[2] Representing an ancient principality, Rajouri was a joint district, along with Reasi, at the time of princely state's accession to India in 1947.

According to some historians, a second branch of Aryan emigrants crossed the Himalayas in the north and west and settled in Rajouri and Poonch area.

Early records of incomplete nature show that in the 4th century B.C.E., there existed in the north west of India a federal type of political set up in which Abhisar with its capital Rajouri was also incorporated.

Srivar, the writer of 'Raj Tirangini' written during the administration of Sultan Zain-Ul-Abdin, also named this area as Raja Vari.

Mirza Zafarulla Khan, the writer of 'Tarikh Rajgan-E-Rajour' illustrated in his book that this place was in the beginning known as Raj-Avar and then altered from Rajour to Rajouri.

Raja Prithvi Pal defended Pir Panchal Pass at the time of incursion of Sultan Mehmud in 1021 C.E.

[5] Following the First Anglo-Sikh War and the Treaty of Amritsar (1846), all the territories between the Ravi River and the Indus were transferred to Gulab Singh, and he was recognised as an independent Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir.

[7] Mian Hathu constructed a stunning temple in between Thanna Nallah in close proximity to Rajouri city.

[citation needed] After Mian Hathu, Rajouri was transformed into a tehsil and affiliated with Bhimber district.

The Pakistani raiders, along with the rebels and deserters from the western districts of the state, captured Rajauri on 7 November 1947.

[8][9][10] Rajauri was recaptured on 12 April 1948 by the 19 Infantry Brigade of the Indian Army under the command of Second Lieutenant Rama Raghoba Rane.

On 27 February 2019, Pakistan air force (PAF) crossed the Line of Control (LoC) and carried out airstrikes against multiple targets in Rajouri District.

Pakistan Air Force officials asserted that their target was supply depot of Indian military and had struck at 6 locations in Indian-administered Kashmir.

Indian military officials further stated that the bombs landed in deserted area and caused no damage.

[15][16][17] For over a decade, terrorism had primarily been confined to the tumultuous Kashmir Valley with some isolated incidents in other parts of J&K.

But that trend changed with the first dawn of 2023 when terrorists killed seven people in the border district of Rajouri --the first such major attack in the Jammu division in years.

On 1 January 2023, some militants broke into three houses in Dhangri village of Rajouri district and opened fire on civilians resulting into death of four and injuring many other.

On 2 January 2023, an Improvised Explosive Device IED blasted near the same attack site which results into death of a minor child and injuring five people.

It is planned to construct 400/132kv & 400/220 kv station at Rajori to resolve the electrical power supply to the statved[check spelling] area of Rajouri, Poonch Mendhar.