Sopore

 town, taluka headquarter

Tehsil Sopore, District Baramulla, Jammu Kashmir, Bharat.

Sopore is a town in the Baramulla District of Jammu and Kashmir. It is 35 km (22 mi) north-west of Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir and 16 kilometers south west from the District headquarters of Baramulla. Sopore is a trading center and is surrounded by a large number of hamlets.

The town is famous for its apples[citation needed] which are considered among one of the best in Asia,[citation needed] and has thus been given the name Sopore which translates to Apple Town in english.Sopore was founded by the famous Utpala engineer and irrigation minister Suyya during the peaceful reign of king Avantivarman in 880 AD. Actually the word Sopore comes from Suyya-pur. Till the end of 14th Century the village did not observe any significant growth. It was after independence that Sopur saw a rapid rise in population and expansion of the village. After independence, a new bridge about 1.5 miles downstream from the site of old bridge was constructed and agglomeration of Administrative Offices brought radical change in the overall development of the village. The rapid urban growth of the village can be attributed mainly to its locational advantage as the center 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.Religion and Politics

The majority of Sopore's population practices Islam. 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,Baba Sahib Botingoo to name a few.

There still exist several old Hindu shrines including Rishi peer Mandir (Batpora) and Shiv 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.[citation needed]