The Gazetteer of Kashmir and Ladakh of 1890 is a treasure trove of information regarding various aspects in the state. This is the small little Chapter in the Gazetteer which talks of Gold prospecting in the Riyasat. And of course it talks of some Gold mining in Baltistan.
The Indus Ganges Divide
The Indus and the Ganges are the two great Rivers which originate in the Himalayas/ Trans-Himalayas and all the Rivers of the Western and Central Himalayas drain into either of these two Rivers. The Indo - Gangetic Plain as the combined basin of these two Rivers is called sustains well over a Billion people and is one of the most thickly populated Regions on the Planet. The story of the Indus and the Ganga is the story of India in historical, social and religious contexts.
Of Mountains and Rivers
One of the most interesting thing about the Himalayas is how the Rivers interact with the Range and how the River Basins work. Since none of us is taught this in school in the Geography class the way one can study this fascinating aspect is to study Maps. Not the Maps of the new but the old Maps made by the Geological Surveys and the Royal Geographic Society Maps. The kind of detailing in these Maps is amazing when we keep in mind the fact that it was all done by boots on the Ground. No Aerial or Satellite Cartography.
Of the Himalayan Mountains and Rivers
The Rivers and the Himalayas and the even the Mountain Ranges beyond it are always interacting in very interesting ways. In this article we see how the River Basins of the Indus, Ganges and Satluj and the Mountains interact and in some cases the River Basins extend beyond the Ranges themselves.
The Remanent of an Army
The only surviving member of the Army of the Indus, was the assistant Surgeon William Brydon who was immortalized in this classical Painting by Elizabeth Butler called the “Remnant of an Army” as he trudged on his tired horse with the Fort of Jalalabad in sight. One of the worst defeats suffered by the British Empire.
The Junction of the Three Mightiest Mountain Ranges
The Point where the Himalayas, the Karakorams and the Hindu Kush meet. At the confluemce of the Gilgit and the Indus Rivers.
Jaglot near Gilgit is the point where the Three Mightiest Mountain Ranges of the world the Himalayas, the Karakorams and the Hindu Kush meet at the confluence of the Gilgit River with the Indus River
The Indus Irony
The Indus is the River which has given the name to civilization, to a people and to a Country as well. And the country it has given its name to has been the fountainhead of spiritualism where the Mountains and the Rivers are worshiped. But ironically the Indus, the mighty Indus itself figures nowhere in the list of sacred Rivers and a River to its East, the Ganges being the most revered one. We ask why ?