Rathsoon

Rathsoon or Rathsun is a village and block located in the Jammu and Kashmir's Budgam district. It is situated at the base of the Pir Panjal Range of the Himalayas. It falls under the administrative division of tehsil Beerwah one of the nine tehsils of district Budgam. It is about 23.7 km (14.7 mile) via Beerwah-Budgam Road from district headquarters Budgam, 7 km (4.3 mi) from sub-district headquarters Beerwah, known as the Gateway of Doodhpathri and Gateway of Tosamaidan, and 29 km (18 mile) away from Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir. Magam, known as the Business Hub of Budgam district and the Gateway of Gulmarg, is nearest town to Rathsun which is approximately 4 km away.

The Sukhnag (Sokhanag) River, known locally as the spring of solace, passes through Rathsoon.

Etymology
Local tale says that the name Rathsoon is derived from Persian words rath "jealousness" and sun "gold". It is said that the famous saint of Kashmir Sheikh ul Aalam Sheikh Noor din Noorani, while visiting through the village, came across a few residents. While having conversations with them he concluded that: "People are friendly and land is blessed but it would have been gold (sun), if jealousy (rath) would not have been a common trait among locals." So he called it Rathsun. This is most certainly a false etymology.

Geography
The total geographical area of village is 4.44 km2. It is located at an elevation of 1,595 m (5,232 ft) above the sea level. The landscape, mostly the agricultural field area, is made up of plateau-like terraces known as karewas.

Population
As of 2011 sensus, the population of Rathsoon is 5,907 of which 3,191 are males while the remaining 2,716 are females and a total number of 1488 children below 6 years as per the report. There are about 596 houses in Rathsoon village.

Religion
People in all the hamlets of Rathsoon follow Islam and the whole of the population of Rathsoon belong to Sunni sect of Islam. Most of the people of the village follows the Hanafi School of Thought. Religious education is imparted through Madrassas either early in the morning or in the evening time.

Economy
Much of the local economy is agricultural crops grown include rice, maize, vegetables, apples, walnuts, pears, apricots and almonds. The staple food of the locals is cooked rice, and is seved at lunch and dinner. The economy in Rathsoon also includes smaller businesses such as shops, shawl work, knit-work, and embroidery.

Due to the large population, Rathsoon has a hospital, a marriage hall, a branch of JK Bank including an ATM.

Due to growth in the educational sector, the service sector has also increased professional jobs such as doctors, lawyers, engineers, and civil servants are also increasing in number.

Transport
The nearest airport from Rathsoon is Sheikh ul-Alam International Airport. The nearest railway station is the Mazhom railway station.

Education
Schools in Rathsoon include both government-run and private schools of varying levels. The 'Government Boys High School' is one of the oldest high school in the area imparting education to the common folks, thus Rathsoon enjoys a central position in educational field also. Besides this, a large number of middle and primary schools are also operational in Rathsoon.

Schools in Rathsoon

 * 1) Government Boys High School, Rathsun
 * 2) Government Middle School, Rathsun
 * 3) Government Primary School, Rathsun
 * 4) Government Primary School, Bon Pora, Rathsun
 * 5) Baba Hanif Ud Din Public School (Private School)
 * 6) S.N. school of Education(private  school)
 * 7) Iqra oriental school (private school)