BLOG POSTS JHELUM THE RIVER OF

KASHMIR
Trekking in the rain By Ibrah Bashir
Kashmir Great
Lakes Trek. From A Ches behith adris beithis Jhelumus (I sit here on the
Teenager’s banks of the river); Kadlay taar dei Na Kahn
Perspective Jhelumus (Will someone help me cross?); Naaive
hundh paile chu aaivul Jhelumus (My boat is
Four seasons of
Kashmir fragile); Khotsan ches naaive manz Jhelumus (And
I fear to cross alone) “Songwriter; Mhd. Muneem
Kashmiri Nazir”
Handicrafts
From the spring of deep blue water at Verinag, in western
Wildlife, its Values
and Conservation part of Indian Occupied Kashmir rises an enthralling
river-The Jhelum. The River has an approximate length of
725 Kms and constitutes the westernmost part of five
rivers flowing through the Punjab region that merges with
the Indus River in the eastern region of Pakistan. The River
meanders from the northern slope of Pir Panjal Range
and flows through the valley of Kashmir, finally into the
Wular Lake residing in the bustling city of Srinagar.
The name ‘Jhelum’ has caught a great attention of writers.
Anjum Sultan Shahbaz in his book “Tareekh-e-Jhelum”
has stated that the word ‘Jhelum’ has been derived from
two words ‘Jal’ meaning water and ‘Hum’ meaning
snow; indicating that the origin of river is basically snow-
capped mountains-The Himalayas. Many authors are of
the belief that it was Dara-e-Azam who named it as ‘Ja-
e-Alam’ which was later modified into ‘Jhelum’. The River
 is known by the name of Vitasta in Sanskrit and Vyeth in
Kashmiri. The River is also famous for the Battle of
Hydaspes fought in BC 326 in which Alexander the
Great along with his army crossed Jhelum and defeated
Porus, an Indian King. Ancient Greeks regarded the River
as the son of Thaumas, the sea god and Elektra, the
cloud goddess. The river Jhelum adds to the aesthetic
beauty of Kashmir. Its beauty can be explored most
during the onset of winter season in Kashmir. It attracts
the visitors on a huge scale throughout the year. The
Mangla Dam and the nine bridges built over the river
serve as important destinations for sightseeing. The River
harbours number of fishes like Sattar, Chhurru, Khant,
Chush, and Punjabe Gad. The river is known to provide
livelihood to many fishing communities of Kashmir. Sand
extraction from the river bed generates a huge economy
in the business sector. Though being idolized as lifeline of
Kashmir, the river has many times revealed its atrocious
face. In 2014, overflow in Jhelum River due to extreme
rainfall caused the drastic floods that damaged many
properties and led to huge mass killings in Kashmir.
Nevertheless, the Jhelum with all its beauty, grandeur
and elegance has proved to be the best gift from nature.
It has been an asset to Kashmiris and has served them in
several ways.

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