The Pir Panjal Range (
Kashmiri Kashmiri may refer to:
* People or things related to the Kashmir Valley or the broader region of Kashmir
* Kashmiris, an ethnic group native to the Kashmir Valley
* Kashmiri language, their language
People with the name
* Kashmiri Saikia Barua ...
: ) is a group of mountains in the
Lesser Himalayan region, running from east-southeast (ESE) to west-northwest (WNW) across the Indian territories of
Himachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh (; ; "Snow-laden Mountain Province") is a state in the northern part of India. Situated in the Western Himalayas, it is one of the thirteen mountain states and is characterized by an extreme landscape featuring several peak ...
and
Jammu and Kashmir Jammu and Kashmir may refer to:
* Kashmir, the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent
* Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), a region administered by India as a union territory
* Jammu and Kashmir (state), a region administered ...
and then Pakistan's
Azad Kashmir
Azad Jammu and Kashmir (; ), abbreviated as AJK and colloquially referred to as simply Azad Kashmir, is a region administered by Pakistan as a nominally self-governing entitySee:
*
*
* and constituting the western portion of the larger K ...
and
Punjab
Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...
. The average elevation varies from to . The Himalayas show a gradual elevation towards the
Dhauladhar and Pir Panjal ranges. Pir Panjal is the largest range of the Lesser Himalayas. Near the bank of the
Sutlej River, it dissociates itself from the Himalayas and forms a divide between the
Beas and
Ravi Ravi may refer to:
People
* Ravi (name), including a list of people and characters with the name
* Ravi (composer) (1926–2012), Indian music director
* Ravi (Ivar Johansen) (born 1976), Norwegian musical artist
* Ravi (music director) (1926 ...
rivers on one side and the
Chenab on the other. The renowned
Galyat mountains are also located in this range.
Etymology
The Pir Panjal range is named after the
Pir Panjal Pass, whose original name as recorded by
Srivara, is ''Panchaladeva'' (
IAST: ''Pāñcāladeva'', meaning the deity of ''Panchala'').
Panchala is a country mentioned in the
Mahabharata
The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; sa, महाभारतम्, ', ) is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India in Hinduism, the other being the '' Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the struggle between two groups of cousins in the K ...
in the northwest
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...
. However, there are also traditions that place the Mahabharata regions in western Punjab and southern Kashmir. Scholar
Dineshchandra Sircar has analysed the geography described in the ''
Shakti‐sangama
Tantra
Tantra (; sa, तन्त्र, lit=loom, weave, warp) are the esoteric traditions of Hinduism and Buddhism that developed on the Indian subcontinent from the middle of the 1st millennium CE onwards. The term ''tantra'', in the Indian ...
'', where this is indeed the case. Scholar
M. A. Stein
Sir Marc Aurel Stein,
( hu, Stein Márk Aurél; 26 November 1862 – 26 October 1943) was a Hungarian-born British archaeologist, primarily known for his explorations and archaeological discoveries in Central Asia. He was also a professor at ...
believes that the concept of deity must have been translated into that of a
Pir
Pir or PIR may refer to:
Places
* Pir, Kerman, a village in Kerman Province, Iran
* Pir, Satu Mare, commune in Satu Mare County, Romania
Religion
* Pir (Alevism), one of the 12 ranks of Imam in Alevism
* Pir (Sufism), a Sufi teacher or spiritu ...
after the region was Islamised.
Peaks of the range
Deo Tibba () and
Indrasan () are two important peaks at the eastern end of the mountain range. They can be approached from both the
Parvati
Parvati ( sa, पार्वती, ), Uma ( sa, उमा, ) or Gauri ( sa, गौरी, ) is the Hindu goddess of power, energy, nourishment, harmony, love, beauty, devotion, and motherhood. She is a physical representation of Mahadevi ...
-Beas Valley (Kulu District), Upper Belt of Chamba Himachal Pradesh and the Chandra (Upper Chenab) Valley (
Lahaul and
Spiti District) in Himachal Pradesh. The
hill station
A hill station is a town located at a higher elevation than the nearby plain or valley. The term was used mostly in colonial Asia (particularly in India), but also in Africa (albeit rarely), for towns founded by European colonialists as refuges ...
of
Gulmarg
Gulmarg (), known as Gulmarag (; ) in Kashmiri, is a town, hill station, popular skiing destination, and notified area committee in the Baramulla district of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It is located at a distance of from Baramulla and from Sr ...
in Kashmir lies in this range.
Passes
Haji Pir Pass (altitude ) on the western Pir Panjal range on the road between
Poonch and
Uri in
Jammu and Kashmir Jammu and Kashmir may refer to:
* Kashmir, the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent
* Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), a region administered by India as a union territory
* Jammu and Kashmir (state), a region administered ...
, India. Despite taking the pass twice in military operations (in
1948
Events January
* January 1
** The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is inaugurated.
** The Constitution of New Jersey (later subject to amendment) goes into effect.
** The railways of Britain are nationalized, to form British ...
and
1965
Events January–February
* January 14 – The Prime Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years.
* January 20
** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lyndo ...
), India left the pass under Pakistani control.
The
Pir Panjal Pass (also called ''Peer Ki Gali'') connects the
Kashmir valley
The Kashmir Valley, also known as the ''Vale of Kashmir'', is an intermontane valley concentrated in the Kashmir Division of the Indian- union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. The valley is bounded on the southwest by the Pir Panjal Range a ...
with
Rajouri
Rajouri or Rajauri (; Pahari: 𑠤𑠬𑠑𑠶𑠤𑠮, راجوری; sa, राजपुर, ) is a city in Rajouri district in the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It is located about from Srinagar and from Jammu city on t ...
and
Poonch cities of
Jammu Division
The Jammu division (; ) is a revenue and administrative division within Jammu and Kashmir, a union territory of India. It consists of the districts of Jammu, Doda, Kathua, Ramban, Reasi, Kishtwar, Poonch, Rajouri, Udhampur and Samba. Mos ...
via the
Mughal Road
Mughal Road is the road between Bufliaz, a town in the Poonch district, to the Shopian district, in the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, India. The 84-kilometre roadhttp://www.greaterkashmir.com/full_story.asp?Date=6_12_2008&ItemID=35& ...
. It is the highest point of the Mughal Road at and lies to the southwest of the Kashmir Valley.
The nearest town to the pass in the Kashmir valley is Shopian.
The
Banihal pass () lies at the head of the
Jhelum River at the southern end of the Kashmir Valley. Banihal and
Qazigund lie on either side of the pass.
The
Sinthan pass connects the Kashmir Valley with Kishtwar.
Rohtang La (altitude ) is a
mountain pass on the eastern Pir Panjal range connecting
Manali Manali may refer to:
Places in India
* Manali, Himachal Pradesh,
* Manali, Chennai, a locality of Chennai
* Manali New Town, a locality of Chennai
* Manali, Gummidipoondi, a village in Tamil Nadu
* Manali River, a river in Kerala
People
* ...
in the
Kullu Valley to
Keylong in the Lahaul Valley.
Tunnels
Jawahar Tunnel
The
Jawahar Tunnel
Jawahar Tunnel, also called Banihal Tunnel is a road tunnel in Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. Named after the first Prime Minister of India Jawaharlal Nehru, it was constructed for round-the-year surface transport between 1954 ...
is a long tunnel through Pir Panjal mountain under the Banihal pass connects Banihal with Qazigund on the other side of the mountain. The Jawahar Tunnel was named after the first Prime Minister of India was constructed in the early 1950s and commissioned in December 1956 to ensure snow-free passage throughout the year. It is at elevation of about . It was designed for 150 vehicles per day but now used by more than 7,000 vehicles per day. Therefore, a new wider and longer tunnel has been planned at a lower elevation.
Banihal Qazigund Road Tunnel
Construction of a new long twin-tube
Banihal Qazigund Road Tunnel started in 2011 and was commissioned in 2021. The new tunnel is at a lower elevation than the existing Jawahar tunnel and has reduced the road distance between Banihal and Qazigund by . It is also less prone to snow avalanches as it is at a lower elevation.
Atal Tunnel
The
Atal Tunnel
Atal Tunnel (also known as Rohtang Tunnel), named after former Prime Minister of India, Atal Bihari Vajpayee is a highway tunnel built under the Rohtang Pass in the eastern Pir Panjal range of the Himalayas on the Leh-Manali Highway in Himac ...
has been built under the
Rohtang Pass in the eastern Pir Panjal range of the Himalayas on the
Leh-Manali Highway. With length, the tunnel is the second longest road tunnel in India and has reduced the distance between
Manali Manali may refer to:
Places in India
* Manali, Himachal Pradesh,
* Manali, Chennai, a locality of Chennai
* Manali New Town, a locality of Chennai
* Manali, Gummidipoondi, a village in Tamil Nadu
* Manali River, a river in Kerala
People
* ...
and
Keylong by about . The tunnel is at elevation whereas the Rohtang pass is at elevation. Lying on the Manali-Leh axis, this is one of the two routes to Ladakh.
Banihal Railway Tunnel
The
Pir Panjal Railway Tunnel, an railway tunnel, passes through the Pir Panjal Range in Jammu and Kashmir. It connects
Quazigund and
Banihal
Banihal () is a town and a notified area committee, near Ramban town in Ramban district in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. It is a rural and hilly area with Kamirwah being one of the most prominent hills. It is located about ...
and is a part of the
Udhampur-Srinagar-
Baramulla
Baramulla (), also known as Varmul () in Kashmiri, is a town and a municipality in the Baramulla district in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. It is also the administrative headquarters of the Baramulla district. It is on th ...
railway project. The tunnel was commissioned on 26 June 2013 for regular service. It is India's longest railway tunnel.
See also
*
Ganga Choti
*
Banni Mata Temple
References
Further reading
*
*
{{Coord, 33, 53, 36, N, 74, 29, 19, E, type:mountain_region:IN, display=title
Landforms of Jammu and Kashmir
Mountain ranges of India
Mountain ranges of Pakistan
Landforms of Azad Kashmir