Rajouri district is an administrative district in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, India. Located in the Pir Panjal range, it lies in the south-western part of the territory and shares an international border with Pakistan-administered Kashmir along the Line of Control (LoC). The district headquarters is the town of Rajouri, situated on the banks of the Tawi tributary system, on the historic Mughal Road that connects the Jammu region to the Kashmir Valley.
| Region | Jammu division |
|---|---|
| Union Territory | Jammu and Kashmir |
| Headquarters | Rajouri |
| Country | India |
| Borders | Poonch (north), Reasi (east), Jammu (south-east), Pakistan-administered Kashmir (west, along the LoC) |
| Major language | Gojri, Pahari, Dogri, Urdu, Kashmiri |
| Notable feature | Mughal Road, Pir Panjal range |
The district is largely mountainous, lying along the southern slopes of the Pir Panjal range. Elevations vary widely, from lower foothills near the plains of Jammu to high alpine pastures and passes such as the Pir Ki Gali, through which the Mughal Road traverses to reach Shopian in the Kashmir Valley. The terrain is drained by tributaries of the Chenab river system. The forests of the district contain deodar, pine, and oak, and parts of the higher reaches are used as summer pastures by Gujjar and Bakarwal communities.
Rajouri district is divided into several tehsils, including Rajouri, Nowshera, Sunderbani, Kalakote, Thanamandi, Budhal, Manjakote, Darhal, and Khawas, among others created in subsequent reorganisations. The district is part of the Jammu division for revenue and administrative purposes and falls under the Anantnag–Rajouri parliamentary constituency for Lok Sabha elections following the delimitation exercise carried out in Jammu and Kashmir.
Rajouri has a long recorded history and is identified by some scholars with the ancient kingdom of Rajapuri mentioned in Kalhana's Rajatarangini, which describes its rulers as contemporaries and sometimes vassals of the kings of Kashmir. The Chinese pilgrim Xuanzang, who travelled through the region in the seventh century, refers to a kingdom in this area in his accounts.
During the Mughal period, Rajouri lay on the imperial route between Lahore and Srinagar, and the rulers built a series of sarais (rest-houses) along this Mughal Road, several of which survive as protected monuments. The region was later ruled by local Muslim chiefs before being absorbed into the Dogra dominions in the nineteenth century, becoming part of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir under Maharaja Gulab Singh after 1846.
After the accession of Jammu and Kashmir to India in 1947, Rajouri saw heavy fighting during the first India–Pakistan war. The town was recaptured by the Indian Army on 13 April 1948 in an operation associated with Brigadier Mohammad Usman, who was later killed in action and posthumously awarded the Mahavir Chakra. The district has since remained close to the Line of Control and has experienced cross-border tensions during subsequent India–Pakistan wars and the insurgency that began in the late 1980s.
Following the reorganisation of Jammu and Kashmir under the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, Rajouri became a district of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
The population of Rajouri district is religiously and linguistically mixed, with significant Muslim, Hindu, and Sikh communities. Among Muslims, the Gujjar and Bakarwal pastoralist communities, along with Pahari-speaking groups, form a large share of the population. Dogri and Pahari speakers are concentrated in the southern tehsils such as Nowshera, Sunderbani, and Kalakote. Gojri and Pahari are widely spoken alongside Urdu, the official language, while Hindi and Punjabi are also understood.
The economy is predominantly agrarian. Maize, wheat, paddy, and pulses are the principal crops, supplemented by horticulture, particularly walnuts, almonds, and apples in the higher belts. Livestock rearing, especially of sheep and goats by transhumant Bakarwal families, is significant. Government employment, the security forces, and small-scale trade along the Jammu–Poonch highway and the Mughal Road also contribute to local livelihoods.
Rajouri is connected to Jammu by the Jammu–Poonch national highway. The Mughal Road links the district to Shopian in the Kashmir Valley, providing an alternative route to the Srinagar–Jammu national highway, although it is closed by snow during winter. The nearest broad-gauge railway stations are at Jammu Tawi and Udhampur, while the nearest airport is Jammu Airport.
Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah University, established in 2002 and named after the Sufi saint of Shahdara Sharief, is located in Rajouri and is the principal centre of higher education in the district. The Government Medical College, Rajouri, was established to expand medical education in the Pir Panjal region.