Rivers of Pakistan – River Chenab

Origin of River Chenab	Length of River Chenab	River System	Basins of River Chenab
Himalayas in Himachal Pradesh, India	1,242 kilometers	Indus River System	Pakistan and India

The River Chenab was called Iskmati or Ashkini in Vedic times by Indians. The river is generally considered to be the second healthiest river of Pakistan after River Indus. It originates from the Mountains of Himalayas in the Indian state of Himachal Pardesh. Passing through the area of Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir the river takes a south western turn into the Punjab Province of Pakistan. The river is joined by River Jehlum at Trimmu and then by River Ravi. It then forms the Panjnad by joining River Sutlej near Uch Sharif before falling into the River Indus at Mithankot.

The waters of the river are allocated under the terms of the Indus Water Treaty between Pakistan and India. India has build many hydro power dams along the river and for that it has been storing and channeling the waters of Chenab. This is a continuous violation of the terms and conditions of the treaty and despite protesting of the Pakistani government many times the Indian government has always rejected the claims.

The importance of River Chenab is the same as Rhine is for Germans and Danube for Hungarians. The great love stories of Heer Ranjha and Sohni Mahiwal revolves around this iconic river giving it importance in the Punjabi culture.

Sohni Mahiwal-Pakistani folklore

 

Sohni Mahiwal is a tragic folk tale of two ill fated lovers. Sohni was the daughter of a potter. She was a very pretty girl and often helped her father at his workshop. She painted beautiful flowers and designs on the freshly baked earthen pots. As fate would have it, Izzat Baig a merchant from Uzbekistan came to Sohni’s native town with his merchandise. One glimpse of the beautiful girl working in a potter’s workshop was enough to captivate the heart of the merchant. He started visiting the shop regularly buying the earthen pots; Sohni then read the silent messages of love in his eyes and lost her heart to him. Later when he had no money left, Izzat Baig started doing odd jobs and even looked after Sohni’s buffaloes; this is how he got the name of Mahiwal. The two started meeting in secret but somehow the villagers came to know about their affair and told Sohni’s father. Enraged and alarmed, he hurriedly married of his daughter to another potter from some other village on the other side of the Chenab River.

Dejected by Sohni’s marriage, Mahiwal left the town in search of Sohni. Finally he found her and told her about his new whereabouts; across the river from Sohni’s new home. As the night fell and darkness spread, Sohni would steal out of her house and swim across the river with the help of an earthen pot which she hid among the bushes on the river bank and meet her lover. She then swam back to reach home before dawn. Her nightly activities aroused the suspicion of her sister-in-law who followed her one day and discovered her secret. She quickly ran to tell her mother (Sohni’s mother-in-law) and the two women hatched a plot to get rid of her. The next day Sohni’s sister in law replaced her sturdy earthenware with a weak sun dried one. That night the river was flooded and the weak pitcher dissolved drowning Sohni. Mahiwal watched his love being swallowed by the raging water too jumped into the river.

Next day to bodies were found near the river bank and the tale of Sohni Mahiwal became immortal.

Travel Pakistan – Jehlum/Neelam River

The Jehlum and the Neelam River-Facts

Jehlum River is one of the five rivers of the Punjab province of Pakistan. The name ‘Punjab’ comes from ‘punj’ and ‘aab’ meaning ‘five waters’ or the ‘land of five rivers’. Jehlum River is one of those five rivers and it is the largest among all those. This river flows in India and Pakistan and is the most western of these five rivers. The total length of this great river is 774 km or 480 miles. This river is a tributary to the Chenab River (another one of the five rivers in Punjab). It passes through the historical city of Jehlum in Punjab and that from where it takes its name.

Neelam River which is also known as Kishenganga is the river which takes its name from the sky color of water. There are also traditions that the name Neelam came from the stone/gem ruby which is found here. Ruby is called Neelam in the local language and hence this became the reason for its name. This river flows through the beautiful Neelam valley and it flows through the Pakistani and Indian held Kashmir and is considered as one of the most beautiful rivers in the country. It is also a tributary to the Jehlum River.

Travel Pakistan – Attractions of Muzzafarabad valley and Chitral Valley

Rivers and valleys of Muzaffarabad:

Muzaffarabad is the capital of Pakistan Administered Kashmir. It is located on the banks of Jehlum River and Neelam River. It is famous for its scenery and wooden houses. It is also well known for its production of dry fruits.

The Muzafarabad has many beautiful valleys like Pirchinaasi, Neelam Valley, Leepa Valley, Jhelum valley and Chickar valley. These valleys are heavenly beautiful and are very green.

Muzaffarabad is surrounded by two rivers, Neelam and Jhelum Rivers. The Neelam River which is a tributary to river Jhelum is situated in both Kashmir i.e. Pakistan administered Kashmir and India administered Kashmir. This river has sky color water and it named after it.

The river Jhelum passes through India and Pakistan and it is the largest river among the five rivers of Punjab. It passes through the Jhelum valley of Muzaffarabad; it then passes through district Jehlum in Punjab and it is also a tributary to the Chenab River.

Chitral: Polo, Football and Music

Chitral valley is a beautiful valley which has rich culture of its own and a very charming local music. Polo is the main sport attraction that brings many tourists here. The hospitable people of Chitral valley gather around Shandur pass in the month of July to play and watch the Polo matches. The Shandur Polo tournament is watched by hundreds of tourists every year.

Football is another game that is in the blood of Chitrali people. Although Polo is what Chitral is famous for, Football is still the most played game in Chitral. There are many famous clubs and the current National Football team has three players that come from these clubs of Chitral.

 

And to add to the flavor of the festivity that is created by the games, Chitrali Sitar is played to take you on a magical flight. Chitrali Sitar is one of the oldest instruments that are still being played in the modern bazaars of Chitral. Its magical tone catches many people from all around the world and when they go back, they will talk about it for years. The sound of Tumba makes the Chitrali sitar like no other in the entire world.