The Chenab Saga
Cross_ selections
The first part
A few years ago, Cook Studios released a song with the following lyrics
"Par chanan de dasse kuli yaar di."
The clock is ticking.
This song was very popular in which the story of Sohni Mahiwal was told who used to go across the pitcher in the scattered Chenab to meet her beloved Mahiwal.
Ever since then, I have been thinking that one should also listen to the story of Chenab, the master of love stories.
The old people also divided the rivers in this way
Ravi Rasqan
Sindh Sadiqan
Chenab lovers
Thus love came to Chenab that this river also brings with it many stories of love from Baha'i Kashmir and Pir Panjal to Punjab. And Punjab is the land of romance where three great epic stories like Heer Ranjha, Mirza Sahib and Sohni Mahiwal have been born on the banks of Chenab.
Therefore, it would not be wrong to say that love flows in the waters of Chenab. What is the reason that this river has been the favorite river of Sufis and lovers ... ???
The riverbanks that met the singer
The water bubbled in the waves
Take the flower of Eram as the sparkle of eternity
Sakhi came to Jhang in Chenab valley
Sometimes the instrument was teased by Bihar Masts
So the gong gung shajar we language chung
Let's shed some light on its history and its journey. The three stops of Chenab are India, Occupied Jammu and Kashmir and Pakistan which will be mentioned alternately in this article.
Himachal Pradesh is a state in the north of India which is famous for its beautiful valleys, mountain passes and hill stations. Surrounded by the high mountains of the Himalayas, the river that flows from this state which is called #Punjab_Ki_Ganga, it is not wrong to say that the romantic folk tales of Punjab have sprung from its banks. We call this river of love Chenab.
Chenab is a combination of 'chan' and 'ab', chan means moon and ab means water. It originates from the confluence of the Chandra and Bhaga rivers at #Tandi (Lahore district) in the Upper Himalayas. In these upper areas it is called "Chandrabhaga".
It flows through the Jammu region of Occupied Jammu and Kashmir and enters the plains of Pakistani Punjab. Together they form Panjnad, which falls into the Indus River before Kot Mithan.
Let's travel along this river and explore the cities along its banks.
Chandra, in Hindi and Sanskrit is called #chand_devata, which also means moon and moon. The river originates south of Lake Surya Til in the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. Lake Surya Til or Suraj Til Lake is the third highest lake in India and the 21st in the world which is about 800 meters long. It is located near the famous "Bara lacha la" on the Laha-Manali highway. The source of water of this lake is also the glaciers and drains of #Bara_Lacha.
From the south of the lake, Chandra flows in the form of a ditch until it faces south to east. Since this place is a mountainous area, there is no big city here. In its journey to the southeast, the river turns south from near the lake called "Chandra Til". Chandra Til is a famous lake in Himachal Pradesh located in #Lahol_Spiti district which is a tourist destination as well as a habitat for aquatic life. As Chandra crawls south, the population on its banks increases.
Passing near "Kunzam Pass" and "Kunzam Stupa" this river reaches "Buttal" which is one of the largest villages in Himachal. From Buttal it faces west and it flows along Buttal-Kaza and then Laha-Manali highways and reaches Khangsar. From Khangsar it reaches Tundi to the north, where it runs, waiting for it.
This was the journey of Chandrabhaga's Chandra. Now let's go towards Bhaga.
#Darya_Bhaga, originates from Bhag which is called the god of fortune in Hinduism. Bhaag is also attributed to the sun god. Thus Chandrabhaga can also be compared to the union of the moon and the sun.
The Bhaga River rises in the form of a small ditch near Surya Til Lake and flows west along the Leh Manali Highway, turning south at Patsui. In this area, it passes through high mountain valleys where there is almost no population. However, some temples and pagodas are located here. The river Bhaga flows through the green valleys of Jaspa and Kalung. Thus a great river of the subcontinent is formed.
The journey from Tandy to Chandrabhaga starts towards the west where it reaches Udaipur via "Trilok Nath" and Kishori.
Udaipur is a famous city in Himachal Pradesh which was formerly known as "Merkel" because of the temple of "Merkala Devi" located there. The city was named after Raja Uday Singh of #Chamba, which is today a district headquarters.
Adepur and the nearby #Trilok_Nath_Temple are two important pilgrimage sites in the area which are sacred to the followers of both Hindu and Buddhist religions.
After Adepur, it flows through many Sansan valleys and turns north from Ransani. In Himachal Pradesh, Chandrabhaga enters occupied Jammu and Kashmir through small towns of Chamba district like Porthi, Kelar and Dharwas and becomes Chenab.
Flowing through the lush mountains of Jammu, the Chenab reaches Padder, a tehsil and beautiful valley in Kishtwar district.
Its next destination is Keeru, where the "Kero Hydroelectric" power project is used to generate electricity for Kishtwar.
It then reaches Kawar via Gulhar where the Pakal Dul Power Project and then the Dul Hasti Dam have been built which has occupied Indian Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh including Occupied Jammu and Kashmir. , Supplies electricity to Uttarakhand and Delhi. A little further on, the Chenab joins the Marau River and begins its journey south.
Flowing southward, the number of temples as well as mosques on its banks increases.
A little further on is the city of Kishtwar on the banks of the Chenab. Kishtwar is the largest district in all the districts of the state except Ladakh and Doda. This area is also called the land of sapphires and saffron. There is a large sapphire mine in Padar here while # saffron is widely cultivated in Poochhal valley.
This land is very valuable in terms of minerals. Minerals, lead, gypsum and sapphires have come to light and other hidden minerals have not been discovered yet. On the slopes of the mountains, eagle, pearl, cedar and other timber forests flourish. These forests are home to all kinds of prey, big and small.
In ancient times, tributes paid by Kishtwar to Mughals and Kashmiri crown princes included falcons and jaguar birds. Agricultural products include maize, wheat and pulses.
Going further, at the place of "Thathari" Chenab turns towards the west. Here the mountains gradually get smaller until #Doda reaches the city. The city is the capital of Doda district. On the journey from here onwards, the river Chenab begins to widen and a clear change is seen near #chanderkot. This is because of the controversial #bugliharـdam built here.
Work on the dam began in 1999 and the second phase was completed in 2015. Pakistan had raised several objections to the structure of the dam under the #SindhTas Agreement, on which the World Bank sent a Swiss civil engineer, Raymond Lefty, as a mediator. Raymond acknowledged Pakistan's few objections while putting his support to India on the important issue of dam height and gate control spillway.
This power project has been constructed at the foot of Pir Panjal hills within the limits of #Ramban district. This district of Chenab Valley is known for its tourist activities especially paragliding, golf, trekking, camping and hiking.
From here the Chenab enters the Reasi District of Occupied Jammu and runs north along the Srinagar-Kanya Kumari Highway (which runs from Occupied Kashmir to Tamil Nadu), the largest road connecting the Occupied Territories with India. There are Maitra and Ram Binabad on its banks.
A little further on, it leaves the Srinagar-Kanya Kumari Highway and carries the water of a large tributary river to the south, reaching Dharamkund, where there are mines of gypsum and other minerals along its banks.
The journey to Chenab continues through the mountain valleys of Pir Panjal, even from Dharoot, until it reaches a place in Reasi district where a beautiful arch-shaped railway bridge has been built over it, with a height of 359 meters above the river Til. Even more than the Eiffel Tower in Paris. It is said to be the tallest railway bridge in the world which connects Adhampur with Baramulla and Srinagar.
I would also like to say here that India has developed and expanded its railway network so much that it has brought it to Jammu. While we have the situation of making new tracks, many of our tracks are closed and useless. I wish our tourist places like Swat, Murree, Muzaffarabad and Skardu would be connected to the railway line.
to be continued....