Billawar
Town in Jammu and Kashmir, India
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Billawar is a town and a notified area committee in Kathua district of the Indian Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
Billawar | |
|---|---|
Town | |
| |
  Billawar Location in Jammu and Kashmir, India  Billawar Billawar (India) | |
| Coordinates: 32.62°N 75.62°E | |
| Country |  India |
| State | Jammu and Kashmir |
| District | Kathua |
| Government | |
| • MLA | Pt. Satish Kumar Sharma |
| Elevation | 844 m (2,769 ft) |
| Population (2011) | |
• Total | 11,916 |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
| PIN | 184204 |
| Vehicle registration | JK08 |
Billawar was founded by Raja Bhog Pal in the 7th century A.D.,[1] it was a kingdom and its capital was Basohli until the 11th century.[2]
Geography
Billawar is located at 32.62°N 75.62°E.[3] It has an average elevation of 844 m (2,769 ft). Billawar town is situated in the lap of the Shivalik mountains between the banks of the Naz and Bheeni rivulets, approximately 70 km from Dayala Chak on Delhi-Jammu NH-1A.
Billawar tehsil
The Billawar tehsil (1 of 8 tehsils) of Kathua district has 46 panchayat villages.[4]
History
Raja Bhog Pal, a son of the king of Kullu Valley, founded Basohli and established Billawar as the capital in 765 A.D. after subduing Rana Billo, a feudal chief who once ruled the area. The ruling house was subsequently known as Balouria, deriving from Balor.[5] The old name of Billawar was "Vallapura" as mentioned in Rajtarangni of Kalhana Pandita written in 1148 CE.
Demographics
As of the 2011 India census,[7] Billawar had a population of 11,916. Billawar has two boroughs - old Billawar town and Phinter area. Males constitute 56% of the population and females 44%. Billawar has an average literacy rate of 72%, higher than the national average of 59.5%; with male literacy rate of 78% and female literacy rate of 58%. 12% of the population is under six years of age. The major religions in Billawar are Hinduism (88.2%) and Islam (9.7%).
Places of interest
Billawar is known for Sukrala Devi, and Sukrala Mata Mandir is a major attraction of this region. Several devotees throng the shrine during Navaratri.[8]