The Pir Panjal Pass

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.

Prashant MathawanApril 28, 2021pir panjals, kashmir, aliabad sarai, mughal road

Pogal Paristan : The Land of Fairies

There is a place called Pogal and Paristan/ sometimes written as Peristan as well. Pogal and Peristan are both Rivers and they together give their name to this area. As per some Paristan name is derived from the word “Pari” for fairy and hence it meant the Land of Fairies and it is really that beautiful from what I have read and seen. Sargali, Sunseri, GaganTop, Nandigarh, Hans Raj Peak, Sharvadhar and the beautiful Gugli Meadows are said to be some of the places worth visiting here. And the language spoken here is a seperate one called the Pogali which is considered close to Kishtwari and Kashmiri. But the fact that they have developed a dialect of their own speaks about the separate character of this Region.

The Enchanting Padri Gali

The enchanting Padri Pass or Padri Galli or Padri Top which connects Chamba in Himachal Pradesh with Bhaderwah in the Jammu Division of Jammu and Kashmir at around 10,400 feet amsl. It is located around 110 kms from Chamba Town and around 40 kms from Bhaderwah and is the highest point of the Chamba Bhaderwah Highway. This is one of the important Passes which connects J and K with Himachal. In older times Bhaderwah was a part of the powerful Chamba Kingdom which held Kishtwar as well and even Zanskar.

Himalayan GeographyPrashant MathawanApril 8, 2019padri, chamba, bhaderwah, doda, kishtwar, pir panjals, jammu, jammu and kashmir, zanskarComment

The Murree Brewery

The Murree Brewery was established in 1860 the fulfill the ever increasing demand of Beer for the British Troops in the British Indian Army. It did roaring business till it was reduced to ruins after being burnt down during the riots in the wake of the partition of the British India.

Prashant MathawanSeptember 17, 2018murree brewery, murree, pakistan, pir panjals Comments

The Hari Parbat Fort, Srinagar, Kashmir

The Hari Parbat is the only surviving Fort in the Kashmir region of the state of Jammu and Kashmir. It stands over a hill also known as the Koh-I-Maraan and originally was the site of a Fort built by Emperor Akbar. He had also built a large fortification Wall at the base of the Hill parts of which survive till today.

Prashant MathawanApril 20, 2018hari parbat, kashmir, srinagar, pir panjals, afghans, sikhs, dogras, akbarComment

The Inglorious Bastards of the Pir Panjals

Prashant MathawanApril 1, 2018inglorious bastards, pir panjals, gulmargComment