| Kishtwar | |
| Settlement Type: | Town |
| Pushpin Map: | India Jammu and Kashmir#India |
| Pushpin Label Position: | right |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in Jammu and Kashmir, India |
| Coordinates: | 33.32°N 75.77°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: |  India |
| Subdivision Type1: | Union Territory |
| Subdivision Name1: | Jammu & Kashmir |
| Subdivision Type2: | Division |
| Subdivision Name2: | Jammu |
| Subdivision Type3: | District |
| Subdivision Name3: | Kishtwar |
| Government Type: | Municipal Committee |
| Governing Body: | Kishtwar Municipal Committee |
| Unit Pref: | Metric |
| Area Total Km2: | 22.5 |
| Elevation M: | 1638 |
| Population Total: | 14865 |
| Population As Of: | 2011 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Demographics Type1: | Languages |
| Demographics1 Title1: | Official |
| Demographics1 Info1: | Kashmiri, Hindi, Urdu, Dogri, English[1] [2] |
| Demographics1 Title2: | Spoken |
| Demographics1 Info2: | Kashmiri, Kishtwari, Urdu, Hindi |
| Timezone1: | IST |
| Utc Offset1: | +5:30 |
| Postal Code Type: | PIN |
| Postal Code: | 182204 |
| Registration Plate: | JK17 |
Kishtwar is a town, municipality and administrative headquarter of the Kishtwar district in the Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir.[3] The district was carved out of the Doda district in 2007.[4] and is located in the Jammu division. The town of Kishtwar is situated at a distance of from the summer capital of Srinagar, and from the winter capital of Jammu. A large ground locally called as Chowgan ground is located in the heart of the town.[5]
In 2013, the municipality was the location of the Kishtwar Riots, which claimed three lives and injured 80 more,[6] [7] and was a conflict between Muslim and Hindu communities that occurred in the aftermath of the Eid festival on 9 August 2013 at Kishtwar, Jammu and Kashmir.
As of the 2011 Indian census, Kishtwar had a population of 14,865. Males constitute 63% of the population and females 37%. Kishtwar has an average literacy rate of 78%, higher than the Indian national average: male literacy is 82%, and female literacy is 42%. In Kishtwar, 11% of the population is under six years of age. The main language spoken here by Muslims is Kashmiri and Kishtwari, while the Hindus of Kishtwar speak a dialect of Kashmiri language called Kishtwari.[8] The dominant religion in Kishtwar is Islam, at 70.3% of the population, while there are 28.6% followers of Hinduism.
Kishtwar does not have its own airport as 2023, although there is a helipad located just 3 km north of the city. The government has a project for a 1200–1300 airstrip in Kishtwar in upcoming years.[9] [10] The nearest airports to Kishtwar is Srinagar International Airport located 208.8km away.
There is no rail-connectivity to Kishtwar yet. The nearest railway station is Udhampur railway station, located at a distance of 150 kilometres.
Kishtwar is well-connected by roads to other places in Jammu and Kashmir and rest of India, as several highways and roads pass through Kishtwar including NH 244.