PIR
PANJAL VALLEY – GEOGRAPHY
News:
Militants turn Pir Panjal
Valley into new battleground
What's
in the news?
●
Army lost 21 soldiers in Pir Panjal compared
to 7 in Kashmir this year; Police say that dense forests and multiple mountain
ranges with natural caves in the region work to the advantage of militants.
Pir
Panjal Valley:
●
The Pir Panjal is a sub-Range of Himalayas
and it runs from the Neelam River in
J&K all the way to the Beas River in Kullu in Himachal Pradesh extending
into Pakistan.
Key
takeaways:
●
Near the bank of the Satluj river, it
dissociates itself from the Himalayas and forms a divide between the rivers
Beas and Ravi on one side and the Chenab on the other.
●
The
Kishanganga, the Jhelum and the Chenab cut through the range.
●
On the eastern side of Pir Panjal range is the famous Rohtang pass which connects
two districts of Himachal Pradesh namely Kullu & Lahaul and Spiti.
○
This pass is a gateway for the people of
Lahaul Valley who wants to go to Kullu or other parts of Himachal.
●
Easternmost
and highest point of this range is Mt. Indrasan
is located in Manali, Kullu, Himachal Pradesh.
●
Highest
Pass
in Pir Panjal range is Kugti Pass which connects Bharmour area of Chamba to Lahaul Valley of Lahaul-Spiti district,
Himachal Pradesh.
Passes
in Pir Panjal:
●
Pir Panjal Pass (3,480 m), the Bidil
(4,270 m), Golabghar Pass (3,812 m) and Banihal Pass (2,835 m).
●
The Banihal
Pass is used by the Jammu-Srinagar highway and Jammu-Baramula railway.
●
Southeast of the Ravi, the Pir Panjal
continues as Dhaola Dhar range, passing through Dalhousie, Dharmshala, and
Shimla.