The Sind Valley is a Himalayan sub-valley of the Kashmir Valley in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. The entrance of the Sind Valley lies northeast of Srinagar the capital of Jammu and Kashmir. It is a long gorge valley with an average width of .

History

The Sind Valley had a strategic importance on the ancient Silk Road. It worked as a bridge between

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 ...

, China and

Central Asia Central Asia, also known as Middle Asia, is a subregion, region of Asia that stretches from the Caspian Sea in the west to western China and Mongolia in the east, and from Afghanistan and Iran in the south to Russia in the north. It includes t ...

along with Srinagar-Skardu Route. First

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 ...

and

Buddhism Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religions, Indian religion or Indian philosophy#Buddhist philosophy, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha. ...

and then Islam spread in Kashmir through this route. The Sind Valley still connects

Ladakh Ladakh () is a region administered by India as a union territory which constitutes a part of the larger Kashmir region and has been the subject of dispute between India, Pakistan, and China since 1947. (subscription required) Quote: "Jammu ...

with the rest of India through a National Highway

NH 1D National Highway 1 (NH 1) in India runs between the union territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh. It comprises parts of old NH1A and NH1D. The number 1 indicates, under the new numbering system, that it is the northernmost East-Wes ...

, though it remains closed during winter due to heavy snowfall at

Zojila Zoji La (sometimes Zojila Pass) is a high mountain pass in the Himalayas. It is in the Indian Union territory of Ladakh, Kargil district, Kashmir. Located in the Drass, the pass connects the Kashmir Valley to its west, with the Drass and ...

Geography

The Sind Valley is situated within the jurisdiction of Kangan tehsil, of

Ganderbal district The Ganderbal district, or more formally District Ganderdal, is a district in the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, India. Ganderbal town is administrative headquarters of district. It was formed in 2007 and has 6 subdistricts (tehsils): ...

. It is bordered by the Kashmir Valley in the west,

in the east, Kishanganga in the north and the

Lidder Valley The Lidder Valley or Liddar ValleyKaul, Manmohan N., ''Glacial and Fluvial Geomorphology of Western Himalaya,'' South Asia Books, 1990, p. 23, in the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, India, is a Himalayan sub-valley that forms the southea ...

in the south. It has a length of and reaches a maximum length of at village Preng towards the north through a stream Wangath Nala which flows down from Gangabal Lake. At some places the width is less than which gives only space to

, a National Highway which connects

and the Kashmir Valley. It is formed by the flow of the

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 ...

which flows down from east to west. The River originates from the inner Himalayas at Drass in

Machoi Glacier The Machoi Glacier is a 9 kilometer long glacier in the Himalayan Range in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, India. Geography It is situated 30 kilometer west from Drass, Ladakh, India and 8 kilometers east from Sonamarg on the southern side o ...

and runs through green forests of pine and fir and alpine meadows of

Sonamarg Sonamarg () or Sonmarg (), known as Sonamarag (; ) in Kashmiri, is a hill station located in the Ganderbal District of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It is located about 62 Kilometers from Ganderbal Town and northeast of the capital city, Srina ...

. The Sind Valley contributes heavily to the economy of the State, through generation of hydroelectricity, provides fresh water supply to other districts and irrigation for agriculture. The

flows through the entire valley passing several natural landmarks, tourist spots including Baltal, The meadow of gold, Gagangear,

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 ...

and Wayil. The main towns in the valley are Gund, Mammer, Kangan, Wangath, Preng, Wussan and Manigam.

Geology

The Sind Valley has formed over a period of several thousand years as the Sind River cuts into the Himalayan mountains. The

glacier A glacier (; ) is a persistent body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires distinguishing features, such as ...

s of the valley are shrinking. Today, the river continues to deposit the sheets of sand in the lower areas of Ganderbal. Gradual erosive processes have washed away side forests and created a deep gorge at many places.

Ecology

The Sind Valley has many glacier fed streams, the tributaries of the Sind River are home to different types of

trout Trout are species of freshwater fish belonging to the genera '' Oncorhynchus'', '' Salmo'' and '' Salvelinus'', all of the subfamily Salmoninae of the family Salmonidae. The word ''trout'' is also used as part of the name of some non-salm ...

among of which is the brown trout. The valley is the natural habitat of

Himalayan black bear The Himalayan black bear (''Ursus thibetanus laniger'') is a subspecies of the Asian black bear found in the Himalayas of India, Bhutan, Nepal, China, and Pakistan. Description It is distinguished from '' U. t. thibetanus'' by its longer, thicke ...

, the Himalayan brown bear, musk deer,

snow leopard The snow leopard (''Panthera uncia''), also known as the ounce, is a felid in the genus '' Panthera'' native to the mountain ranges of Central and South Asia. It is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List because the global population is es ...

and

hangul The Korean alphabet, known as Hangul, . Hangul may also be written as following South Korea's standard Romanization. ( ) in South Korea and Chosŏn'gŭl in North Korea, is the modern official writing system for the Korean language. The le ...

Markhor The markhor (''Capra falconeri'') is a large ''Capra'' species native to Central Asia, the Karakoram, and the Himalayas. It is listed on the IUCN Red List as Near Threatened since 2015. The markhor is the national animal of Pakistan, where i ...

and

ibex An ibex (plural ibex, ibexes or ibices) is any of several species of wild goat (genus ''Capra''), distinguished by the male's large recurved horns, which are transversely ridged in front. Ibex are found in Eurasia, North Africa and East Africa ...

are also spotted in

of the Sind Valley.

References

External links