Billawar

32°37′N 75°37′E / 32.62°N 75.62°E / 32.62; 75.62Country IndiaStateJammu and KashmirDistrictKathuaGovernment • MLADr. Nirmal singhElevation844 m (2,769 ft)Population • Total11,916Time zoneUTC+5:30 (IST)PINVehicle registrationJK08

Billawar is a town and a notified area committee in Kathua district of the Indian Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.

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°37′N 75°37′E / 32.62°N 75.62°E / 32.62; 75.62.^[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 is "Bilawara".

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%).

References