Sopore
—  city  —
Sopore Location of Sopore in Jammu and Kashmir and India
Coordinates	34°18′N 74°28′E / 34.30°N 74.47°E / 34.30; 74.47Coordinates: 34°18′N 74°28′E / 34.30°N 74.47°E / 34.30; 74.47
Country	India
State	Jammu and Kashmir
District(s)	Baramulla
Time zone	IST (UTC+05:30)

Sopore, known as Suyyapur in antiquity,^[1] is a prosperous town in the Baramulla district of the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. It is 35 km (22 mi) north-west of Srinagar, the summer capital of the state and 16 km (9.9 mi) south-west from Baramulla town. Sopore is a trading centre and is surrounded by a large number of hamlets.

History[link]

Sopore was founded by the famous Utpala engineer and irrigation minister Suyya during the peaceful reign of king Avantivarman in 880 CE.^[2] As such the name of the city is Suyya-pur, which has been shortened to Sopore.^[2] When the engineer Suyya was working in Sopore no people were coming forth to plunge themselves in gushing water.^[2] The king, Avantiverman, thereupon ordered that a part of treasury may be thrown into the water; consequently, a large number of people plunged into the river to get as many coins as they could.^[2] The skill of Suyya worked and the river was cleared of silt.^[2]

Till the end of 14th century the town did not observe any significant growth. It was after the independence of India, that Sopore saw a rapid rise in population and expansion of the town. After independence, a new bridge about 3 km downstream of the site of old bridge was constructed and agglomeration of Administrative Offices brought radical change in the overall development of the town. The rapid urban growth of the town can be attributed mainly to its locational advantage as the centre of the valley, its rich and fertile soil which is good for agriculture, the abundance of water, potentially supportive for the rearing of a rich variety of fish due to the proximity to Wular lake and several forest resources.

Geography[link]

Sopore is located at 34°18′N 73°28′E / 34.30°N 73.47°E / 34.30; 73.47.^[3] It has an average elevation of 1,556 m (5,105 ft)). Sopore occupies almost central position in Kashmir valley surrounded by picturesque Lolab valley and Bandipora town in the northeast; on the west by outskirts of Baramulla city and on the south by Karewas of Tangmarg tehsil.

Demographics[link]

As of 2001^[update] census,^[4] Sopore had a population of 58416 and area of 61 km² making it the fifth largest town after Srinagar, Jammu, Anantnag and Baramulla. Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. Sopore has an average literacy rate of 55%, lower than the national average of 59.5%: Male literacy is 63%, and female literacy is 46%. In Sopore, 12% of the population is under 6 years of age.

The majority of old Sopore's population resides on the banks of Jhelum River which passes through the township. These localities are marked by homes with old style of architecture. New Sopore consists mainly of civil lines areas.^{[citation needed][clarification needed]}

Religion and Politics[link]

The majority of Sopore's population practices Islam, although there is a significant Hindu population. Sopore is also dotted by many places of religious significance. The more important ones include: Khan-kah Shah-i-Hamdan and Jamia Masjid. Besides there are numerous little shrines (locally called 'Astans') spread all over the place. Frequented by people from many areas, some of these spiritual places include: Baba Shukur Din Watlab Sopore, Shiekh Hamza Makhdoomi Tujar, Syed Fatullah Haqani Bomai, Saed shahib Darapora Zainagir, Daid Mouj Mundji, Arza sahib takya khan zainagair ,Hathi-Shah Sahib, Rahim-Sahib Armpora, Hab Shahib Hathlangoo, Shah-Dargah Sahib, Syed Jamal-Din Sahib, Khuj Sahib-Shiva and Baba Sahib Botingoo.

There also exist several old Hindu shrines including Rishi peer Mandir (Batpora), Shiv Mandir, Bhairon Mandir and Kali Mandir. Historically, many in Sopore used to venerate the local Peers (holy men) as in the past, the township was home to several of these holy men. The more famous ones are: Ahad Sahib, Lassa Sahib Arm, Ama Sahib Gaknoo, Aziz Sahib Vandhome.

Transport[link]

Sopore has a railway station on the Kashmir Railway line.

See also[link]

• Botingoo
• Sopore massacre
• Panchayat Cricket Ground
• Govt. Higher Secondary Institute Botingoo
• ISS or visit www.isskashmir.com

References[link]