Pir Panjal

Kashmir valley seen from satellite. Snow capped Pir Panjal range separates the valley from plains.

Pir Panjal Range

The Pir Panjal Range is a group of mountains that lie in the Inner Himalayan region, running from east southeast to west northwest across the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh and the disputed territories comprising Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir and Pakistan-administered Azad Kashmir, where the average elevation varies from Vorlage:Convert to Vorlage:Convert. The Himalayas show a gradual elevation towards the Dhauldhar and Pir Panjal ranges. Pir Panjal is the largest range of the lower Himalayas. Near the bank of the Sutlej 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.

Peaks

Deo Tibba (Vorlage:Convert) and Indrasan (Vorlage:Convert) are two important peaks at the eastern end of the mountain range. They can be approached from both the Parvati-Beas Valley (Kulu District) and the Chandra (Upper Chenab) Valley (Lahaul and Spiti District) in Himachal Pradesh. The hill station of Gulmarg in Kashmir lies in this range.

Passes

The Pir Panjal pass lies to the west of Srinagar.

The Banihal pass (Vorlage:Convert) lies at the head of the Jhelum river at the southern end of the Kashmir valley. Banihal and Qazigund lie on either side of the pass.

The Sinthan pass connects Jammu and Kashmir with Kishtwar.

Pir ki Gali connects Kashmir valley with Rajouri and Poonch via Mughal road. Pir ki Gali is the highest point of Mughal road (11500 ft approx) and lies to the south west of the Kashmir valley. Nearest town to Pir Ki Gali is Shupian, the apple town of Kashmir valley.

Munawar pass Lies in the North of Pir ki Gali and over looks the town of Rajouri. Munawar pass witnessed some of the heaviest fighting during Operation Gibraltar and was held by a Pakistani Force commanded by Major Malik Munawar Khan Awan SJ who later seized Indian Garrison of Rajouri. The pass was named after him by the locals.

Rohtang La (altitude Vorlage:Convert) is a mountain pass on the eastern Pir Panjal range connecting Manali in the Kullu Valley to Keylong in the Lahaul Valley.

Haji Pir Pass (altitude Vorlage:Convert) on the western Pir Panjal range on the road between Poonch and Uri is in the area of Kashmir administered by Pakistan. The pass, and therefore the strategically significant road, was taken from the control of Pakistani forces and others connected to that country by the Indian Army in 1947. The Pakistan Army later regained control, after the ceasefire . Haji Pir pass remains a volatile area. Control of its heights means that Pakistani forces look over the town of Poonch. It is dominated by three hill features, namely: Bedori (Vorlage:Convert in the east, Sant (Vorlage:Convert) in the west and Lediwali Gali (Vorlage:Convert) in the south west. Control of the pass depends on control of these peaks.Vorlage:Cn.

A view towards the massive Pir Panjal range

Tunnels

Road tunnels

Existing Banihal road tunnel

A Vorlage:Convert long tunnel through Pir Panjal mountain under the Banihal pass connects Banihal with Qazigund on the other side of the mountain. The tunnel named Jawahar tunnel after the first Prime Minister of India was constructed in early 1950s and commissioned in December 1956 to ensure snow-free passage throughout the year. It is at elevation of about Vorlage:Convert. It was designed for 150 vehicles per day but now used by more than 7,000 vehicles per day. Therefore a new wider and longer tunnel has been planned at a lower elevation.

New Banihal road tunnel

Vorlage:Unreferenced section Construction of a new Vorlage:Convert long twin-tube Banihal-Qazigund road tunnel started in 2011. The new tunnel is at a lower elevation than the existing Jawahar tunnel and, when completed, would reduce the road distance between Banihal and Qazigund by Vorlage:Convert. It would also be less prone to snow avalanche as it will be at a lower elevation.

Rohtang road tunnel

Vorlage:Unreferenced section Rohtang tunnel is being built under the Rohtang Pass in the eastern Pir Panjal range of the Himalayas on the Leh-Manali Highway. With Vorlage:Convert length, the tunnel will be the longest road tunnel in India and is expected to reduce the distance between Manali and Keylong by about Vorlage:Convert. The tunnel is at Vorlage:Convert elevation whereas the Rohtang pass is at Vorlage:Convert elevation. Lying on the Manali-Leh axis, this is one of the two routes to Ladakh..

Banihal railway tunnel

The Pir Panjal Railway Tunnel, an Vorlage:Convert railway tunnel, passes through the Pir Panjal Range in Jammu and Kashmir. It connects Quazigund and Banihal and is a part of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla railway project. Vorlage:As of, the tunnel had been bored and the railway track was being laid, with commissioning expected to be by the end of 2012. It is India's longest and Asia's second longest railway tunnel.

See also

• Ganga Choti