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 Chingus Sarai
The Entrance to the Sarai
The Chingus Sarai or Fort is an old Mughal era Sarai on the Mughal Road which connected Punjab with Kashmir over the Pir Panjals. The word “Chingus’ is derived from the Persian word for “Intestines”. It got this rather unflattering name after the intestines / entrails of one of the Great Mughals, Emperor Jahangir were buried here.