The Pir Panjal Range a sub Range of the Himalayan Range stretches from the Kishenganga in the West to the Beas River in the East. It is mostly an under rated Mountain Range as it barely touches 20,000 ft and is dwarfed by its adjacent Himalayan Ranges. The Pir Panjal cradles one side of the Kashmir Valley and separates it from the North Indian Plains and it forms one side of the Kulu Valley as well. Two of the largest and most fabled Valleys of the Western Himalayas are bound by the Pir Panjals.
But as John Keay mentions in the epic When Men and Mountains Meet : Explorers of the Western Himalayas the Pir Panjal is as Noble a Mountain Range as any in the World. Its spires are the first White wall of Mountains that explorers faced on their way into the Northern Mountain vastness. The Pir Panjal gets more Snow than any other Range of the Himalayas, thanks to the Western disturbances, and holds one of the finest Ski Resorts in the World, Gulmarg.
And one of the most famous Pass over the Range was called the Pir Panjal Pass and as per some versions of History the entire Range got its name from the name of the said Pass. The word Panjal probably came from the word Panchal. This Pass connects the Kashmir Valley with the Poonch Region of Jammu and thereon to the Northern Plains of India. This was the Pass used by the Mughals on what is now called the Mughal Road on their forays into Kashmir. Nowadays mostly the Pass is called the Pir ki Gali which is a reference to a Pir or Holy Man buried somewhere near the Pass.
The Pir Panjal Pass has seen its share of History and as the Guardian Wall of Kashmir its history is firmly entwined with that of the Valley. It was via this Pass that many invaders came to the exalted Vale though later travel along the Jehlum Gorge was more popular as it was a much safer option than the moody Pir Panjal Pass and its freak lightning Storms and crazy Weather. There were other Passes to the right and left of the Pass as well but when a Motorable Road was constructed it chose to go through the main Pass.
And then there is this great Drone Shot by my friend Tufail Shah. Moving beyond just the aesthetics of this shot the Mountain Geography it encompasses is like a Poem in Geography. It captures the grace of the Pir Panjal Pass and other neighbouring Passes of and accompanying Meadows of the Pir Panjals. And this is what you see while approaching from the Kashmir side.
The River you see in the pic is the Rambi Ara and it itself is formed by the meeting of the Rupri Nar and the Yanga Nar which arise from the Galciers and Glacial Lakes surrounding this Pass. The Rambi Ara is a major Tributary of the Veshaw which is the largest left Bank tributary of the Jehlum. True to its point of origin the Rambi Ara is known for its turbulent nature and flash floods. In the pic you can see different streams joining up the Rambi Ara adding to its flow.
And then you can see the signs of modernity. The Road snaking its way upto the Pass and its known as the Mughal Road. The Road remains open for a good 8 to 9 months of the Year and provides an alternative to the Main Srinagar Jammu Highway. Then there are the Power transmission lines going over the Pass connecting the Kashmir Valley with the Northern Grid.
And of course last but not the least are the footprints of History left on the Pass. Almost bang in the middle of the pic you can see the remains of the Alia Bad Sarai, a Sarai built by the Mughals which offered shelter from the angry weather Gods of the Panjals. The Alia Bad Sarai stood right on the approach to the Pass but the motorable Road has been built above it. The Sarai was probably constructed under instructions from Ali Mardan Khan, a Persian General who served under Emperor Jahangir and under who’s supervision the Road was built. Ironically Jahangir died while on this Road and his Intestines are buried at the Chingus Sarai on the other side of the Pir Panjals.
It is said that he fell ill while going down this Road on his way to Lahore from Kashmir. Maybe he fell ill on the Pass itself due to inclement Weather. Maybe he paid a price for trying to tame the Gods of the Panjals. Maybe a lesson to us Mortals that the Mountains can never be tamed. The Mountains will prevail. Everytime.
Anyways enjoy the Poetry of the Pic which encompasses all the elements of the enigmatic Pir Panjals.
Pic by Tufail Shah. From Late Summer 2020