HISTORY OF JAMMU AND KASHMIR | HISTORY OF RAMBAN DISTRICT
Ramban is a town in Jammu and Kashmir, India, and it serves as the district headquarters of the Ramban district.
Ramban district was carved out as a separate district from erstwhile Doda district in 2007, to address the backwardness, remoteness and aspiration of people of the area
The town is situated along the beautiful Chenab river in the Chenab Valley. It's conveniently located on the National Highway-1A (now NH-44), about 120 km from Jammu and 130 km from Srinagar. This makes it an essential point along the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway.
Before the J&K State was formed in 1846, there was a small village called Nashband (later known as 'Ramban') with just 15 houses on the right bank of the Chenab river.
When Raja Gulab Singh of Jammu became the Maharaja of J&K State, he decided to use the Jammu-Udhampur-Banihal route for the royal caravans to travel to Srinagar. Consequently, Ramban was designated as a halting station for these royal caravans.
The Dogras constructed a sturdy building and a wooden bridge near present-day Ramban to facilitate the crossing of the Chenab River. Afterward, Maharaja Ranbir Singh instructed the building of a road for carts from Jammu to Srinagar via Banihal, along with a suspension bridge over the Chenab River at Ramban. This road eventually became a national highway and is now being expanded into four lanes.
With the development of this road, Ramban flourished and gained the status of a district headquarters.
The Ramban district, where the town is located, has an average elevation of 747 meters (3792 feet). Its boundaries are defined by Patnitop on the south, Assar on the east, Gool on the west, and Banihal on the north.
The district is divided into seven Tehsils (administrative subdivisions) named Banihal, Khari, Pogal Paristan, Ramban, Rajgarh, and Gool, as well as four community development blocks: Banihal, Gool, Ramban, and Ramsoo.
Back in 2001, the district had a total of 116 census villages and 127 Revenue villages, with a total of 142 panchayat Halqas.
According to the 2011 census, Ramban district has a population of 283,713, while as, Ramban town had a population of 3,596, with 1,873 males and 1,723 females. The town boasts a decent literacy rate of 82.23%, with male literacy at around 90.42% and female literacy rate at 73.52%.
Population Growth Rate:
Between 2001 and 2011, the population of Ramban grew by 31.81%. This means the number of people living in Ramban increased by almost one-third over that 10 year period.
Sex Ratio:
In Ramban, for every 1,000 males there are 902 females. This means there are slightly fewer females than males living in Ramban.
Literacy Rate:
The literacy rate in Ramban is 54.27%. This means just over half of the population (54 out of 100 people) are literate or can read and write.
Notably, there's a historic fort called Gajpat Fort atop a mountain near Ramban. It is said that Sheikh Abdullah and Raja Sultan Khan of Bimbar were once imprisoned there. Sultan Khan was buried at Chanderkote.
Furthermore, the town has several mosques, including Jamma Masjid located in Masjid Market Ramban, and Jadeed Jamma Masjid near Higher Secondary School Ramban. Other mosques can be found in Maitra, like Jamia Masjid Salfia Maitra.
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