Physiography of Jammu and Kashmir | JKPSC KAS (Jammu and Kashmir): Preparation Course PDF Download

 Page 1


PHYSIOGRAPHYOF
JAMMUANDKASHMIR
The state of Jammu and Kashmir is the Northernmost state of India.
It lies in the Himalayan mountains. A large portion of the terrain of
the state is hilly area which varies from 3000 feet (914 m) to 22740
feet (6931m) in height above sea level. Jammu and Kashmir is also
comprised of several valleys namely, Kashmir valley, Tawi valley,
Poonch valley, Sind valley, Chenab valley and Lidder valley.
Location
JammuandKashmirliesbetween32 17 ° 'N and36 58 ° 'N latitudesand73 26 ° 'E and
80 30 ° 'E longitudes.Thestatehasanareaof222236sqkm.Alargepart ofthestate
isunderthecontrolofPakistanandChina.Thus,IndianGovernmenthasanarea
about101387sqkmofJammuandKashmir.JammuandKashmiristhe5thlargest
stateofIndiaandoccupiesabout6.76%ofthecountry’stotalgeographicalarea.
Populationwiseitisthe19thlargeststateofthecountry.
Boundaries
ThestateofJammuandKashmirsharesitsborderswithIndian statesofHimachal
PradeshandPunjabintheSouth,PakistanintheWest,AfghanistanintheNorth
andChinaintheNorth-East.TheLineofControl(LoC)separatesitfrom
PakistaniadministeredterritoriesofAzadKashmirandGilgit-BalistanintheWest
andNorth-Westrespectively.
Physiographic Divisions of Jammu and Kashmir
Geographically,thestateisdividedintosevenphysiographicdivisions.These
divisionsarecloselylinkedwiththestructuralcomponentsoftheWestern
Himalayas.These divisions are:
1. Plains 2.Foothills 3.Lesser Himalayas
4. Greater Himalayas 5.Valley of Kashmir 6.Upper Indus Valley
7. The Karakoram Region
Page 2


PHYSIOGRAPHYOF
JAMMUANDKASHMIR
The state of Jammu and Kashmir is the Northernmost state of India.
It lies in the Himalayan mountains. A large portion of the terrain of
the state is hilly area which varies from 3000 feet (914 m) to 22740
feet (6931m) in height above sea level. Jammu and Kashmir is also
comprised of several valleys namely, Kashmir valley, Tawi valley,
Poonch valley, Sind valley, Chenab valley and Lidder valley.
Location
JammuandKashmirliesbetween32 17 ° 'N and36 58 ° 'N latitudesand73 26 ° 'E and
80 30 ° 'E longitudes.Thestatehasanareaof222236sqkm.Alargepart ofthestate
isunderthecontrolofPakistanandChina.Thus,IndianGovernmenthasanarea
about101387sqkmofJammuandKashmir.JammuandKashmiristhe5thlargest
stateofIndiaandoccupiesabout6.76%ofthecountry’stotalgeographicalarea.
Populationwiseitisthe19thlargeststateofthecountry.
Boundaries
ThestateofJammuandKashmirsharesitsborderswithIndian statesofHimachal
PradeshandPunjabintheSouth,PakistanintheWest,AfghanistanintheNorth
andChinaintheNorth-East.TheLineofControl(LoC)separatesitfrom
PakistaniadministeredterritoriesofAzadKashmirandGilgit-BalistanintheWest
andNorth-Westrespectively.
Physiographic Divisions of Jammu and Kashmir
Geographically,thestateisdividedintosevenphysiographicdivisions.These
divisionsarecloselylinkedwiththestructuralcomponentsoftheWestern
Himalayas.These divisions are:
1. Plains 2.Foothills 3.Lesser Himalayas
4. Greater Himalayas 5.Valley of Kashmir 6.Upper Indus Valley
7. The Karakoram Region
1. Plains
Theplainsofthestatewereformedbytheerodedbedrockmaterialbroughtdown
bythemightyriverchenab,Ravi,Tawi,Ujh,Basantaretc.Theouterplainsare
locallyknownas ‘Andarwah’ or ‘Bajwat’.Theouterplainsistraversedbynumerous
hilltorrentsknownasKhadmostoftheyeartheseKhadsaredry,butinrainy
seasonsthesetorrentsturnintohugegushingrivers.Herewefindweedgrowth,
locallyknownasKharorelephantinegrass.ThisregionstretchesintheSouthern
partsofAkhnoor,RanbirsinghPura(RSPura),SambaandKathuaareasofJammu
andKashmir.
2. Foothills
ThefoothillsoftheHimalayasareknownas Shiwaliks whicharemadeofthe
youngertertiaryrocks.ThewidthoftheShiwaliksinthestateisbetween20to
50km.ThefoothillsoftheHimalayasformtheouterandinner zoneshavinga
heightof600mto1500minthestate.
Theouterzoneoffoothillsiscomprisedoflongridgesandlongitudinalvalleys,
calledDuns e.g.DunsofUdhampurandKotli.TheseDunsarearesultoferosionof
sandstone,clayandsiltoftheregion.Theinnerzonehassteepslopeandplateau
residueduetofoldinganderosionactivitiesonthesedimentaryrocks.The
undulatingslopesofShiwalikbetweenRaviandChenabriversareknownasKandi.
Itisadjacenttotheplainsuptoaheightof300m.Theareasof thestatewhichliein
theShiwalikhillsareJammu,Mirpur,UdhampurandRiasi.
3. Lesser Himalayas
ItisalsoknownasMiddleHimalayas whichliebetweentheRavi(intheEast)and
thePoonch(intheWest).Thisregioniscomposedofvolcanic rocksofgranite,
gneiss,quartz,etc.Theaverageelevationofthisregionis 3600-4600m.Two
importantrangesnamelyPirPanjal (5000m)andDhauladhar arepartofthis
region.InJammuregion,theserangesarelocallyknownas Pahar.PirPanjalisthe
longestandthei.e.Westernmostrangeofthisregion.
VaishnoDevicaveissituatedonapeakofTrikutamountainin thisregion.Many
rivershavetheirsourceinthemiddleHimalayaslikeTawi,Manawar-Tawi,Basantra
andUjhrivers.
4. Greater Himalayas
ThiszoneliestotheNorthofthePirPanjalandDhauladharranges,havingan
averageheightsbetween4500to6100m.IntheNorth,Kashmir rangeformsthe
partofZanskarrangeandalsoformstheNorth-EasternborderoftheKashmir
valley.ThereareafewpeaksintheZanskarrangehavingaheightof4500mto
6100mabovesealevel.Thealtitudeofthisregionincreases totheNorthtillthe
K-2(GodwinAustin)peakontheKarakoramorMustangrange.K-2isthesecond
highestpeakoftheworldwithaheightof8611m.Therangesof Greater
HimalayaspreventthecoldwindsoftheCentralAsiatoenter intoIndia.
Page 3


PHYSIOGRAPHYOF
JAMMUANDKASHMIR
The state of Jammu and Kashmir is the Northernmost state of India.
It lies in the Himalayan mountains. A large portion of the terrain of
the state is hilly area which varies from 3000 feet (914 m) to 22740
feet (6931m) in height above sea level. Jammu and Kashmir is also
comprised of several valleys namely, Kashmir valley, Tawi valley,
Poonch valley, Sind valley, Chenab valley and Lidder valley.
Location
JammuandKashmirliesbetween32 17 ° 'N and36 58 ° 'N latitudesand73 26 ° 'E and
80 30 ° 'E longitudes.Thestatehasanareaof222236sqkm.Alargepart ofthestate
isunderthecontrolofPakistanandChina.Thus,IndianGovernmenthasanarea
about101387sqkmofJammuandKashmir.JammuandKashmiristhe5thlargest
stateofIndiaandoccupiesabout6.76%ofthecountry’stotalgeographicalarea.
Populationwiseitisthe19thlargeststateofthecountry.
Boundaries
ThestateofJammuandKashmirsharesitsborderswithIndian statesofHimachal
PradeshandPunjabintheSouth,PakistanintheWest,AfghanistanintheNorth
andChinaintheNorth-East.TheLineofControl(LoC)separatesitfrom
PakistaniadministeredterritoriesofAzadKashmirandGilgit-BalistanintheWest
andNorth-Westrespectively.
Physiographic Divisions of Jammu and Kashmir
Geographically,thestateisdividedintosevenphysiographicdivisions.These
divisionsarecloselylinkedwiththestructuralcomponentsoftheWestern
Himalayas.These divisions are:
1. Plains 2.Foothills 3.Lesser Himalayas
4. Greater Himalayas 5.Valley of Kashmir 6.Upper Indus Valley
7. The Karakoram Region
1. Plains
Theplainsofthestatewereformedbytheerodedbedrockmaterialbroughtdown
bythemightyriverchenab,Ravi,Tawi,Ujh,Basantaretc.Theouterplainsare
locallyknownas ‘Andarwah’ or ‘Bajwat’.Theouterplainsistraversedbynumerous
hilltorrentsknownasKhadmostoftheyeartheseKhadsaredry,butinrainy
seasonsthesetorrentsturnintohugegushingrivers.Herewefindweedgrowth,
locallyknownasKharorelephantinegrass.ThisregionstretchesintheSouthern
partsofAkhnoor,RanbirsinghPura(RSPura),SambaandKathuaareasofJammu
andKashmir.
2. Foothills
ThefoothillsoftheHimalayasareknownas Shiwaliks whicharemadeofthe
youngertertiaryrocks.ThewidthoftheShiwaliksinthestateisbetween20to
50km.ThefoothillsoftheHimalayasformtheouterandinner zoneshavinga
heightof600mto1500minthestate.
Theouterzoneoffoothillsiscomprisedoflongridgesandlongitudinalvalleys,
calledDuns e.g.DunsofUdhampurandKotli.TheseDunsarearesultoferosionof
sandstone,clayandsiltoftheregion.Theinnerzonehassteepslopeandplateau
residueduetofoldinganderosionactivitiesonthesedimentaryrocks.The
undulatingslopesofShiwalikbetweenRaviandChenabriversareknownasKandi.
Itisadjacenttotheplainsuptoaheightof300m.Theareasof thestatewhichliein
theShiwalikhillsareJammu,Mirpur,UdhampurandRiasi.
3. Lesser Himalayas
ItisalsoknownasMiddleHimalayas whichliebetweentheRavi(intheEast)and
thePoonch(intheWest).Thisregioniscomposedofvolcanic rocksofgranite,
gneiss,quartz,etc.Theaverageelevationofthisregionis 3600-4600m.Two
importantrangesnamelyPirPanjal (5000m)andDhauladhar arepartofthis
region.InJammuregion,theserangesarelocallyknownas Pahar.PirPanjalisthe
longestandthei.e.Westernmostrangeofthisregion.
VaishnoDevicaveissituatedonapeakofTrikutamountainin thisregion.Many
rivershavetheirsourceinthemiddleHimalayaslikeTawi,Manawar-Tawi,Basantra
andUjhrivers.
4. Greater Himalayas
ThiszoneliestotheNorthofthePirPanjalandDhauladharranges,havingan
averageheightsbetween4500to6100m.IntheNorth,Kashmir rangeformsthe
partofZanskarrangeandalsoformstheNorth-EasternborderoftheKashmir
valley.ThereareafewpeaksintheZanskarrangehavingaheightof4500mto
6100mabovesealevel.Thealtitudeofthisregionincreases totheNorthtillthe
K-2(GodwinAustin)peakontheKarakoramorMustangrange.K-2isthesecond
highestpeakoftheworldwithaheightof8611m.Therangesof Greater
HimalayaspreventthecoldwindsoftheCentralAsiatoenter intoIndia.
5. Valley of Kashmir
ItisdeepasymmetricalbasinwhichliesbetweenthePirPanjalandthei.e.Western
endoftheGreatHimalayanranges. Thesemountainrangerisinguptoaheightof
5500m.Itisfilledbysedimentsoflakesandalluviumdepositedbytheupper
Jhelumriver.Thereareextensiveelevatedplateauofalluvialandlacustrinematerial.
Thesedepositsorplateausareknownas Karewas.
WithinthevalleyofKashmir,therearethreeimportantside valleysnamely,the
Liddervalley,theSindvalleyandtheLolabvalley.ItcomprisesAnantnag,
Baramulla,Bodgam,Srinagar,Pulwama,Kupwara,Bandipora,Ganderbal,Kulgam
andShopiandistrictsofthestate.
6. Upper Indus Valley
ThisvalleyincludestheareasfromtheTibetanbordertothe pointinthePakistani
regionofKashmir(Westward).TheIndusriverinthisvalley flowsthroughNanga
Parbat(8126m)totheSouthwardformingdeepgorges.Theupperpart ofIndus
riverisboundedbygravelterraces.Eachtributaryofthisriverbuildsanalluvialfan
inthemainvalley.Lehtownislocated(3500m)inthisvalley.
7. The Karakoram Region
ItliesintheIndianandPakistaniKashmirandcomprisesofsomeoftheworld’s
highestpeaks.Forexample,K-2,(8611m)whichliesonthePakistaniborderand
oneoftheChinese-administeredenclaves.Itismadeofgraniteandgneissrocks.
Thereareotherpeaksinthisregionwhichhaveaheightmorethan7300mabove
sealevel.TheKarakoramregionremainsheavilyglaciatedalltheyearround.The
Karakoram,alongwithotherareasinandaroundtheHimalayanregionisknownas
the‘RoofoftheWorld’.
Famous Mountains in Jammu and Kashmir
MostofthepartofJammuandKashmirstateisformedbymountains,thus
mountainshaveagreatimportanceforthestate.TheKashmir valleyissurrounded
byhighmountainrangesandanarrowgorgeatBaramulla.TheSouthernpartofthe
statehasShiwalikhillsandtheNorthernpartisalsocoveredbytheloftymountains.
Some of the important mountains are discussed below:
Amarnath
ItislocatedinGanderbaldistrictofJammuandKashmir.Itisabout5186min
height.Itisalsofamousforitsholycave,Amarnathwhichcanbereachedthrough
theMahagunaspass(1475m).ThemountainhasLiddervalleywhereGwasharan
(5450m)issituatedtowardsPahalgam.KolahiGlacierissituatedhere.Thisvalley
alsohas‘Sheshnagmountain’.Amarnathcaveisbelievedtobetheancientand
amongmostsacredplacesforpilgrimageinHinduism.
Page 4


PHYSIOGRAPHYOF
JAMMUANDKASHMIR
The state of Jammu and Kashmir is the Northernmost state of India.
It lies in the Himalayan mountains. A large portion of the terrain of
the state is hilly area which varies from 3000 feet (914 m) to 22740
feet (6931m) in height above sea level. Jammu and Kashmir is also
comprised of several valleys namely, Kashmir valley, Tawi valley,
Poonch valley, Sind valley, Chenab valley and Lidder valley.
Location
JammuandKashmirliesbetween32 17 ° 'N and36 58 ° 'N latitudesand73 26 ° 'E and
80 30 ° 'E longitudes.Thestatehasanareaof222236sqkm.Alargepart ofthestate
isunderthecontrolofPakistanandChina.Thus,IndianGovernmenthasanarea
about101387sqkmofJammuandKashmir.JammuandKashmiristhe5thlargest
stateofIndiaandoccupiesabout6.76%ofthecountry’stotalgeographicalarea.
Populationwiseitisthe19thlargeststateofthecountry.
Boundaries
ThestateofJammuandKashmirsharesitsborderswithIndian statesofHimachal
PradeshandPunjabintheSouth,PakistanintheWest,AfghanistanintheNorth
andChinaintheNorth-East.TheLineofControl(LoC)separatesitfrom
PakistaniadministeredterritoriesofAzadKashmirandGilgit-BalistanintheWest
andNorth-Westrespectively.
Physiographic Divisions of Jammu and Kashmir
Geographically,thestateisdividedintosevenphysiographicdivisions.These
divisionsarecloselylinkedwiththestructuralcomponentsoftheWestern
Himalayas.These divisions are:
1. Plains 2.Foothills 3.Lesser Himalayas
4. Greater Himalayas 5.Valley of Kashmir 6.Upper Indus Valley
7. The Karakoram Region
1. Plains
Theplainsofthestatewereformedbytheerodedbedrockmaterialbroughtdown
bythemightyriverchenab,Ravi,Tawi,Ujh,Basantaretc.Theouterplainsare
locallyknownas ‘Andarwah’ or ‘Bajwat’.Theouterplainsistraversedbynumerous
hilltorrentsknownasKhadmostoftheyeartheseKhadsaredry,butinrainy
seasonsthesetorrentsturnintohugegushingrivers.Herewefindweedgrowth,
locallyknownasKharorelephantinegrass.ThisregionstretchesintheSouthern
partsofAkhnoor,RanbirsinghPura(RSPura),SambaandKathuaareasofJammu
andKashmir.
2. Foothills
ThefoothillsoftheHimalayasareknownas Shiwaliks whicharemadeofthe
youngertertiaryrocks.ThewidthoftheShiwaliksinthestateisbetween20to
50km.ThefoothillsoftheHimalayasformtheouterandinner zoneshavinga
heightof600mto1500minthestate.
Theouterzoneoffoothillsiscomprisedoflongridgesandlongitudinalvalleys,
calledDuns e.g.DunsofUdhampurandKotli.TheseDunsarearesultoferosionof
sandstone,clayandsiltoftheregion.Theinnerzonehassteepslopeandplateau
residueduetofoldinganderosionactivitiesonthesedimentaryrocks.The
undulatingslopesofShiwalikbetweenRaviandChenabriversareknownasKandi.
Itisadjacenttotheplainsuptoaheightof300m.Theareasof thestatewhichliein
theShiwalikhillsareJammu,Mirpur,UdhampurandRiasi.
3. Lesser Himalayas
ItisalsoknownasMiddleHimalayas whichliebetweentheRavi(intheEast)and
thePoonch(intheWest).Thisregioniscomposedofvolcanic rocksofgranite,
gneiss,quartz,etc.Theaverageelevationofthisregionis 3600-4600m.Two
importantrangesnamelyPirPanjal (5000m)andDhauladhar arepartofthis
region.InJammuregion,theserangesarelocallyknownas Pahar.PirPanjalisthe
longestandthei.e.Westernmostrangeofthisregion.
VaishnoDevicaveissituatedonapeakofTrikutamountainin thisregion.Many
rivershavetheirsourceinthemiddleHimalayaslikeTawi,Manawar-Tawi,Basantra
andUjhrivers.
4. Greater Himalayas
ThiszoneliestotheNorthofthePirPanjalandDhauladharranges,havingan
averageheightsbetween4500to6100m.IntheNorth,Kashmir rangeformsthe
partofZanskarrangeandalsoformstheNorth-EasternborderoftheKashmir
valley.ThereareafewpeaksintheZanskarrangehavingaheightof4500mto
6100mabovesealevel.Thealtitudeofthisregionincreases totheNorthtillthe
K-2(GodwinAustin)peakontheKarakoramorMustangrange.K-2isthesecond
highestpeakoftheworldwithaheightof8611m.Therangesof Greater
HimalayaspreventthecoldwindsoftheCentralAsiatoenter intoIndia.
5. Valley of Kashmir
ItisdeepasymmetricalbasinwhichliesbetweenthePirPanjalandthei.e.Western
endoftheGreatHimalayanranges. Thesemountainrangerisinguptoaheightof
5500m.Itisfilledbysedimentsoflakesandalluviumdepositedbytheupper
Jhelumriver.Thereareextensiveelevatedplateauofalluvialandlacustrinematerial.
Thesedepositsorplateausareknownas Karewas.
WithinthevalleyofKashmir,therearethreeimportantside valleysnamely,the
Liddervalley,theSindvalleyandtheLolabvalley.ItcomprisesAnantnag,
Baramulla,Bodgam,Srinagar,Pulwama,Kupwara,Bandipora,Ganderbal,Kulgam
andShopiandistrictsofthestate.
6. Upper Indus Valley
ThisvalleyincludestheareasfromtheTibetanbordertothe pointinthePakistani
regionofKashmir(Westward).TheIndusriverinthisvalley flowsthroughNanga
Parbat(8126m)totheSouthwardformingdeepgorges.Theupperpart ofIndus
riverisboundedbygravelterraces.Eachtributaryofthisriverbuildsanalluvialfan
inthemainvalley.Lehtownislocated(3500m)inthisvalley.
7. The Karakoram Region
ItliesintheIndianandPakistaniKashmirandcomprisesofsomeoftheworld’s
highestpeaks.Forexample,K-2,(8611m)whichliesonthePakistaniborderand
oneoftheChinese-administeredenclaves.Itismadeofgraniteandgneissrocks.
Thereareotherpeaksinthisregionwhichhaveaheightmorethan7300mabove
sealevel.TheKarakoramregionremainsheavilyglaciatedalltheyearround.The
Karakoram,alongwithotherareasinandaroundtheHimalayanregionisknownas
the‘RoofoftheWorld’.
Famous Mountains in Jammu and Kashmir
MostofthepartofJammuandKashmirstateisformedbymountains,thus
mountainshaveagreatimportanceforthestate.TheKashmir valleyissurrounded
byhighmountainrangesandanarrowgorgeatBaramulla.TheSouthernpartofthe
statehasShiwalikhillsandtheNorthernpartisalsocoveredbytheloftymountains.
Some of the important mountains are discussed below:
Amarnath
ItislocatedinGanderbaldistrictofJammuandKashmir.Itisabout5186min
height.Itisalsofamousforitsholycave,Amarnathwhichcanbereachedthrough
theMahagunaspass(1475m).ThemountainhasLiddervalleywhereGwasharan
(5450m)issituatedtowardsPahalgam.KolahiGlacierissituatedhere.Thisvalley
alsohas‘Sheshnagmountain’.Amarnathcaveisbelievedtobetheancientand
amongmostsacredplacesforpilgrimageinHinduism.
Afarwat
ThismountainspreadsthroughtheGulmargvalley.Itisabout4390minheight.
Alpatharspringliesonitpeak.NullahNagalhasitsoriginfromthisspringwhich
flowsdownandmeetstheWularlake.
Burzil
ThismountaindividesKashmirandLadakhregionwhereBurzilpassissituatedata
heightof4100m.Burzilpassisanancientpassandcaravanroute.Thepasslies
closetotheLineofControldemarcatingIndiaandPakistanroutebetweenSrinagar
(Kashmir)andGilgit.
Karakoram and Kyunlun
TheserangesliesintheNorthandNorth-EastpartofJammuandKashmirwhich
separatethestatefromRussianTurkistanandTibet.TheHindukushrangeextends
towardstheKarakoramrangeintheNorth-Westpart,whereK-2peaklies.
Gasherbrum(8570m)andMasherbrum(7827m)peaksarealsosituatedhere.
Karakorampass(5352m)andNubrapass(5800m)areusedbypeoplefortravelling
purposefromLadakhtoChineseTurkistanandKhattan.Inthe samewayKhardung
Lapass(5557m)andChangLapass(5609m)arealsousedfromLadakhtoTibet.
Nanga Parbat
ThismountainrangeliesinGilgit.Itisabout8107minheightandthe9thhighest
mountainintheworld.Itisutterlydevoidofvegetation.It islocatedinthePakistani
administeredsectorofKashmir.Inlocallanguage,itisknownas‘Diamer’which
means‘KingofMountains’.
Harmukh Mountain
ItisalsoknownasmountHarmukh.Itislocatedatanelevationof5142mtsin
GanderbaldistrictofJammuandKashmir.ItisapartoftheHimalayanrangeandis
locatedbetweenNallahSindhintheSouthandNeelumriverin theNorth.Itis
mostlyclimbedfromtheNorth-WesternsideofBandipore.It isconsideredoneof
thesacredmountainsbyHindus,asaccordingtoHindumythologyitistheabodeof
LordShiva.
Nun Kun
ItliesbetweenLadakhandKashmirborder.Itisabout7135minheight.Kullulies
onitsSouth-EastpartandKargiltehsilofLadakhlieson its North-Westpart.This
mountainmassifcomprisesoftwopeaksofHimalayasnamelyNun(7135m)and
Kun(7077m).NunisthehighestpeakinthepartoftheHimalayanrangelyingon
theIndiansideoftheLineofControlinJammuandKashmir.Bawalochapass
(4891m)liesbetweenLehandKullu.
Page 5


PHYSIOGRAPHYOF
JAMMUANDKASHMIR
The state of Jammu and Kashmir is the Northernmost state of India.
It lies in the Himalayan mountains. A large portion of the terrain of
the state is hilly area which varies from 3000 feet (914 m) to 22740
feet (6931m) in height above sea level. Jammu and Kashmir is also
comprised of several valleys namely, Kashmir valley, Tawi valley,
Poonch valley, Sind valley, Chenab valley and Lidder valley.
Location
JammuandKashmirliesbetween32 17 ° 'N and36 58 ° 'N latitudesand73 26 ° 'E and
80 30 ° 'E longitudes.Thestatehasanareaof222236sqkm.Alargepart ofthestate
isunderthecontrolofPakistanandChina.Thus,IndianGovernmenthasanarea
about101387sqkmofJammuandKashmir.JammuandKashmiristhe5thlargest
stateofIndiaandoccupiesabout6.76%ofthecountry’stotalgeographicalarea.
Populationwiseitisthe19thlargeststateofthecountry.
Boundaries
ThestateofJammuandKashmirsharesitsborderswithIndian statesofHimachal
PradeshandPunjabintheSouth,PakistanintheWest,AfghanistanintheNorth
andChinaintheNorth-East.TheLineofControl(LoC)separatesitfrom
PakistaniadministeredterritoriesofAzadKashmirandGilgit-BalistanintheWest
andNorth-Westrespectively.
Physiographic Divisions of Jammu and Kashmir
Geographically,thestateisdividedintosevenphysiographicdivisions.These
divisionsarecloselylinkedwiththestructuralcomponentsoftheWestern
Himalayas.These divisions are:
1. Plains 2.Foothills 3.Lesser Himalayas
4. Greater Himalayas 5.Valley of Kashmir 6.Upper Indus Valley
7. The Karakoram Region
1. Plains
Theplainsofthestatewereformedbytheerodedbedrockmaterialbroughtdown
bythemightyriverchenab,Ravi,Tawi,Ujh,Basantaretc.Theouterplainsare
locallyknownas ‘Andarwah’ or ‘Bajwat’.Theouterplainsistraversedbynumerous
hilltorrentsknownasKhadmostoftheyeartheseKhadsaredry,butinrainy
seasonsthesetorrentsturnintohugegushingrivers.Herewefindweedgrowth,
locallyknownasKharorelephantinegrass.ThisregionstretchesintheSouthern
partsofAkhnoor,RanbirsinghPura(RSPura),SambaandKathuaareasofJammu
andKashmir.
2. Foothills
ThefoothillsoftheHimalayasareknownas Shiwaliks whicharemadeofthe
youngertertiaryrocks.ThewidthoftheShiwaliksinthestateisbetween20to
50km.ThefoothillsoftheHimalayasformtheouterandinner zoneshavinga
heightof600mto1500minthestate.
Theouterzoneoffoothillsiscomprisedoflongridgesandlongitudinalvalleys,
calledDuns e.g.DunsofUdhampurandKotli.TheseDunsarearesultoferosionof
sandstone,clayandsiltoftheregion.Theinnerzonehassteepslopeandplateau
residueduetofoldinganderosionactivitiesonthesedimentaryrocks.The
undulatingslopesofShiwalikbetweenRaviandChenabriversareknownasKandi.
Itisadjacenttotheplainsuptoaheightof300m.Theareasof thestatewhichliein
theShiwalikhillsareJammu,Mirpur,UdhampurandRiasi.
3. Lesser Himalayas
ItisalsoknownasMiddleHimalayas whichliebetweentheRavi(intheEast)and
thePoonch(intheWest).Thisregioniscomposedofvolcanic rocksofgranite,
gneiss,quartz,etc.Theaverageelevationofthisregionis 3600-4600m.Two
importantrangesnamelyPirPanjal (5000m)andDhauladhar arepartofthis
region.InJammuregion,theserangesarelocallyknownas Pahar.PirPanjalisthe
longestandthei.e.Westernmostrangeofthisregion.
VaishnoDevicaveissituatedonapeakofTrikutamountainin thisregion.Many
rivershavetheirsourceinthemiddleHimalayaslikeTawi,Manawar-Tawi,Basantra
andUjhrivers.
4. Greater Himalayas
ThiszoneliestotheNorthofthePirPanjalandDhauladharranges,havingan
averageheightsbetween4500to6100m.IntheNorth,Kashmir rangeformsthe
partofZanskarrangeandalsoformstheNorth-EasternborderoftheKashmir
valley.ThereareafewpeaksintheZanskarrangehavingaheightof4500mto
6100mabovesealevel.Thealtitudeofthisregionincreases totheNorthtillthe
K-2(GodwinAustin)peakontheKarakoramorMustangrange.K-2isthesecond
highestpeakoftheworldwithaheightof8611m.Therangesof Greater
HimalayaspreventthecoldwindsoftheCentralAsiatoenter intoIndia.
5. Valley of Kashmir
ItisdeepasymmetricalbasinwhichliesbetweenthePirPanjalandthei.e.Western
endoftheGreatHimalayanranges. Thesemountainrangerisinguptoaheightof
5500m.Itisfilledbysedimentsoflakesandalluviumdepositedbytheupper
Jhelumriver.Thereareextensiveelevatedplateauofalluvialandlacustrinematerial.
Thesedepositsorplateausareknownas Karewas.
WithinthevalleyofKashmir,therearethreeimportantside valleysnamely,the
Liddervalley,theSindvalleyandtheLolabvalley.ItcomprisesAnantnag,
Baramulla,Bodgam,Srinagar,Pulwama,Kupwara,Bandipora,Ganderbal,Kulgam
andShopiandistrictsofthestate.
6. Upper Indus Valley
ThisvalleyincludestheareasfromtheTibetanbordertothe pointinthePakistani
regionofKashmir(Westward).TheIndusriverinthisvalley flowsthroughNanga
Parbat(8126m)totheSouthwardformingdeepgorges.Theupperpart ofIndus
riverisboundedbygravelterraces.Eachtributaryofthisriverbuildsanalluvialfan
inthemainvalley.Lehtownislocated(3500m)inthisvalley.
7. The Karakoram Region
ItliesintheIndianandPakistaniKashmirandcomprisesofsomeoftheworld’s
highestpeaks.Forexample,K-2,(8611m)whichliesonthePakistaniborderand
oneoftheChinese-administeredenclaves.Itismadeofgraniteandgneissrocks.
Thereareotherpeaksinthisregionwhichhaveaheightmorethan7300mabove
sealevel.TheKarakoramregionremainsheavilyglaciatedalltheyearround.The
Karakoram,alongwithotherareasinandaroundtheHimalayanregionisknownas
the‘RoofoftheWorld’.
Famous Mountains in Jammu and Kashmir
MostofthepartofJammuandKashmirstateisformedbymountains,thus
mountainshaveagreatimportanceforthestate.TheKashmir valleyissurrounded
byhighmountainrangesandanarrowgorgeatBaramulla.TheSouthernpartofthe
statehasShiwalikhillsandtheNorthernpartisalsocoveredbytheloftymountains.
Some of the important mountains are discussed below:
Amarnath
ItislocatedinGanderbaldistrictofJammuandKashmir.Itisabout5186min
height.Itisalsofamousforitsholycave,Amarnathwhichcanbereachedthrough
theMahagunaspass(1475m).ThemountainhasLiddervalleywhereGwasharan
(5450m)issituatedtowardsPahalgam.KolahiGlacierissituatedhere.Thisvalley
alsohas‘Sheshnagmountain’.Amarnathcaveisbelievedtobetheancientand
amongmostsacredplacesforpilgrimageinHinduism.
Afarwat
ThismountainspreadsthroughtheGulmargvalley.Itisabout4390minheight.
Alpatharspringliesonitpeak.NullahNagalhasitsoriginfromthisspringwhich
flowsdownandmeetstheWularlake.
Burzil
ThismountaindividesKashmirandLadakhregionwhereBurzilpassissituatedata
heightof4100m.Burzilpassisanancientpassandcaravanroute.Thepasslies
closetotheLineofControldemarcatingIndiaandPakistanroutebetweenSrinagar
(Kashmir)andGilgit.
Karakoram and Kyunlun
TheserangesliesintheNorthandNorth-EastpartofJammuandKashmirwhich
separatethestatefromRussianTurkistanandTibet.TheHindukushrangeextends
towardstheKarakoramrangeintheNorth-Westpart,whereK-2peaklies.
Gasherbrum(8570m)andMasherbrum(7827m)peaksarealsosituatedhere.
Karakorampass(5352m)andNubrapass(5800m)areusedbypeoplefortravelling
purposefromLadakhtoChineseTurkistanandKhattan.Inthe samewayKhardung
Lapass(5557m)andChangLapass(5609m)arealsousedfromLadakhtoTibet.
Nanga Parbat
ThismountainrangeliesinGilgit.Itisabout8107minheightandthe9thhighest
mountainintheworld.Itisutterlydevoidofvegetation.It islocatedinthePakistani
administeredsectorofKashmir.Inlocallanguage,itisknownas‘Diamer’which
means‘KingofMountains’.
Harmukh Mountain
ItisalsoknownasmountHarmukh.Itislocatedatanelevationof5142mtsin
GanderbaldistrictofJammuandKashmir.ItisapartoftheHimalayanrangeandis
locatedbetweenNallahSindhintheSouthandNeelumriverin theNorth.Itis
mostlyclimbedfromtheNorth-WesternsideofBandipore.It isconsideredoneof
thesacredmountainsbyHindus,asaccordingtoHindumythologyitistheabodeof
LordShiva.
Nun Kun
ItliesbetweenLadakhandKashmirborder.Itisabout7135minheight.Kullulies
onitsSouth-EastpartandKargiltehsilofLadakhlieson its North-Westpart.This
mountainmassifcomprisesoftwopeaksofHimalayasnamelyNun(7135m)and
Kun(7077m).NunisthehighestpeakinthepartoftheHimalayanrangelyingon
theIndiansideoftheLineofControlinJammuandKashmir.Bawalochapass
(4891m)liesbetweenLehandKullu.
Pir Panjal
ThismountainrangeliesinthelesserHimalayasandseparatesKashmirvalleyfrom
theouterHimalayas.Itisabout5000minheightandcomprisedofmostlyvolcanic
rocks.ItstwoimportantpeaksDeoTibba(6001m)and Indrasan(6221m)lieon
theEasternendofthismountain.GulmargtowninKashmirliesinthismountain
range.IthasmanypasseslikePirPanjalpass(3480m),theBidilpass(4270m),
Golabgharpass(3812m),Banihalpass(2835m),Baramullapass(1582m),and
HajiPirpass(2750m).
Shiwalik
ItextendsfromtheNorthoftheouterplainstomiddlemountains/lesserHimalayas.
Thismountainrangehasanaverageheightof600mto1500m.It extendsfrom
JammuandKashmirtotheBrahmaputravalley.Mohanpassisthemainpassinthis
mountainrange.ItisalsoknownasManakParbatinancienttimes.
Toshmaidan and Kajinag
Toshmaidan(4270m)andKajinag(3700m)aresituatedintheinnerHimalayas.
Thesearesnow-cladmountainsbutinsummertheirsnowprovideswatertothe
Jhelumriver.ImportantpassesofthismountainrangeareBasmaiGali(3962.4m)
andPoonchGali.
Volcanic Mountains
TwovolcanicmountainpeaksaresituatedinJammuandKashmir.Soyamji(1860m)
volcanicpeakliesinNorthMachhipura(Handwara),whichwasonceeruptedfor13
monthsin1934andisnowadormantvolcanicpeak.Theothervolcanicpeakis,
KharewawhichliesinPahalgamtehsil,whichisadeadvolcanicpeak.These
volcanicmountainarethecauseofearthquakesinKashmir.
Zanskar
ThismountainrangeseparatestheIndusvalleyfromtheKashmirvalley.Italso
separatesZanskarfromLadakh.Itisabout6000minheight.Itishelpfulin
preventingSouth-WestcoldwindsfromenteringintoKashmirregion.AtZojiLa
pass(3529m),LadakhregionendsandKashmirvalleybegins.Poatpass(5716m)
alsoliesinthisrange.