Doru Shahabad is a town and hill station in Anantnag district of the Indian state of Jammu & Kashmir. Doru Shahabad is also known as historical township in South Kashmir`s Anantnag district. A most prominent and nationally renowned theatre professional of Jammu & Kashmir, Bhawani Bashir Yasir established Maraaz Cultural & Art Centre Shahabad in 1977 in Shahabad-Doru and after returning from National School of Drama (NSD). In 2010, a local resident, Mushtaq Ahmad Dar, invented a walnut-cracking machine that won a prize from the Indian government
Demography of Doru Shahabad
Doru Shahabad had a population of 199,429. Males constituted 53% of the population and females 47%. Doru had an average literacy rate of 50%, lower than the national average of 59.5%; with 56% of the males and 42% of females literate. 23% of the population was under 6 years of age.
Culture of Doru Shahabad
Doru Shahabad has been home to several notable personalities of Kashmiri history, Kashmiri Literature, Art and Culture. Famous Kashmiri poets, such as Rasool Mir (known as the John Keats of Kashmir), Mehmood Gami or Mahmud Gami (Jaami of Kashmir), Hamidullah Shahabadi, Asad Mir, Peer Mushkoor, Ghulam Ahmad Wani (Ama Thoker) and many others originated in Doru Shahabad. Doru Shahabad is also inhabited by some present day heirs of Kashmiri poetry namely S.M. Maqbool Fayiz, Yasir Kashmiri, A.G. Nisar Shahbadi, Waahid Kashmiri, Figaar Kashmiri, Armaan Shahabadi and the list goes on. The famous historian of Zainul Aabideen`s court, Mullah Mohammad, who translated Rajatarangini from Sanskrit into Persian, was also from Doru Shahabad. Another great historian of Kashmir, Mir Saidullah, the author of Bagh-i-Sulaiman, was from Doru Shahabad as well, as was Syed Mir Qasim, who served as Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister from 1971 to 1975. Syed Hussain, the brother of Syed Mir Qasim, who served the state of Jammu and Kashmir in different capacities is still living at Dooru. He has been M.L.A, M.L.C, chairman of the legislative council and executive member of several committees. He has also been member of Indian Rajya Sabha. The grand parents of religious scholar Sonaullah Mantoo alias Wafayi Amritsari and Asia`s famous short story writer Sadat Hassan Mantoo did also hail from the Mantoo Dynasty of Shahabad-Doru, who had migrated to Amritsar from Doru in connection with their shawl business. The eminent religious scholar Mirwaiz Ghulam Rasool Shah Sahib served the people of this soil for decades upholding the Islamic teachings and the religious enlightenment. Another religious scholar born on this soil was Mufti Ghulam Nabi Shah Sahib who was quite good at `fiqa`, Arabic and Persian grammars besides having fermancy in `Quran` and `Hadith`.
Tourist Places in Doru Shahabad
Doru Shahabad has Khankah Faiz Panah which has been originally constructed by Hazrat Mir Mohammad Hamadani, the son of Hazrat Ameer-i-Kabeer Mir Syed Ali Hamadani. The other important shrines of the town include Ziyarat Azam Shah, Syed Jaffer Madani, Shah Asraar etc. The older muhallas (settlements) of the town are Arabal, Mirmaidan, Sehpora, Mirgund, Khudhamam, Nadoora, Nathipora etc. and the new colonies like College Road and Iqbal Colony have added up. The well-known Mughal garden Verinag is located nearby at a distance of 4 km from Doru Shahabad. The Hindu tirths (shrines) like Luk Bawan (Lokapunya), Vitasta and Goswanigund are located in vicinity of the town.
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