Geography

Demography

• Jammu
• Ladakh
• Srinagar

Demography

The climate of Jammu and Kashmir is of the following six stages, they are:

Spring - March to May
Summer - May to July
Rainy Season - July to September
Autumn - September to November
Winter - November to January
Ice Cold - Jan to March

Jammu and Kashmir is the only state where education is free up to university stage. Seasonal schools have been opened for people in the hilly areas and for the scheduled castes.

Yet the state is educationally backward. Against the national literacy rate of 44.18% for males and 19.55% for females, the state has a literacy figure of only 26.67%.

On the technical education side, there are two regional engineering colleges in the state. In addition, there are four polytechnics to impart vocational training. District institutes of education have been opened in all the districts of the state to provide extensive and intensive training to the teachers.

In the olden times, almost every Kashmiri home in the plains had a professional Kashmiri cook in residence, who were the masters of their art. Pure ghee and mustard oil was used freely and every mealtime was an event in itself. Gradually and with time, the ladies of the household learnt the art under the specialized training of these culinary masters and became as proficient as their 'gurus'.

Distinct from the rest of the country, Jammu and Kashmir sports a multifaceted, multicolored and unique cultural blend. Not only the geographical conditions of the state are different but it can also be set apart demographically with varied ethical and social entities, diversity of religions flourishing in the area, different language and cultural forms and heritage albeit with an over-reigning harmony that blends in with the serenity and beauty of the region.

According to a legend, the great sage Kashyap drained a lake and the Brahmins then inhabited it. The place came to be known as Kashmir. A land of turbulent past and present, the missionaries of Emperor Ashoka introduced the Buddhism in the region. The religion flourished under the rule of Kushan in 2nd Century. However, Hinduism continued to be the dominant religion of the region for many centuries. In the 7th Century, Durlabhavarrdhana founded the Karkota dynasty, which was replaced by Utpalas in 855 AD, which were succeeded by the Tantrins, Yaskaras, Guptas abd Loharas ruled respectively.

Kashmiri is an official language of Jammu and Kashmir, along with that urdu is also spoken there. There is a minor variability of Kashmiri spoken by Muslims and Hindus. Muslims tend to use Arabic words while Hindus use Sanskrit linked words.

The earliest us of kashmiri in literature is found in kalhana�s rajatarangini in which a three word phrase of kashmiri apabhramsa is used., and it also appears to be the mahanayaprakasa of sitikantha Acharya. In 14 th century saiva woman saint lal ded has written many compsitions in kashmiri which are still very popular.

Three major faiths are clearly dominant in different parts of Jammu and Kashmir. However, in terms of total population, Islam clearly dominates the Kashmir valley. Then comes the Hinduism and buddism.

Hinduism is the second most dominant faith in Kashmir. The majority of Hindus consist of Kashmiri Pandits and Gujjars.

Buddhist population is mainly found in the Ladakh region of Kashmir, where it predominates. In the main Kashmir valley, however, Buddhists are present in a negligible numbers.