Kotli ( ) is one of the
eight districts of Azad Jammu and
Kashmir
, Pakistan
.
Kotli
the chief
town of the district, was originally a minor town between Mirpur and Muzaffarabad
, but has recently seen major growth.
Administration
The area now comprising district Kotli was a sub-division of
Mirpur District up to the year 1975
and was known as Kotli Mangralan. Prior to 1947, it was a part of
the
Kashmir and Jammu area, it
comes under the Jammu section which is part of the greater dispute
between India and Pakistan.
The district is bounded by the occupying
Indian forces of Indian-administered Kashmir
in the east, and by Mirpur District in the south and Rawalakot to its north.
The district is divided into four
tehsils
(sub-divisions)
District Kotli has five seats (Constituencies) in Azad Kashmir
assembly,
The district covers a total area of 1862 square kilometres.
Kotli is now the
largest city by population (656,000).
Before the
division of Kashmir in 1947, Nakyal was part of Mehndar sub-division of Poonch
.
History
Geography
Kotli is a hilly area rising gradually towards the high mountains
of
Poonch District. Its climate is
more moderate than that of Mirpur due to the sub-mountainous
topography. The river Poonch passes through Kotli to be joined by a
smaller river called the Baan at Brahli, a short distance from
Kotli.
The
district headquarters is at a distance of 141 km from Islamabad
- the capital of Pakistan. It is linked with
Mirpur by two metalled roads, one via
Gulpur
and Rajdhani, and the other via Dhungi and Charohi.
It is also directly
linked with Islamabad and Rawalpindi
via Sehnsa and Holar. Kotli has basic
facilities like a main bazaar, banks, hospitals, colleges,
telephone and telegraph office and hotels.Kotli has a scenic
landscape with many mosques. Dahmole is a beautiful village near by
Kotli and is a great place to live.
At a distance of 26 km from Kotli
via a metalled road lies Tattapani
, a popular tourist and mythical destination.
Thousands of people flock to the sulphur springs each year in the
hope to find magical cures for illnesses.
Southeast of Kotli is the town of
Khoi
Ratta, is famous for its annual
Baisakhi festival.
Southwest is the small town of
Gulpur, where
a large
refugee camp is situated.
Adjoining Gulpur is
Throtchi famous for its
castle built in 1460. It was here in 1947 that a contingent of
local men headed by Col. Mahmood defeated and chased out the
Dogra army.
West of Gulpur, on the Kotli-Rawalpindi road,
Sehnsa lies just before
Holar
(the boundary point between Azad Kashmir and Pakistan). Sehnsa is a
sub-divisional (
Tehsil) headquarters of Kotli
district in the centre of Sehnsa valley. It is situated at a
distance of 35 km from Kotli. Nearby is the scenic
Bruhian surrounded by Chir forests and natural
beauty.
Kotli district is a hilly area with narrow valleys and rises
gradually towards the high mountains of Poonch district.
These
hills are the southern limits of the Pir Panjal Range
. The average height in the eastern and
central part of the district is about 1000 meters above sea level.
The rest of the area is less than 1000 meters in altitude. Hills
are generally covered with coniferous trees.
Rivers and Streams
The
Poonch is the main river in this area, and enters the district from
the north at Tata Pani and flows south
passing west of Kotli town and finally enters Mirpur district
before flowing into Mangla
Lake
. Jhelum rivers makes the western boundary of
the district and flows in north-south direction. The
Rangpur Nala is an important western tributary
of the Poonch river while two important streams namely
Ban Nala and
Mahuli Nala
join it from the east. The River Poonch passes through Kotli to be
joined by a smaller river called the Baan at Brahli, a short
distance from Kotli.
Climate
Kotli's climate is more moderate than that of
Mirpur due to the sub-mountainous topography. The
climate of the district is generally hot in summer and cold in
winter. The Eastern and northern parts are dry and cold. Where as
the western areas are a little hot. June is the hottest month with
the mean maximum and minimum temperature of about 38 C to 25 C
respectively. January is the coldest in month with the mean maximum
and minimum temperatures of about 18C and 5C respectively.The mean
annual rainfall is about 1300 millimetres, more than half of which
occurs during July and August.
Notable places
Situated 4 Kilometers from Kotli City Centerand famous for one the
campuses of Azad Jammu& Kashmir University. The institute is
one ofthe country's best educational institutes forBusiness
Studies, Public Administration, Commerceand Information Technology
Degrees.
- Teenda 6 kilometres from Kotli city which
is where the notable Khan-Wali family hail from.
- Hajiabad a midway point for the
travellers coming from Rawalpindi and Islamabad.
- Sehnsa is well known for its variety of
shops and as a trading base, connecting the town to many other
parts of Azad Kashmir as well as Pakistan.Sehnsa
Valley is a very beautiful valley.
- TATTAPANI is 23 kilometres away from kotli
city. Tattapani is famous for natural hot water springs. It is a
very famous visiting place in kotli.
- Janjora is 5 kilometres away from Tattapani
and a beautiful landscape.It is the coldest part of district kotli
in winter season. it is surrounded by high mountains of thathi,
bharmoch and marot.
- Khuiratta
located 38 kilometres from Kotli famous for its
vasakhi mela.
- Karela Majhan - A tourist site is
located 10 kilometres from Fatehpur.
- Dandli located 13 kilometres from Kotli,
contains many mineral resources.
- Nailan
is a small
village located on the bank of tiny river at the bottom of hills,
it is one the coldest places in the district.
- Barali
is a small
village located between Kotli and Gulpur, it is a very beautiful little town with vast
fields and great views.It is really very beautiful valley.
Raja Samad Khan, Raja Karmudi Khan, Raja Shadman Khan,and Raja
Sattar Khan were the Mangral Rajput
Chieftains who fought against the dogra Army and tried their best
to liberate the territory.
- Rajdhani
a village located centrally between the cities of
Kotli & Mirpur.
Ethnic Groups
see main article Ethnic Groups of Azad
Kashmir
Kotli now has a diverse mix of people. Malik, Khawaja,
Butt,
Kahlotra ,
Ansari,
Chibb,
Rathore, Pakhtuns,
Arain,
Janjua,
Mangral Rajputs,
Bais Rajput,
Sulehria
Rajput,
Jarral Rajput,
Syed,
Gujar,
Jats,
Thakial Rajputs,
Narma,
Awan,
Sudhan,
Rajputs, Mir and
Mughals.[chouhan rajpoot]
Languages
The native languages spoken in this district are
Gojri,
Pahari and
Punjabi.
Image:View from Kotli.JPG|View of Kotli
Image:Kotli from above.JPG|View of Kotli from Aboveimage:kotli
river 1.jpeg|view of kotli river 1
References
External links
or Fatehpur
Thakiala- due to its high altitude it is a comparatively cold
part of the district.
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