Budgam

Budgam, in the heart of the Kashmir Valley, has a layered past that reflects Kashmir’s wider history. The district takes its name from the village/town of Budgam, which became its headquarters in the modern period. The area is often linked with early Buddhist and Hindu phases of the valley, and local traditions and archaeological references connect Budgam with old temples and stupas. From the late medieval period onward, Budgam’s identity is strongly shaped by Kashmir’s Rishi–Sufi culture. Charar-e-Sharief, in today’s Budgam district, became a major spiritual centre associated with Sheikh Noor-ud-din Noorani (Nund Rishi), one of Kashmir’s most revered saints; a shrine and mosque were established there in the 15th century, and the site remains central to the region’s cultural memory. Like much of Kashmir, the region experienced successive political regimes—Mughal influence and travel routes, followed by Afghan, Sikh and Dogra rule—before the modern administrative era. Administratively, the area was constituted as a tehsil in the Dogra period and was known as “Sri Pratap Singh Pora” in pre-independence records, later being reorganised under larger districts. Budgam district was formally created in 1979, giving the region its current district identity.