The Hindu Raj ( ur, , translation: "Hindu rule" in

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

) is a

mountain range A mountain range or hill range is a series of mountains or hills arranged in a line and connected by high ground. A mountain system or mountain belt is a group of mountain ranges with similarity in form, structure, and alignment that have arise ...

in northern

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

, between the

Hindu Kush The Hindu Kush is an mountain range in Central and South Asia to the west of the Himalayas. It stretches from central and western Afghanistan, Quote: "The Hindu Kush mountains run along the Afghan border with the North-West Frontier Provinc ...

and the

Karakoram The Karakoram is a mountain range in Kashmir region spanning the borders of Pakistan, China, and India, with the northwest extremity of the range extending to Afghanistan and Tajikistan. Most of the Karakoram mountain range falls under the ...

ranges. Its highest peak is

Koyo Zom Koyo Zom ( ur, کویو زوم) is the highest peak in the Hindu Raj mountain range at . The Hindu Raj mountain range sits between the Hindu Kush in the west and the Karakoram in the east. Koyo Zom is located on the boundary of the Chitral Distri ...

, 6,872 m (22,546 ft). Other notable peaks include

Buni Zom The Buni Zom group is a prominent mountain area of Chitral, in the Hindu Raj range of Pakistan. Buni Zom (main) is the highest peak of the group with an elevation of . It is located about 50 km (30 mi) northeast of the town of Chitral, a ...

, Ghamubar Zom and

Gul Lasht Zom Gul Lasht Zom is a snowy pinnacle easily visible from any vantage point on the Tirich Glacier from the Shagroom side. It lies in the Hindu Raj range of Pakistan. It offers easy climbing and was first climbed by Kurt Diemberger of Austria. See a ...

. The peaks in the Hindu Raj mountains reach around 5,000 metres to 6,000 metres on average.

Etymology

The name Hindu Raj () means "Hindu rule" in

and its descendant languages, such as

Hindi-Urdu Hindustani (; Devanagari: , * * * * ; Perso-Arabic: , , ) is the ''lingua franca'' of Northern and Central India and Pakistan. Hindustani is a pluricentric language with two standard registers, known as Hindi and Urdu. Thus, the langu ...

. The word ''Hindu'', used to describe the inhabitants in the land of the Sindhu (Indus) River, is ultimately derived from the

word ''Sindhu'' (), which means "a large body of water"; the word ''raj'' means "rule" in Sanskrit.

Features

The Hindu Raj mountain range runs between

Chitral Chitral ( khw, , lit=field, translit=ćhitrār; ur, , translit=ćitrāl) is situated on the Chitral River in northern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. It serves as the capital of the Chitral District and before that as the capital of Chitral ...

and

Gilgit Gilgit (; Shina: ; ur, ) is the capital city of Gilgit–Baltistan, Pakistan. The city is located in a broad valley near the confluence of the Gilgit River and the Hunza River. It is a major tourist destination in Pakistan, serving as a h ...

; they are located south of the

Pamir Mountains The Pamir Mountains are a mountain range between Central Asia and Pakistan. It is located at a junction with other notable mountains, namely the Tian Shan, Karakoram, Kunlun, Hindu Kush and the Himalaya mountain ranges. They are among the world ...

and east of the

. Its peaks rise to approximately 22,500 feet. The Hindu Raj mountains run parallel to the Hindu Kush mountains. Its highest peak includes

, which reaches 6,872 metres.

Notes

References

{{Authority control Mountain ranges of Pakistan Mountain ranges of the Himalayas Mountain ranges of Gilgit-Baltistan Mountain ranges of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa