Baramula district General information
Baramulla is a district in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Baramulla District is the largest District in entire valley both with reference to the population and area. The District is spread over an area of 4588 Sq.Kms and its population according to 2001 Projections is 11.51 lakhs. Baramulla District is bounded by Kupwara in the North, Budgam and Poonch in the South, parts of Srinagar and Ladakh in the East and has the line of control in west. Baramulla town is about 60 km from the state capital Srinagar. The name is derived from the early Sanskrit name Varahamula. The District is administratively divided into 8 Tehsils, 16 CD Blocks. The city of Baramulla, founded by Raja Bhimsina held the position of a gate-way to the valley as it was located on the route to the Valley from Muzaffarabad, now in POK, and Rawalpindi, now in Pakistan.
From the very beginning, Baramulla has enjoyed religious importance. The construction of Hindu Teeratha and Buddist Vihars made the city scared to Hindus as well as Buddhists. In the 15th Century, the place became important to muslims also, as the famous muslim saint, Syed Janbaz Wali, who visited the valley alongwith his companions in 1421 A.D.chose Baramulla as the centre of his mission and after death, was burried there. His shrine attracts Pilgrims from all over the Valley. In 1894 the sixth Sikh Guru Shri Hargobind Ji visited the city and Gurdawara "Chatti Padshahi" was constructed in his memory, Baramulla thus became an abode of Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists and Sikhs living in harmoney and contributing to a rich composite culture.
The name is derived from two letters Varrah and Mul, which adds to living place of Varrah. The town is located on the banks of river Jehlum at the highest point of the river. Infact, the river forms a delta just in the outskirts of the town. The town is strikingly scenic because of open view of valley on the east and tall mountains on the west. Varrah was a extraordinarily brilliant engineer who lived in Baramulla during ancient times.
PLACES OF INTEREST
Gulmarg: 46 Kms from Srinagar is an idyllic summer resort in the clouds, and the hot spot of winter frolics in the snow. Gulmarg is a breathtaking valley at the dizzy height of 2730 meters. And on to Khilanarg, flower-spangled paradise, with a beautiful view of snow-capped peaks and lakes. Lein Marg, pine forests amd a succession of glades that take the breath away. And the shrine of the revered saint Baba Reshi.).
Baramulla to Uri: The first 25 miles of the gorge, from Baramulla to Uri, is through extremely fine scenery, of wooded mountains-slopes broken by cliff-surfaces, that rise to great heights above the path, while below it the river either flows in narrow rock-passages or roars over ledges and other obstacles. Some of the forest is of deodar, of which much has been felled to be sent down the stream to Jhelum, for use in the Punjab; the logs of it are seen as one passes, now being carried swiftly down, now being hurled by the current against some rocky obstruction.