Question

The state that has both summer and winter capital is _______________
(A) Assam
(B) Himachal Pradesh
(C) Jammu & Kashmir
(D) Andhra Pradesh

Answer 1

Hint: This half yearly shift is identified as Darbar move. Apart from the climatic situations, every year, crores of rupees are expended on shifting the official papers in hundreds of trucks. The government also organizes housing for the officials moving from Jammu to Srinagar or the other way around.

Complete answer:
The Union Territory Jammu and Kashmir, it was started in the 19th century by Ranbir Singh, the Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir, and there are various explanations behind the shift — tactical as well as climatic. In 1846, once the Treaty of Amritsar was authorized, the areas of Jammu, as well as Kashmir, came under the Dogra Kingdom which was the King’s reign. To keep the people of Kashmir happy, both Srinagar and Jammu were made capitals of the state, and the assemblage would take place for six months in both the locations. The further reason for the Darbar move is the punitive winters that make Srinagar unapproachable. It has 2 capitals — Srinagar in summers and Jammu in winters. Every year, from May to October, all the legislative assemblies are held in Srinagar, and from November to April, they move to Jammu which is the winter capital of the state.

Thus, option (C) is correct.

Note: There have been diverse views on this subject for numerous years. Those who want Srinagar to be the lone capital, say that Srinagar is positioned in the centre of Jammu and Kashmir. It has Kashmir to its north and Jammu to its south. Therefore, it is positioned politically and geologically accurate. Nonetheless numerous people are also in contradiction of this. Throughout winters the temperature in Srinagar falls lower than the freezing point and that is why the people employed in bureaus want to move to Jammu as it is not that cold in Jammu throughout winters. Likewise, retailers and additional dealers working in Jammu do not want to make Srinagar the perpetual capital as they get to receive more when bureaus are held in Jammu.