Kishtwar District is a newly formed district of the state of Jammu and Kashmir of India.District Kishtwar in the past used to be an independent hill principality the present name, related with "Kishat Rishi" who stayed here, is the modified version of earlier name of Kishaswar. Located about 238 km from Jammu at a height of 5,360 feet, Kishtwar in its ancient form Kashthavata, is first referred to in the Rajatarangini during the reign of Raja Kalsa of Kashmir (1063–1089), when "Uttamaraja", the ruler of Kashthavata visited the court of Kashmiri king in company with several other hill chiefs to pay their respects to the Raja. The Mehta Family was gifted the lands of Kishtwar by the King of Kashmir. Their family temple "Hatta Wali Mata" and their Heritage can still be tracked back to Kishtwar. The founder of this family was the Commander-in-Chief of the Kashmir Army "Sip-E-Salar Sri Jiya Lal Mehta". Known for his Bravery and valour he fought the Mughals and Northern raiders who invaded the land.
Sightseeing of Kishtwar,
Kishtwar city,
The Kashmir Sapphire is produced from a single mine at Padder valley. There is a gypsum mine at Trigam . The famous Synthan and Margan tops are high motorable road passes. The Steep Brahma mountain peak is sitiuated at Dachhan. Saffaron of purest quality is produced in iron rich soil at Pochhal, Matta, Lachdayaram and Hidyal. Kishtwar National Park in the northeast region of the district has a large number of peaks and glaciers.
Kishtwar Town,
The Kishtwar Town is central to this area. There is hustle and bustle during daytime. The number of vehicles is increasing day by day. There are two bus stands in the town. There is a small aerodrome outside the town, where the aeroplane often lands on SOS basis, Zanskar is situated to the north of Kishtwar, Himachal to its east,Doda/Bhaderwah to the south and Anantnag to the west of the Kishtwar Kishtwar town is 1634 feet or 530 meters above the sea level. This area is situated between 75.46 Longitude ease and 33.19 Latitude north.The velley Kishtwar is about 7 to 8 kilometers long and 4 to 5 kilometers wide .The total area of Chowgan is 520 Kanals or 165 acres.
Shrine of Shah Asrar
The Second Gous-ul-Azam Hazrat Shah Mohd Asrar –ud-din Is a sleep in a corner of the attractive and charming Chowgan in Kishtwar.He Lived only for Eighteen Years but in his short mundane life he performed great tasks and lighted the hearts of numerous people with faith. He trode on the footstep of Hazrat Gous-ul-Azam and provided valuable help to his father in preaching the faith. The writers have described his miracles so much that appearance of superhuman phenomenon seems a common affairs. Very Writers have dwelt upon his daily routines and way of preaching. In reality Shah Asrar-ud-din was a born saint whose heart was full of inspired knowledge.
Chinar,
Called Booune in the Kashmiri language, the Chinar tree is an integral part of Kashmiri culture. Almost every village in the valley has a Chinar tree. You can experience a cool breeze under the shadow of this majestic tree which is very conducive to health. It is unfortunate that in recent years the number of Chinar trees is decreasing. It is no wonder that if the present trend continues, the day is not far-off when the tree will see its extinction from the land of Kashmir. However, it is heartening to note the government is making its honest best to stop the illegal felling of this great tree of Kashmir.
Chowgan
In the center of the Kishtwar their is a big play ground/ grazing field called Chowgan. Its area is about 520 canals or 165 acres. It is surrounded by Chinar, Deodar and different kinds of trees. It is the main attractive place in the Kishtwar district.On its North their is a big temple called Gori Shanker Mandir and in its south their is a Shrine (Ziyarat) namely Asrar-Ud-Din- Bagdadi. Its ancient name is Goverdhansar which is a beautiful lake in olden days, but with natural crisis all of its water flow down after which it is used for playing and grazing field. This ground is now developed in a modern ground with electric lights and different types of flowers all around it. All live stock ( goat, cow etc.) of Kishtwar area depends much on this ground.
