Mt Harmukh (originally "Haramukuta") is a mountain with a peak elevation of , in Ganderbal district of Jammu and Kashmir in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. Harmukh is part of the

Himalaya The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; ; ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the planet's highest peaks, including the very highest, Mount Everest. Over 100 ...

Range Range may refer to: Geography * Range (geographic), a chain of hills or mountains; a somewhat linear, complex mountainous or hilly area (cordillera, sierra) ** Mountain range, a group of mountains bordered by lowlands * Range, a term used to i ...

and is located between

Sind River The Sind River or the Sindh River is a river in the Ganderbal district of the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It is a major tributary of the Jhelum River and is 108 kilometres long. Geography The Sind River forms the Sind ...

in the south and

Kishanganga River The Neelum River, or Kishanganga River, is a river in the Kashmir region of India and Pakistan. It originates in Bandipora district of northern Jammu and Kashmir in India, flows through the Neelam District of Pakistan's Azad Kashmir and then mer ...

in the north, rising above Gangabal Lake in the vicinity of Kashmir valley. It is mostly climbed from the northwestern side of Arin, via Kudara, Bandipore. Harmukh is considered sacred in

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...

Etymology

Harmukh derives from Haramukuta, meaning "the diadem of Hara (Shiva)". The entire region of Harmukh is also known as ''Ramaradhan'', as it is believed that

Parashurama Parashurama (), also referred to as Rama Jamadagnya, Rama Bhargava and Veerarama, is the sixth avatar among the Dashavatara of the preserver god Vishnu in Hinduism. He is believed to be one of the ''Chiranjeevis'' (Immortals), who will appea ...

had meditated near lakes on this mountain range.

Religious beliefs

Harmukh, with Gangbal Lake at its foot, is considered a sacred mountain by

Hindus Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

. It is also known as 'Kailash of Kashmir' According to the legend of "Hurmukhuk Gosoni",Some Marvels of Kashmir
/ref> once a hermit tried to reach the summit of Harmukh to see Shiva face to face. For twelve long years, he tried to scale the summit but failed until one day he saw a Gujar descending the summit. When the Gujar approached him, the hermit enquired as to what he had seen there. The Gujar said he had been searching for a stray goat, and that while searching he saw a couple milking a cow and drinking the milk from a human skull. The couple had offered him some milk, which he refused to drink; when they departed they rubbed a little of the milk on his forehead. When the Gujar indicated the spot where the milk was rubbed, the hermit was extremely joyful and rushed to lick his forehead.

Harmukh Gangbal Yatra

This pilgrimage takes place every year on the eve of Ganga Ashtami. The yatris begin their yatra from

Naranag Naranag or (Nara Nag) is a tourist village and ancient Hindu pilgrimage site, near Ganderbal town in Ganderbal district, Jammu and Kashmir, India. Well known for its ancient but pillaged temple ruins complex, it is located around 8 km from ...

Geographical setting

Photo taken from cable car in Gulmarg showing Haramukh towering above the Great Himalayan range in the distance Harmukh lies in the northwestern Himalayan Range. The Kashmir Valley lies to its south. Water from melting glaciers form Gangabal Lake which lies at its foot to the north east side and contribute significantly to the regional fresh-water supply, supporting irrigation through

. It is notable for its local relief as it is a consistently steep pyramid, dropping sharply to the east and south, with the eastern slope the steepest.

Climbing history

Harmukh mountain massif has several summits, the Station Peak being the lowest with a peak elevation of was first climbed by members of the Great Trigonometric Survey of

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

led by Thomas Montgomerie in 1856. Montgomerie made the first survey of the Karakoram range which lies some to the north from here and sketched the two most prominent peaks, labeling them K1 (also called

Masherbrum Masherbrum ( ur, ; formerly known as K1) is a mountain located in the Ghanche District, Gilgit Baltistan, Pakistan. At , it is the 22nd highest mountain in the world and the 9th highest in Pakistan. It was the first mapped peak in the Ka ...

) and K2, which is the world's second-highest mountain. The highest eastern peak was summited by Dr Ernest Neve and Geoffrey Millais in 1899. The mountain has since become popular among climbers and mountaineers.

Climbing routes

The easiest route among the different routes of Harmukh is via Erin, Bandipore, 47 km motorable road from Srinagar to Erin and 18 kilometers of high altitude alpine trek leads to the base of Harmukh. Another trek leads from

to the base of Harmukh at Gangabal Lake, but it is a steep climb at some places.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Mountains of Jammu and Kashmir Geography of Ganderbal district Five-thousanders of the Himalayas Tourist attractions in Ganderbal district