Bhimber

Bhimber lies in a valley between the Jammu region and the Punjab plains, about forty-seven kilometres southeast of Mirpur by road. Its warm, subhumid climate resembles nearby Gujrat, with wet summers, drier winters and roughly 974 millimetres of rain each year. The valley provided a comparatively low and sheltered passage through broken foothill country, making it a useful stopping place for travellers moving between Punjab and the mountains of Kashmir.

From about 1400, Bhimber was the capital of the Chibhal dynasty. Raja Howns defended the route in 1486, defeating a force that tried to enter from Punjab through Bhimber. The small state’s survival depended on this position between larger plains powers and Kashmir, and its rulers kept a court at the valley town for several centuries.

Mughal emperors also relied on the route. They used Bhimber as a staging point on journeys to Srinagar, giving it the name Baab-e-Kashmir, the door to Kashmir, and Jahangir mentioned the place in his memoirs. The Ain-i Akbari listed it in 1595 as a mahal under Lahore Subah with assessed revenue but no troop obligation. The valley gateway thus joined local dynasty and imperial travel.