Banihal

Banihal is a town and a notified area committee, near Ramban town in Ramban district in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. It is a rural and hilly area with Kamirwah being one of the most prominent hills. It is located about away from Qazigund of Anantnag district on NH 44. However, the distance between Banihal and Qazigund is only 18 km by train on the new railway line which is much shorter than the road. The most common language spoken in the region is Kashmiri.

==Etymology== "Banihal" means blizzard in the Kashmiri language. Another view regarding the origin of the name of the place is that the word 'Banihal' has actually been derived from two Kashmiri words viz 'bah' meaning twelve and 'nallhe' meaning a rivulet. Twelve rivulets signifying the various brooks flowing through the area and eventually joining the small local river called Nalla Bischlari. There is yet another school of thought amongst the locals and some scholars in which the word Banihal is thought of as having a Persian origin. "Nihal" in Persian means greenery and hence "Banihal" would imply 'Eternally green' In some older texts, it has also been referred to as 'Devgol', meaning the abode of the Gods.