Doda District : Jammu & Kashmir

Doda district is one spread over an area of 11,691 Sq. Kms.The district shares common border with Anantnag District of Kashmir in the north; south-west and south are bordered by the Districts of Udhampur, Kathua and Chamba areas of Himachal Pradesh. From east and south-east is located the Leh District of Jammu & Kashmir. It is the 3rd largest district of Jammu & Kashmir in terms of area after Leh and Kargil. The district is covered by some of the famous mountain peaks like Marble Pass and Nunkun on the Suru Border.

The district of Doda has a rich and glorious past. It derived its name from its district headquarters Doda. Legends say that one of the ancient Rajas of Kishtwar whose dominion extended beyond Doda convinced one utensil maker Deeda, a migrant from Multan (now in Pakistan), to settle permanently in this territory and establish an utensil factory there. Deeda is believed to have settled in a village which later on came to be known as Doda.

Doda with its large forest area, snow-clad peaks, virgin trekking routes, health resorts and pilgrimages, offers a variety of tourist spots to the visitors. The worth visiting sites are: Lal Draman, Kailash Yatra, Gupt Ganga and Vasukinag, Reushra, Zumum Palmar, Sarthal, and Machail. Apart from these, the district offers a good number of trekking routes for the adventurers to pass through places with unbelievable captivating scenic beauty.

Facts & Figures

Area11,691 Sq. Kms
Area under forests5400 Sq. Kms
Latitude32°-53' and 34°-21'North
Longitude75°-1' and 76°-47' East
Altitudevaries from 8,000 ft. to 15,000 ft
Population6, 90,474
Population density36/km² (1991 census)
Sexratio904 females per 1,000males
Literacy Rate46.92%
No. of sub-division4
No.of Tehsils7
No. of Villages655
No. of blocks14 + 5
No.of panchayats262
No. of assembly seats6
STDCode01996
Postal Code182202
Average Rainfall35 inches per annum

How to reach

Doda, the district head quarter of Doda district is about 175 kms from Jammu and 200 kms from Srinagar. There are two national highways (NH-1A and NH-1 B) passing through the district. The entire district can be easily approached by road. Visitors traveling by train should get down at Srinagar airport, from where they can take bus or taxi to reach their destination.