Devi Gali: Pine Meadow Between Banjosa and Hajira

Devi Gali is a small village and pine-ringed meadow in Hajira tehsil of Poonch district, Azad Kashmir, at about 1,670 metres. It lies about 22 km south-east of Rawalakot by the most direct road through Khai Gala, and most people see it as a short stop on the same outing as Banjosa Lake. There is open grass and pine forest on the slope above the Hajira valley, and little else: no hotel, no stall you can count on and no entry fee that any source mentions.

The bigger point is where it sits: no more than about 14 km from the Line of Control, inside the zone where the UK government advises against all travel.

Where exactly is Devi Gali?

Wikipedia places it at 33.771° N, 73.857° E, 8 km from Hajira, 12 km from Banjosa and 32 km from Rawalakot. Measuring the roads on OpenStreetMap to those coordinates, we get about 22 km from Rawalakot by the shortest road, 15 km from Banjosa Lake and 11 km on to Hajira. Wikipedia's 32 km matches the drive via Banjosa, which is how most visitors come.

The map also shows that Devi Gali is not on the main Rawalakot to Hajira road, which runs a couple of kilometres to the east, but on a minor road that leaves the Pallandri road between Khai Gala and Banjosa. On satellite elevation data that junction is at roughly 1,800 m, Devi Gali about 200 m lower, and Hajira, on its river, at 966 m. The coordinates come from a short Wikipedia entry, not a survey, so ask for the turn in Khai Gala.

How do you get there?

By car from Rawalakot

1. Leave Rawalakot on the Khai Gala road. Khai Gala is about 10 km.
2. At Khai Gala, take the Pallandri road south, the same road as for Banjosa.
3. After 2 to 3 km, before the lake, turn onto the minor road for Devi Gali. Ask locally for the turn.
4. Follow it for about 10 km to the meadow.

OSRM, the open routing service, puts the drive at about 33 minutes; allow 45 minutes to an hour for bends and stops. We could not confirm the surface of the minor road all the way, so after heavy rain take a car with good ground clearance or a local driver. Our Islamabad to Rawalakot guide covers the drive up from the plains.

Without a car

Daily public transport between Rawalakot and Hajira, which Wikipedia notes, uses the main road and bypasses Devi Gali. In practice you hire a car with driver in Rawalakot for a half day with Banjosa. We found no published 2026 rate we would trust, so agree the price, stops and waiting time first.

What is actually at Devi Gali?

Wikipedia describes grassy ground surrounded by dense pine forest and mountains, and that is the whole of it. No source describes a ticket office, boats, a viewing platform or anything built for visitors. People walk under the pines and sit on the grass. Bring food, water and a bag for your rubbish.

Our Banjosa Lake guide covers the lake and where to stay there.

Why is it called Devi Gali?

Devi means goddess, and gali is a pass or saddle, as in Sudhan Gali. Local accounts recorded on Wikipedia say the spot was a Hindu place of worship before 1947, and that a Hindu queen, the devi of the name, came to worship at a nearby temple. The same entry says the temple was destroyed in the early 2000s; nothing of it is visible today.

The name is a trace of an older Poonch. Before 1947 this was part of the Poonch jagir of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir, with Hindu and Sikh minorities among a Muslim majority. The uprising against Maharaja Hari Singh began here: Sardar Ibrahim Khan, later the first President of Azad Kashmir, wrote that the first clash with the Dogra army was at Khai Gala, the junction you pass on the way, in August 1947. Most of the area's Hindus and Sikhs fled or were killed in the violence that followed.

The village is also called Aamir Hussain Shaheed Gali, or Shaheed Gali. We could not find a reliable account of who Aamir Hussain was; older residents are the people to ask.

How close is Devi Gali to the Line of Control?

Close. Wikipedia describes Hajira, a few kilometres on, as the nearest major town to the LoC. In a straight line from the published coordinates, Devi Gali is about 14 km (8.5 miles) from Tatrinote, a village on the LoC itself; Banjosa is about 18 km from Tatrinote and Rawalakot about 25 km. The LoC bends, so these are distances to one point on it, not to its nearest point.

What that means in 2026:

• UK advice. Updated 22 September 2026, it is against all travel within 10 miles of the LoC, which includes Devi Gali, and against all but essential travel to the rest of Azad Kashmir. Foreign-passport holders should check their own government's advice, since travelling against it can void insurance. See the UK travel advice for Pakistan.
• May 2025. Wikipedia records that Hajira and the area around it were hit by Indian fire during the India and Pakistan hostilities, with deaths.
• October 2026. On 12 October four men from Mandla and Madarpur in Hajira tehsil were killed in a mine blast on the LoC. Pakistani reports said they had gone to repair a spring-water pipeline and that the mine had drifted from the Indian side; Indian officials described an infiltration attempt. The accounts conflict, but both make clear the ground near the LoC is mined.
• Protests. Rawalakot was at the centre of the Joint Awami Action Committee protests from June 2026, which left at least 24 dead in the first two weeks and more than 50 by rights groups' later counts, with internet and phone cuts of over 50 days by August.

Pakistani visitors still come to Banjosa and the villages around it. If you go on to Devi Gali, ask your hotel about the situation that morning, carry your original CNIC, keep to the road and the meadow, and never touch an object you don't recognise. Don't photograph army posts, and turn back if police or soldiers tell you to. Our guides to whether Azad Kashmir is safe and to Tatrinote on the LoC give the wider picture.

When is the best time to go?

At about 1,670 m, Devi Gali is at much the same height as Rawalakot (1,638 m), so its weather follows the town's: snow in December and January, according to Wikipedia, and the heaviest rain in July and August. April to June and September to October are the easiest months, with drier roads and enough daylight for Banjosa and Devi Gali in one outing.

Where to stay, eat and fill up

There is nowhere to stay at Devi Gali. Rawalakot has the widest choice, set out in our hotels in Rawalakot guide, and Wikipedia lists AJK tourism department rest houses, a few hotels and guest houses at Banjosa. Hajira has hotels and guest houses, but it is closer still to the LoC, and we would not choose it as a sightseeing base.

Fill the tank and take cash in Rawalakot. Phone and internet services in Poonch were cut for long periods in 2026, so download an offline map.

Is Devi Gali worth the detour?

It suits Pakistani travellers already at Banjosa who want a quieter hour under the pines, and families who want open grass rather than a busy lakeside. With a free afternoon and a quiet week on the LoC, the extra 15 km is a pleasant end to the day.

It does not suit overseas visitors, given the UK advice, or anyone travelling during tension on the LoC or unrest in Rawalakot, and it is not worth a special drive from Islamabad. With one day, spend it at Banjosa and in Rawalakot using our list of places to visit around Rawalakot.

Frequently asked questions