Gurez

Gurez, or Gurais

Due to heavy snowfall (around 2 metres (7 ft)) and closure of Razdan Pass in winter, the valley remains cut off for six months of the year.^[10]

Gurez is 143 km from srinagar. From Srinagar to Bandipore

it is 57 km via sumbal & from Bandipora to Gurez it is around 86 km totalling 143 km from Capital Srinagar. Gurez people speak shina & kashmiri & are totally influenced by kashmiri language & culture . Both shina & kashir (kashmiri ) are dardic languages & are understood

to each other to large extent. Due to its minuscule number of speakers can be considered as dialect of kashmiri language.

History

Historically, Gurez was part of ancient

The ancient capital of the

While describing the Kishenganga Valley (Gurez), Walter R. Lawrence writes in his book The Valley of Kashmir,

"Perhaps Pahalgam, the village of the shepherds that stands at the head of the Liddar valley with its healthy forest of pines, and Gurez, which lies at a distance of thirty-five miles from Bandipora, the port of the Wular Lake, will before long rival in popularity the other margs. Gurez is a lovely valley five miles in length lying at an elevation of about 8000 feet above the sea. The Kishenganga river flows through it, and on either side are mountains. The climate is dry and mild, excellent English vegetables can be grown, and the wild raspberries and currants are delicious."^[13]

"The valley is extremely picturesque, as the river comes dashing along through a rich meadow, partly covered with lindens, walnut and willow trees, while the mountains on either side present nothing but a succession of most abrupt precipices, and Alpine lodges, covered with fir trees."^[14]

Habba Khatoon

Gurez's most formidable peak is Habba Khatoon, around which legends abound and at one time, even a film starring Dimple Kapadia was planned.^[15] This pyramid shaped peak was named after the Kashmiri poet Habba Khatoon. She was a beautiful and intelligent woman from Saffron village chandhara, and originally known as "Zoon" (which means Moon in English). She was the daughter of a peasant Abuddi Rather, who married her to an illiterate peasant boy named Habba. Zoon was ill-treated by her mother-in-law and husband, because she spent most of her time in poetry and singing. Dejected by her plight, she changed her name to Habba Khatoon.

The emperor of Kashmir, Yousuf Shah Chak, was enthralled by her beauty, intelligence and poetry. He arranged her divorce from Habba and married her. According to the story, Shah Chak was imprisoned by his rival King Akbar, Habba Khatoon used to wander near the peak that now bears her name to look for her lover. After her husband's death, she wandered the banks of river Jhelum in mourning. She died twenty years later by drowning into the jhelum and now her tomb is at Athwajan.^{[16] [17]} Habba Khatoon Drama club was founded in 1976 by the poet Late Hajji Abdul Aziz Samoon (Retired Police Officer; SSP). The club played a pivotal role in safeguarding the cultural ethos and traditions of the Dard-Shin tribe. Hajji Abdul Aziz Samoon(KPS) was also Chairman of Jammu and Kashmir Dard-Shina Development Organization (JKDSDO), a body representing Dard community in the state JKDSDO ^{[18] [19]}

Economy

Energy

There is no central electricity in Gurez, although, as of 2009, a

Because of the lack of electricity, there is no significant industrial activity in the valley. The only electricity which is available comes from a few diesel generators which provide power to some parts of the area in summer for an hour at a time. The Indian government's relocation plans are unclear, and it has not yet committed to providing hydroelectricity to those who will remain in the valley.[22]

Fishery

Kishenganga River, with a length of 150 kilometres (93 mi), supports world-class trout with an average weight of 11 kilograms (24 lb). As of 2006, there were plans to develop the fishery potential of the area, making it a resource for the surrounding region.

Fish in the river include:^[23]

• Brown trout (Salmo trutta fario)
• Rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri)

Demographics

According to the 2011 census of India, Gurez Tehsil had a population of 37,992 people with 22,978 males and 15,014 females. The number of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes numbered 104 and 31,094 respectively. Most of the people in Gurez speak Kashmiri and Shina.^[1]

Religion

Gurez is majority

Islam is the largest religion in Gurez, followed by 84% of the people. Hinduism is the second-largest religion with 14.24% adherents. Sikhism and Christianity form 1.1% and 0.3% of the population respectively.[24]

Peer Baba

The Peer Baba came from Multan (Pakistan) in 1933 and established himself in a cave at Durmat, north of Kanzalwan. He was about 35 years old, and his religion is unknown. He is said to have fasted for months without taking any food or water. On occasion, he came down to Kanzalwan and asked for food in

There is no railway connectivity to Gurez Valley. The nearest railway station is Sopore railway station located 115 kilometres from Dawar.

Road

The tehsil is connected to other places in Jammu and Kashmir and India by the Bandipora–Gurez Road. Road connectivity has been a major issue for the population due to their being heavy snowfall during the winter months. In 2015 the Border Roads Organisation had submitted a proposal to the Indian Central Government for the construction of a 18-km long tunnel that would ensure year long connectivity of the Gurez to the rest of the Kashmir Valley. However the project has not moved past the DPR stage.^[27]

See also

• Gulmarg
• Markoot
• Dawar
• Tulail Valley
• Operation Eraze
• 2017 Gurez sector avalanche

References

External links

• Official website

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Gurez.