History of Poonch District  Poonch District was a district of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir, currently divided between India and Pakistan. The Pakistani part of Poonch District (now a Division) is part of the Azad Kashmir territory, whilst the Indian Poonch District is part of the Kashmir union territory. The capital of the Pakistan-controlled side is Rawalakot; while the capital of the Indian side is Poonch. In ancient times, Poonch was part of the "Abhisara" region and formed part of Alexander the Great's conquests. In later sources, the region is called "Paranotsa", but also known by its capital city, Lohara, which gave rise to the Lohara dynasty of Kashmir ( 1003–1320 CE). Afterwards Poonch came under the control of the Mughal Empire, then the Durrani Empire and finally the Sikh Empire. The Sikh monarch, Maharaja Ranjit Singh gave Poonch to the Dogra noble, Raja Dhyan Singh, as a fief. After the death of Ranjit Singh, Dhyan Singh was murdered in Sikh intrigues, and the region was transferred to Gulab Singh as part of the Jammu and Kashmir state under British suzerainty. After the departure of the British in August 1947, the tribesmen of Poonch rebelled, inviting Pakistani assistance and giving rise to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947. The war ended a year later with the region being divided between India and Pakistan. When Alexander invaded the lower Jhelum belt to fight Porus, the Jhelum valley region was known as "Abhisara". It is likely that the Kashmir Valley was under the control of this region. The Abhisaras submitted to the invader, along with Ambhi of Takshashila (Taxila), and the region was consolidated into the Alexander's empire. The Rajatarangini mentions Poonch under the name "Paranotsa". Xuanzang in the 7th century transliterated it as "Pun-nu-tso". Based on the Mahabharata evidence, and evidence from 7th century Chinese traveler Xuanzang, the districts of Rajouri, Poonch and Abhisara had been under the sway of the Republican Kambojas during epic times. At the time of Xuanzang's visit, the Kashmir Valley controlled all the territories adjacent to it in the south and the west, including Taxila, which is said to have been subjugated at a recent date.