History Of Udhampur

Udhampur is a city and a municipal council in Udhampur District in the Indian Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. Situated among lush green forests of Eucalyptus, it is the third-largest city of the Jammu region and the fifth-largest city in the UT of Jammu and Kashmir. Named after Raja Udham Singh, it serves as the district capital and the Northern Command headquarters of the Indian Army. A Forward Base Support Unit (FBSU) of the Indian Air Force is also stationed here. Udhampur is used by the Armed Forces as a transit point between Jammu and Srinagar when travelling by road (National Highway NH 44). The second largest city within the Jammu division of the UT of Jammu and Kashmir.

Udhampur is a lush green area replete with eucalyptus forests. This city is the district capital of the Udhampur district and is a strategically important city for India as it sits close to the Pakistan border and thus, the Northern command headquarters for the Indian military is based out of there. To support the troops, the Forward Base Support Unit, which is an arm of the Indian Air force, is also situated here which operates out of the Udhampur Air Force Station. However, Udhampur also has many places of interest in and around the city to explore.

The Kiramchi temples located on the Udhampur-Jammu highway are a particular attraction in Udhampur along with other temples in the region such as the Chountra Devi, Babore Temples, Pingla Devi, and places of heritage such as Ramnagar Fort, Sheesh Mahal, and many others. Udhampur, much like the surrounding areas of the UT of Jammu and Kashmir has a rich history going back thousands of years. This area has been mentioned in ancient texts of India as Kashmir always played an important role in the cultural context of India. It is said that Sage Kashyap had drained a lake in this area and created Kashmir of which Jammu became a separate part much later. Indian kings ruled this area until the arrival of the Sultanates from the west around 13 to 14th century B.C. From then on, Kashmir remained a part of many cities and princely states including the ones ruled by the Mughals, Afghans while ultimately becoming a part of the princely state of Kashmir which acceded to India. After the partition of India and the formation of Pakistan, this region has been hotly contested which resulted in Udhampur and many other cities becoming important military bases for defending the country.