Pathankot district, the northernmost district of Punjab, India, was formed on 27 July 2011, after being carved out from Gurdaspur district. Pathankot serves as the district headquarters. The district shares its borders with Narowal district of Punjab, Pakistan to the west and lies strategically close to the Union territory of Jammu & Kashmir, in which it shares border with Kathua district and in the state of Himachal Pradesh, shares its border with Chamba and Kangra districts, making it a vital trade and transportation hub in the region. The district is part of the Jalandhar division.
Etymology The original name of Pathankot was Paithan during Mughal times, which is in turn believed to be a derivative of Sanskrit Pratisthana. Later Paithan was retrieved again by Chandravanshi Rajput clan (Pathania “meaning No Pathans”) and named Pathankot.History, Pathankot District, Government of Punjab, retrieved 6 February 2022. The suffix 'kot' stands for fort.
Geography
Pathankot is located in the foothills of the Sivalik Hills. It shares international borders with the Narowal District of Pakistan's Punjab. It also shares borders with the Kathua District of Jammu and Kashmir and the Chamba and Kangra districts of Himachal Pradesh. Hoshiarpur district shares a boundary with Pathankot in Eastern Punjab. The two main rivers, – the Beas and the Ravi, pass through the district.
Demographics
At the time of the 2011 census, the area that would become Pathankot district had a population of 676,598. Out of these 378,432 were rural and 298,166 urban. Pathankot has a sex ratio of 860 females per 1000 males. Scheduled Castes are 207,032 (30.60%) of the population.
+ Religion in Pathankot District Religion Population (1941) Percentage (1941)Population (2011)Percentage (2011) Hinduism 83,330 54.42% 598,237 88.42% Islam 59,548 38.89% 14,317 2.12% Sikhism 7,580 4.95% 52,858 7.81% Christianity 2,307 1.51% 7,292 1.08% Others 369 0.24% 3,894 0.57% Total Population 153,134 676,598
At the time of the 2011 census, 89.86% of the population spoke Punjabi, 5.30% Hindi and 1.20% Dogri as their first language.
Governance and administration
In the past, It was a Tehsil of the district of Gurdaspur. The present district was formed, as the 22nd district of the state on 27 July 2011. Pathankot includes the two sub-divisions of Pathankot and Dhar Kalan and the two sub-tehsil of Narot Jaimal Singh and Bamial
Subdistricts of Pathankot district According to the Indian government's integrated online directory, Pathankot district is divided into the following subdistricts (tehsils/subdivisions) and blocks:
Subdistricts Dhar Kalan Pathankot Blocks: Bamial Dharkalan Gharota Narot Jaimal Singh Pathankot Sujanpur
City and towns There are two statutory Cities Pathankot and Sujanpur in this district. The district also has 12 census towns, according to census 2011 which are listed below:List of cities and towns in Punjab Sujanpur (City Municipal Council) Pathankot (City Municipal Corporation) Jugial (Township) Narot Jaimal Singh (Nagar Panchayat) Narot Mehra (Town) Mamun (Pathankot Urban) Manwal (Town) Sarna (Pathankot Urban) Bungal (Rural Town) Malikpur (Pathankot Urban) Dunera (Town) Dhar Kalan (Town) Madhopur (Pathankot Urban) Gharota (Rural Town) Dhaki (Town) Daulatpur (Town) Jhakolari (Town) Kamini (Settlement) Mirthal (Town) Taragarh (Rural Town)
Other villages and settlements Abadgarh Kataruchak Mirthal, Near Beas river (Last town of Pathankot district)
Politics Pathankot district is part of the Pathankot Assembly Constituency.
No. Constituency Name of MLA PartyBench1Sujanpur Naresh PuriOpposition2Bhoa (SC) Lal Chand Kataruchakk Government3Pathankot Ashwani Kumar SharmaOpposition
Healthcare The table below shows the number of road accidents and people affected in Pathankot district by year.
+Road accidents and people affected in Pathankot district by yearYearAccidentsKilledInjuredVehicles Involved202295833813720211318546139202092634310420191159744112
Notable people
Ashwani Kumar Sharma (MLA) Seema Kumari (Ex MLA) Siddarth Kaul (Cricketer)
See also
Kathlaur Kushlian Wildlife Sanctuary, wildlife sanctuary in the district
References
External links
Pathankot tehsil map, Maps of India, retrieved 31 July 2019