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.

[citation needed] Twelve rivulets signifying the various brooks flowing through the area and eventually joining the small local river called Nalla Bischlari.

After the closure of the Murree-Muzaffarabad-Srinagar road on the partition of India in 1947, Banihal pass was the only passage from Jammu to Srinagar after independence until 1956 when Jawahar Tunnel was bored through the Pir Panjal range.

If there is heavy snowfall during winters the roads are closed for few days until the snow is cleared from the highway.

In Banihal Municipal Committee, the Female Sex Ratio is 590 against the state average of 889.

Moreover, the Child Sex Ratio in Banihal is around 902 compared to the Jammu and Kashmir state average of 862.

Banihal has an overwhelmingly majority Muslim population with a minority of Hindus and Sikhs.

Naibat Banihal: Kashmiri: 85% Gojri:11% Khah/Pogli dialect:4% Naibat Chambalwas: Kashmiri:15% Khah/Pogli dialect:68% Gojri:17% Reference:Wadia Chenab Tehzeeb o Saqafat (وادی چناب تہذیب و ثقافت) by Shabir Hussain Shabir Banihal town has 645 houses and is divided into seven electoral wards.

Jawahar tunnel is maintained by Border Road Organisation (BRO) of the Indian army and guarded 24x7 by the CRPF (Central Reserve Police Force), which also monitors it by CCTVs as the tunnel is vital for the Kashmir valley.

Banihal railway station is situated at 1,702 m (5,584 ft) above mean sea level.

[11] According to the Rajatarangini (C-1000-1011 AD) – a chronicle that recorded the history of Kashmir and its Kingdoms and Kings, Banihal was known as 'Vishalta' in the 11th century and was a very narrow mountain valley which was used as an escape route by revolting Princes, rebel Chieftains, and even conspirators from Kashmir.It was then owned by Khan's after, Khan a general in the army of dogra army got it as a reward for winning a battle against tribals (kabayil).

Banihal is the metamorphosed form of ancient Banashala, an appellation that was in vogue even in the time of Kalhan Pandit (1128 to 1149 CE) who was the first historian to have written the most authentic historical account of Kashmir in his celebrated "Raj Tarangini".

He mentions that this mountain pass in Pir Panchal range connecting Shahabad pargana in north to the town in its south(now called Banihal) bore the same name.

In 1130 AD, when Jayasimha was the ruler of Kashmir, Bikshachar nicknamed Bhikshu, took refuge in the castle of Banashala which was held by the then Khasa Chief.

Pandit Sahib Ram, who in his book "Tirthas" copies Abu'l-Fazl ibn Mubarak's notes, metamorphosizes the Sanskrit name of village Banihal from Bhanusita or Bhanusata, i.e., rocks of the Sun or land of the Sun.

Banihal is very well-connected by road to other places in Jammu and Kashmir and India by the NH 44.

The Katra-Banihal section of the Jammu–Baramulla line will be completed by December 2022 which will allow trains from Jammu Tawi to directly reach Banihal and further into Kashmir Valley.