Neelum River
Encyclopedia
The Neelum River or Kishanganga (Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...

/), is a river in the Kashmir region of India and Pakistan. The Neelam River enters Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...

 from India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

 in the Gurais
Gurez
Gurez or Gurais, also pronounced Gorai in the local Shina language, is a valley located in the high Himalayas , about from Bandipore and from Srinagar in northern Jammu and Kashmir, India. At about above sea level, the valley is surrounded by snow capped mountains. It has diverse fauna and...

 sector of the Line of Control
Line of Control
The term Line of Control refers to the military control line between the Indian- and Pakistani-controlled parts of the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir—a line which, to this day, does not constitute a legally recognized international boundary but is the de facto border...

, and then runs west till it meets the Jhelum River
Jhelum River
Jehlum River or Jhelum River , ) is a river that flows in India and Pakistan. It is the largest and most western of the five rivers of Punjab, and passes through Jhelum District...

 north of Muzzafarabad.

Neelum Valley

The Neelum Valley is a Himalayan gorge in Gilgit-Baltistan of Pakistan, along which the Neelum River flows. This green and fertile valley is 250 km in length and stretches its way from Muzaffarabad
Muzaffarabad
Muzaffarabad is the capital of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, Pakistan. It is located in Muzaffarabad District on the banks of the Jhelum and Neelum rivers...

 all the way to Athmuqam
Athmuqam
Athmuqam or Athmakam is a small city about 84 kilometers from Muzaffarabad, Pakistan. It is the headquarters of Neelum District. Its population is about 8,000....

 and beyond to Taobutt. It is one of the most attractive tourists places, like Swat and Chetral, but due to poor road system is yet veiled to the outside world. This area was badly affected by the 2005 earthquake and was cut off from the outside world as the roads and paths were filled with rubble. Now construction of an international standard road is in progress. Neelum has had a great importance before and after the partition of India
Partition of India
The Partition of India was the partition of British India on the basis of religious demographics that led to the creation of the sovereign states of the Dominion of Pakistan and the Union of India on 14 and 15...

 due to its beauty. Sharada Peeth
Sharada Peeth
Sharada Peeth , located near Sharda, was the famous temple of the goddess Sarasvatī in Northern Kashmir on the banks of what is known as the Neelum River in Pakistan . Its ruins are now in the Neelum District of Pakistan Administered Kashmir near the Line of Control and Gurez, India...

 was once most advanced and international standard institution during the Hindu and Buddhist era.

It is named after the river Neelum which is famous for its crystal bluish water and that is the reason for its name Neelum. Some traditionalists say that the valley is named after a precious stone neelum (sapphire). It enters in the Neelum from Taobutt and continues its journey through narrows and mountains different streams in the way add its strength and finely tributes into river Jehlum at a spot at Domail in Muzaffarabad.

There are two entrances for Neelum valley, one Neelum Road by Muzaffarabad and the other by Kaghan the Julkhad Road. Generally Neelum valley starts just after Muzaffarabad but in political division the area from Muzaffarabad to Chelhana is named Kotla valley in election division. District Neelum starts from Chelhana and goes to Taobutt. The valley is famous for its lush greenery, fir forests, slop hills and waterfalls. Specially in summer a large number of tourists visit the valley. Azad jummu and Kashmir tourism department and Forest Division Keren constructed Guest Houses in most important points. Good strandard hotels are also available in almost places.

Shardadesh is a name for the drainage basin of the Neelum River. The name is a form of Saraswati
Saraswati
In Hinduism Saraswati , is the goddess of knowledge, music, arts, science and technology. She is the consort of Brahma, also revered as His Shakti....

, the goddess
Devi
Devī is the Sanskrit word for Goddess, used mostly in Hinduism, its related masculine term is deva. Devi is synonymous with Shakti, the female aspect of the divine, as conceptualized by the Shakta tradition of Hinduism. She is the female counterpart without whom the male aspect, which represents...

 of knowledge
Knowledge
Knowledge is a familiarity with someone or something unknown, which can include information, facts, descriptions, or skills acquired through experience or education. It can refer to the theoretical or practical understanding of a subject...

, music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...

 and the arts
ARts
aRts, which stands for analog Real time synthesizer, is an audio framework that is no longer under development. It is best known for previously being used in KDE to simulate an analog synthesizer....

 in Hinduism
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...

.

Dam

In the India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

n state of Jammu & Kashmir, the construction work on the 330 MW Kishen Ganga power project will start soon, after being defunct for eighteen years. Recently, the project was awarded to Hindustan Construction Company
Hindustan Construction Company
Hindustan Construction Company is a construction company based in Mumbai, India, founded in 1926. HCC works in various sectors including transportation, power, marine, oil and gas pipeline construction, irrigation, utilities and urban infrastructure. HCC specializes in large-scale civil...

 (HCC) with a timeline of seven years. The 330 MW Kishanganga hydro-electric power project involves damming of Kishanganga or Neelam River and the proposed 103 metre reservoir will submerge some parts of the Gurez valley
Gurez
Gurez or Gurais, also pronounced Gorai in the local Shina language, is a valley located in the high Himalayas , about from Bandipore and from Srinagar in northern Jammu and Kashmir, India. At about above sea level, the valley is surrounded by snow capped mountains. It has diverse fauna and...

 of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

. The water of Kishen Ganga River will be diverted through a 27 kilometre tunnel dug through the mountains to Bandipore
Bandipore
Bandipore is a new District in the state of Jammu and Kashmir, India...

 where it will join the Wular Lake
Wular Lake
Wular Lake , India's largest fresh water lake is located in Bandipore district in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. It is also one of the largest freshwater lakes in Asia. The lake basin was formed as a result of tectonic activity and is fed by the Jhelum River...

 and then Jhelum River.

Similarly, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...

 has decided to construct a 969 MW hydro power project across the Jhelum; the country has placed the project in the hands of a Chinese consortium. Pakistan claims that the Indian dam project will violate the Indus Waters Treaty
Indus Waters Treaty
The Indus Waters Treaty is a water-sharing treaty between the Republic of India and Islamic Republic Of Pakistan, brokered by the World Bank . The treaty was signed in Karachi on September 19, 1960 by Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and President of Pakistan Mohammad Ayub Khan...

and has threatened to begin formal arbitration proceedings against India over the matter.

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