Pulwama District is considered as one of the pretty spots on the earth, because of its congenial climate, innumerable springs, streams, water falls, fragrant flowers delicious fruits and other natural sceneries. Pulwama District is one of the administrative districts of Jammu and Kashmir with its headquarters located at Pulwama. Pulwama District also is famous all over the world for saffron cultivation which is mainly grown in the Karewa lands of Pampore, Kakapora and Pulwama blocks. The district is also called `Rice Bowl` of Kashmir for maximum production of rice grains in the state. Pulwama District is spread over an area of 1398 sq kms.
History of Pulwama District
Pulwama District came into being in the year 1979 in the larger interests of maintenance of law and order, closer supervision, more effective control and above all to ensure balanced development of the area. Pulwama district comprised of 550 villages, which were grouped in 5 Tehsils namely Shopian, Pulwama, Tral, Pampore and Awantipora. Further, the district has been bifurcated in two parts namely Shopian District and District Pulwama.
Demography of Pulwama District
As per 2001 census, Pulwama District has a population of 4.42 lakhs. The total literacy rate of the district is around 49.60 percent; out of which male literacy rate is nearly 60.70 percent and 37.70 percent is the female literacy rate.
Administration of Pulwama District
In Pulwama District there are four tehsils, namely, Pulwama, Tral, Awantipora and Pampore. The total number of villages in the district is 319 with four Community Development Blocks and part of Keller block. The reporting area of this district has been reduced to 0.67 lakhs hectares from 0.98 lakhs hectares after creation of the new Hill District, Shopian. The Deputy Commissioner heads the administration of this district as the Controlling Officer. The Deputy Commissioner also acts as the district Development Commissioner for the development purposes. The Deputy Commissioner also acts as District Magistrate in matters associated with law and order related matters. Pulwama District is administratively divided into four Tehsils namely Pulwama, Pampore, Awantipora and Tral headed by the Tehsildars respectively. Pulwama district has 236 Panchayats and 554 Villages out of which 18 villages are uninhabited. The district further has been grouped into four community block and these are Pulwama, Kakapora, Tral and Pampore for development purposes. There are 131 patwar halqas and 236 delimited Panchayats.
Economy of Pulwama District
Agriculture plays an important role in the economy of Pulwama District. Agriculture products like paddy, oilseeds, fodder and saffron are the main contributors to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Pulwama District. Area sown more than once is about 0.26 lakh hectares and the productivity of the land in the district is higher than in any other district in the state. District Pulwama is famous for saffron cultivation which is mainly grown in Karewa lands of Pampore, Kakapora and Pulwama blocks. This district has the distinction of having the State`s largest Cement Plant at Khrew. Since the infrastructure set-up of the district is not properly developed, measures are being taken for the development of various sectors of basic amenities namely Transportation, Public Health, Education, Power Development, Medical facilities, Roads etc.
Tourism in Pulwama District
Tourism in Pulwama District offers the travellers from far and wide through its various sightseeing options. Like for instance, tourism in Pulwama District offers visits to many historical monuments and religious sites. Avantishwar Temple, Asar Sharief Pinjoora, Payar Temple, Jama Masjid, Shrine of Shah Hamdan, Kungwattan, Aharbal Waterfall, Shrine of Syed Hassan Mantaqui and Shikargah are some of the main tourist spots offered by Pulwama District.
Pulwama District is rightly called the "Anand of Kashmir" or "Dudha-Kul" of Jammu and Kashmir.
