Kote Ranka

The Kote Ranka Zaildari, situated in the rugged highlands of the modern-day Rajouri district in Jammu and Kashmir, was a prominent administrative and feudal estate governed by the noble Jamwal clan of the Dogra Rajput dynasty. Established during the consolidation of the Jammu kingdom under Maharaja Gulab Singh and his successor Maharaja Ranbir Singh in the 19^th century, the Zaildari system was implemented to streamline land revenue collection and maintain civil order in the mountainous borderlands. The Jamwal Zaildars of Kote Ranka wielded significant socio-political influence, serving as vital intermediaries between the Jammu Durbar and the local population, while also securing crucial trade routes passing through the Pir Panjal range. Following the termination of the princely state administration and the post-independence land reforms in Jammu and Kashmir, the hereditary Zaildari system was formally abolished, transitioning Kote Ranka into a modern administrative subdivision as documented in local records accessible via the Official Portal of Rajouri District.