Mughal Road

mughal road poonch

Mughal Road is the road between Bafliaz, a town in the Poonch district, to Shopian district in the Kashmir valley. The road is 84km long, and situated in the Jammu and Kashmir state. It passes over Pir Panjal Mountain range, at altitude of 11,500 ft.

The road brings the Poonch and Rajouri district closer to Srinagar in Kashmir valley. It makes for alternate road route to Kashmir valley from rest of India, other than over-crowded Jammu-Srinagar Highway through Jawahar Tunnel (Banihal Tunnel).

Mughal Road-Poonch-Rajouri-Shopian-Jammu-kashmir-Pir ki Gali

The road passes through Buffliaz, Behramgalla, Chandimarh,Poshana, Chattapani, Peer Ki Gali, Aliabad, Zaznar, Dubjan, Heerpora and Shopian.

The road was historically used by Mughal emperors to travel and conquer Kashmir during the sixteenth century. It was the route used by Akbar to conquer Kashmir in 1586, and his son Emperor Jahangir died while returning from Kashmir on this road near Rajouri.

mughal-road-Poonch

The new road was proposed in the 1950s, with the intention of improving the economy of Poonch and Rajouri districts. The Then Chief Minister Sheikh Abdullah had taken up this project in 1979 and named it “Mughal Road”, but it came to halt as terrorism took over. Bafliaz Bridge on the road was blown up by the terrorists.

 

Special Thanks to Poonch Calling  and Neha Bakshi for sharing these photos.