote inIncomplete Partition, Roxford 1997, pp. 186–187:
The (tribal) leaders completely lost control over their men, an orgy of killing was the result. This was certainly the case at St Joseph's College, Convent and Hospital, the site of what was to become one of the most publicised incidents of the entire Kashmir conflict. Here nuns, priests and congregation, including patients in the hospital, were slaughtered; and at the same time a small number of Europeans, notably Lt. Colonel D.O. Dykes and his wife, an Englishwoman preparing to leave the hospital that day with her new-born baby, Mother Teresalina, a twenty-nine-year-old Spanish nun who had been in Baramulla only a few weeks, as well as Mother Aldertrude, the Assistant Mother Superior, and one Mr Jose Barretto, husband of the doctor, met their deaths at tribal hands.[21]
Charles Chevenix Trench wrote inThe Frontier Scouts (1985):
In October 1947... tribal lashkars hastened in lorries – undoubtedly with official logistic support – into Kashmir... at least one British Officer, Harvey-Kelly took part in the campaign. It seemed that nothing could stop these hordes of tribesmen taking Srinagar with its vital airfield. Indeed nothing did, but their own greed. The Mahsuds in particular stopped to loot, rape and murder; Indian troops were flown in and the lashkars pushed out of theVale of Kashmir into the mountains. The Mahsuds returned home in a savage mood, having muffed an easy chance, lost the loot of Srinagar and made fools of themselves.
Sam Manekshaw (later afield marshal) was acolonel in the Directorate of Military Operations who went to Srinagar withV. P. Menon to assess the situation on 26 October 1947. He later told in an interview:[14]
Fortunately for Kashmir, the tribals were busy raiding, raping all along. In Baramulla they killed Colonel D.O.T. Dykes. Dykes and I were of the same seniority. We did our first year's attachment with the Royal Scots in Lahore, way back in 1934-5. Tom went to the Sikh regiment. I went to the Frontier Force regiment. We'd lost contact with each other. He'd become a lieutenant colonel. I'd become a full colonel. Tom and his wife were holidaying in Baramulla when the tribesmen killed them.
Tom Cooper of the Air Combat Information Group wrote, "The Pathans appeared foremost interested in looting, killing, ransacking and other crimes against the inhabitants instead of a serious military action."[22]
According toMohammad Akbar Khan (Colonel, Pakistan army, who was promoted as Brigadier and made in charge of sending the tribals to Kashmir and who had been a contemporary of Col. Dykes atRoyal Military College, Sandhurst) in hisWar for Kashmir in 1947, "The uncouth raiders delayed in Baramulla for two (whole) days."[23]
Biju Patnaik (later Chief Minister ofOdisha) piloted the first plane to land at Srinagar airport that morning. He brought 17 soldiers from the 1stSikh Regiment, commanded byLt. Col. Dewan Ranjit Rai. The pilot flew low over the airstrip twice to ensure that no raiders were around. Instructions fromJawaharlal Nehru's office were clear: If the airport was taken over by the enemy, they were not to land. Taking a full circle, theDC-3 flew at ground level. Soldiers peered from the aircraft and found the airstrip empty. The raiders were too busy distributing the war booty among themselves in Baramulla.
Lt. Col. Dewan Ranjit Rai immediately moved with his small platoon towards Baramulla hoping to stop the tribal raiders at the mouth of the funnel which opens 5 km east of Baramulla into a wide valley. He led his men from the front and died of bullet wound the same day, 27 October 1947, at Patan but delayed the raiders for a day. Satrina village in Baramulla, Ichama and Atna village in Budgam were defended by the Indian troops. As more Indian troops flew into Srinagar the next day, they started pushing the raiders back.[24] It took two weeks for the Indian army to evict the raiders (who had been joined by Pakistani regulars and were well-entrenched) from Baramulla on 9 November 1947.
Sheikh Abdullah spoke to theUN Security Council on 5 February 1948: "The raiders came to our land, massacred thousands of people – mostly Sikhs, but Hindus and Muslims, too – abducted thousands of girls, Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims alike, looted our property and almost reached the gates of our summer capital, Srinagar."[25]
Robert Trumbull,The New York Times, 10 November 1947; reporting from Baramulla [UN doc # S/PV.762/Add.1/Annex 1/No. 26]:The raid of the convent is narrated in even gory details by Father Shanks, one of the fortunate survivors and the anonymous 'witnesses' in the following report.
"The tribesmen - great, wild, black beasts they were - came shooting their way down from the hills on both sides of the town. They climbed over the hospital walls from all sides. The first group burst into a ward firing at the patients. A 20-year-old Indian nurse, Philomena, tried to protect a Muslim patient whose baby had just been born. She was shot dead first. The Patient was next. Mother Superior Aldetude rushed into the ward, knelt over Philomena and was at once attacked and robbed. The Assistant Mother,Teresalina, saw a tribesman point a rifle at Mother Aldetrude and jumped in front of her. A bullet went throughTeresalina's heart. At the moment Colonel Dykes, who had assured us we would not be attacked, raced from his room a few yards along the terrace to get the Mother Superior out of danger, shouting at the tribesmen as he ran. But the Mother Superior fell shot, and Colonel Dykes collapsed beside her with a bullet in the stomach. Mrs Dykes ran from her husband's room to help him. She too was shot dead.
While this went on, Mr Gee Boretto, an Anglo-Indian, was killed in the garden before nine Christian Nuns. Then the nuns were lined up before a firing squad. As the tribesmen raised their rifles a young Afridi Officer, who once studied in a Convent School at Peshawar, rushed in and stopped them. At least there are living features of human quality in these incidents. He had been told his men were raiding a Convent, and had run all the way from the town. That saved all our lives by a few seconds.
We did not find Mrs Dykes until the following day. She had been thrown down a well."
Father Shank of the Convent [UN doc # S/PV.762/Add.1/Annex 1/No. 27]:
"Their buses and trucks, loaded with booty, arrived every other day and took more Pathans to Kashmir. Ostensibly they wanted to liberate their Kashmir Muslim brothers, but their primary objective was to riot and loot. In this they made no distinction between Hindu, Sikhs and Muslims. The raiders advanced in Baramulla, the biggest commercial centre of the region with a population of 11,000 until they were only an hour away from Srinagar. For the next three days they were engaged in massive plunder, rioting and rape. No one was spared. Even members of the St. Joseph's Mission Hospital were brutally massacred." - 'Half Way to Freedom' by Margaret Bourke-White
Andrew Whitehead, who was BBC correspondent in India, reported on the October 1947 atrocities in Baramulla, particularly on the Christian mission convent and hospital, in his bookA Mission in Kashmir.[26]
Baramulla is on theJhelum River, at its highest point. Baramulla tehsil is stretched from VillageKhushalpora in the east to villageBoniyar in the west. The old town is on the north bank of the river, and the new town is on the south bank. They are connected by five bridges, including a suspension bridge connecting Gulnar Park and Dewan Bagh. Five more bridges are being built or are planned. A bridge will connect the Khanpora and Drangbal areas of the city.
The old town is densely populated and smaller than the new town. Government offices, hospitals, thebus station and most other facilities are in the new town. TheBaramulla railway station is on the eastern end of the new town, on the river. Beyond the old town, the river divides into two channels at Khadanyar (nearpolice headquarters), forming an island known as Eco Park.
Baramulla is located at 34.2° N 74.34° E. It has an average elevation of 1,593 meters (5,226 feet).
Baramulla has a temperate climate, with cold, snowy winters and warm summers.
| Climate data for Baramulla (1971–1986) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 7.0 (44.6) | 8.2 (46.8) | 14.1 (57.4) | 20.5 (68.9) | 24.5 (76.1) | 29.6 (85.3) | 30.1 (86.2) | 29.6 (85.3) | 27.4 (81.3) | 22.4 (72.3) | 15.1 (59.2) | 8.2 (46.8) | 19.7 (67.5) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −2 (28) | −0.7 (30.7) | 3.4 (38.1) | 7.9 (46.2) | 10.8 (51.4) | 14.9 (58.8) | 18.1 (64.6) | 17.5 (63.5) | 12.1 (53.8) | 5.8 (42.4) | 0.9 (33.6) | −1.5 (29.3) | 7.3 (45.1) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 48 (1.9) | 68 (2.7) | 121 (4.8) | 85 (3.3) | 68 (2.7) | 39 (1.5) | 62 (2.4) | 76 (3.0) | 28 (1.1) | 33 (1.3) | 28 (1.1) | 54 (2.1) | 710 (27.9) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 1.0 mm) | 6.6 | 7.3 | 10.2 | 8.8 | 8.1 | 5.7 | 7.9 | 6.8 | 3.5 | 2.8 | 2.8 | 5.1 | 75.6 |
| Source: HKO[27] | |||||||||||||
Baramulla is the fourth-most populous city inJammu and Kashmir state.[28] Baramulla's old town is known as Shehr-e-Khas, and its new town as Greater Baramulla.[citation needed]
As of 2011[update] Indiacensus, Baramulla had a population of 71,434.[3] There were 38,677 males (54%) and 32,757 females (46%).[3][2] Of the population, 8,878 (12.4%) were age 0-6: 4,851 males (55%) and 4,027 females (45%).[3][31] The literacy rate for the people over six was 79.6% (males 87.3%, females 70.6%).[3][31]
| Census | Baramula Urban Area | Baramula | Out Growths (OG) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fateh Pora | Kanis Pora | Gotiyar | Frastahar | Takia Sultan | |||
| 1911[2] | 6,599 | 6,599 | |||||
| 1921[2] | 6,744 | 6,744 | |||||
| 1931[2] | 6,886 | 6,886 | |||||
| 1941[2] | 12,724 | 12,724 | |||||
| 1951[2] | 16,289 | 16,289 | |||||
| 1961[2] | 19,854 | 19,854 | |||||
| 1971[2] | 26,334 | 26,334 | |||||
| 1981[2] | 33,945 | 33,945 | |||||
| 2001[2] | 71,896 | 61,830 | 2,639 | 3,981 | 1,145 | 876 | 1,425 |
| 2011[2] | 71,434 | 58,053 | 1,973 | 6,019 | 1,414 | 1,751 | 2,224 |
| Area in 2011[2] | |||||||
| km2 sq miles | 23.98 9.26 | 8.35 3.22 | 4.22 1.63 | 5.70 2.20 | 1.10 0.42 | 0.53 0.20 | 4.08 1.58 |
The most commonly-used languages areKashmiri andUrdu, followed by English,Pahari,Gojri andPunjabi.[32]
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St. Joseph's School is one of the oldest missionary schools inKashmir. Other notable schools includeDelhi Public School, Aarifeen School of Excellence, Baramulla Public School, GD Goenka Public School, Dagger Parivar School,Beacon House School, two Hanfia Model High Schools: Delina-B[33] and Ushkura,[34] Budding Bloom Experimental School,[35] Islamia high school, Guru Nanak Dev School, Faizan Public School among others.
Baramulla has a number of government-run schools. Higher secondary schools are known as intermediate colleges. There are separate higher secondary schools for boys and girls further one Higher Secondary School in old Town, Baramulla has aKendriya Vidyalaya, Navodaya Vidayala in Shahkot andSainik (military) school, both affiliated with theCentral Board of Secondary Education. Baramulla has separate government degree colleges for men and women, and a medical college associated with the district hospital. The north campus of theUniversity of Kashmir is located outskirts the Baramulla town, and an engineering college has been established. CIIIT is only Institute in kashmir valley which is located in kanispora area of Baramulla Baramulla has the governmentBaramulla Polytechnic College, which was established in 2012. It is in the Kanispora area of Baramulla city. The polytechnic teaches three-year diploma courses inelectrical engineering andarchitecture. Government Medical college Baramulla has started functioning the normal classes since August 2018.
Baramulla has District Medical Hospital and District Veterinary Hospital, withradiology (x-ray) andultrasonography facilities. A new building for the veterinary hospital, is under construction which is near to completion and has got the indoor facilities for the pet animal patients.The District Medical Hospital is 300 bedded hospital and has all the specialisation facilities available.
Baramulla has a privately run facility for mothers and child hospital called St Joseph's Hospital. It was started in 1921 and is running smoothly to the entire satisfaction of the populace.
Government Medical College, Baramulla was inaugurated in year 2018 and started its function from its first batch in year 2019.
Eco Park is on the island in the middle ofJhelum river on the road from Baramulla town toUri. It is approached by a wooden bridge. It was developed byJ&K Tourism Development Corporation with a blend of modern substructure and natural exquisiteness. This ecological tourism park offers a view with mountains in the background,Jhelum river flowing along the island, and lush, green, well-maintained gardens with some beautifully designed wooden huts. It is one of the best places to visit in the Baramulla and is a popular destination for locals particularly on summer evenings; it is developing into a major tourist attraction as well.[36]
A cable car project and expansion of Eco Park are planned.[37]
Baramulla is about 55 km (34 mi) from Srinagar, capital of Jammu and Kashmir state.National Highway NH-1 starting from theLine of Control and passing through Uri connects the city with Srinagar and continues to Leh. NH-1 was formerly called NH-1A beforerenumbering of all national highways byNational Highway Authority of India in 2010 year. NH-1 joinsNH-44 at Srinagar. Taxi and bus service is available from Srinagar and Jammu. The road from Srinagar to Baramulla is regarded as the best motorable and best maintained road in the valley.[citation needed]
The 123-kilometre (76 mi) road from Muzaffarabad to Baramulla runs along the Jhelum River. On the Pakistani side, it is known as "Srinagar Road." Starting from Domel Bridge,Muzaffarabad and ending at theChaktothi-Uri Border Crossing atLOC It crosses theLine of Control and passes throughUri, 45 km (28 mi) west of Baramulla asNational Highway NH-1. The first 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) of the road from Uri to Baramulla does not run along the river, but the remaining 40 km (25 mi) is scenic, passing wooded mountainsides and cliffs. The road was reopened in 2005 for controlled travel bybus but again closed in 2019.
Baramulla is connected to Kupwara byNational Highway NH-701 a 130-km road from Baramulla to Tangdhar passing through towns ofWatergam andHandwara. The distance from Baramulla toWatergam is 15 km whereas from Baramulla toHandwara is 29 km. The distance fromKupwara to Baramulla is 47 km.
Sheikh-ul-Alam International Airport atSrinagar is the nearest airport, 60 km (37 mi) southeast; The Jammu Airport, in the winter capital of the state.
Baramulla is the last station on the 119-kilometre (74 mi)-longBaramulla-Srinagar-Banihal-Sangaldan railway line, opened partially in October 2009 and later extended, connecting with Srinagar,Qazigund andBanihal across thePir Panjal mountains through the 11.2-kilometre (7.0 mi)-longBanihal railway tunnel. This railway track is planned to connect with theIndian Railways Network throughChenab Rail Bridge.
The nearest railway terminus for long-distance trains isKatra, about 276 km (171 mi) south.
That the valley of Kashmir was once a vast lake, known as "Satisaras", the lake of Parvati (consort of Shiva), is enshrined in our traditions. There are many mythological stories connected with the desiccation of the lake, before the valley was fit for habitation. The narratives make it out that it was occupied by a demon 'Jalodbhava', till Lord Vishnu assumed the form of a boar and struck the mountain at Baramulla (ancient Varahamula) boring an opening in it for the water to flow out.
Pandit Gwashlal Koul who wrote that 15,000 to 20,000 people were killed.
As most of these Hindi albeit Gujari speakers have been shown as concentrated in Baramulla, Kupwara, Punch, Rajouri and Doda districts, their Gujar identity becomes obvious. The number of Punjabi speakers in 1961, 1971 and 1981 Census Reports, actually reflects the number of Sikhs who have maintained their language and culture, and who are concentrated mainly inSrinagar,Badgam, Tral, Baramulla (all in Kashmir region), Udhampur and Jammu.
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