Chenab river - चिनाब नदी

Chenab river in northwestern India and eastern Pakistan, formed by the confluence of two streams (Chandra and Bhaga) in the Punjab Himalayas in India's Himachal Pradesh state. It flows west through Jammu and Kashmir, between the steep cliffs of the Siwalik Hills and the Lesser Himalayas, then southwest into Pakistan to its junction with the Sutlej, a tributary of the River Indus, rising in the Himalayas and flowing through Kashmir, India and Pakistan. It is one of the five rivers which give Punjab its name.

Chenab River is formed by the confluence of the Chandra and Bhaga rivers at Tandi located in the upper Himalayas, in the Lahaul district of Himachal Pradesh, India. In its upper reaches it is also known as the Chandrabhaga. It flows through the Jammu region of Jammu and Kashmir into the plains of the Punjab, forming the boundary between the Rechna and Jech interfluves (Doabs in Farsi). It is joined by the Jhelum River at Trimmu, and then by the Ravi River. It then merges with the Sutlej River at Uch Sharif to form the Panjnad ('Five Rivers'), which joins the Indus at Mithankot. The total length of the Chenab is approximately 960 kilometers. The waters of the Chenab are allocated to Pakistan under the terms of the Indus Waters Treaty. The river was known to Indians in Vedic period as Asikni or Iskmati and as Acesines to the Ancient Greeks. In 325 BC, Alexander the Great allegedly founded the town of Alexandria on Indus (present day Uch Sharif or Mithankot or Chacharan) at the confluence of the Indus and the combined stream of Punjab rivers (currently known as the Panjnad River). The Chenab has the same place in the consciousness of the people of the Punjab, as, say the Rhine holds for the Germans, or the Danube for the Austrians and the Hungarians. It is the iconic river around which Punjabi consciousness revolves, and plays a prominent part in the tale of Heer Ranjha, the Punjabi national epic.

The Geography

The word Chenab is a formulation of the words Chen which means moon and ab which means river. So literally it means Moon River? Chenab River is formed as the glacial melt of the snow topped Upper Himalayas in the Jammu and Kashmir region. It enters Pakistan near the Sialkot district and then flows through the Punjab plain. It flows between the cities of Gujrat and Sialkot until it meets River Jhelum at Trimmu. A little further down, it is joined by River Ravi. Then Sutlej River joins Chenab at Uch Sharif. At this point it is called Punjnad (or literally Five Rivers). This confluence of Rivers finally joins Indus River at Mithankot which ofcourse flows downstream to Arabian Ocean.

Two streams namely Chandra and Bhaga rise on the opposite sides of the Baralacha pass at an elevation of 4,891 metres and meet at Tandi at an elevation of 2,286 metres to form the river Chenab. The Chenab rises from the South-East and Bhaga from the North-West of the Baralacha pass. It enters Pangi valley of Chamba district near Bhujind and leaves the district at Sansari Nala to enter Podar valley of Kashmir. It flows in Himachal for 122 km. With its total length of 1,200 km., it has a catchment area of 61,000 sq. km., out of which 7,500 sq. km. lie in Himachal Pradesh. It is the largest river of Himachal Pradesh in terms of volume of waters. The Chenab valley is a structual trough formed by the great Himalayan and Pir Panjal ranges.