The Jhelum River is a major river in
South Asia
South Asia is the southern Subregion#Asia, subregion of Asia that is defined in both geographical and Ethnicity, ethnic-Culture, cultural terms. South Asia, with a population of 2.04 billion, contains a quarter (25%) of the world's populatio ...
, flowing through
India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
and
Pakistan
Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...
, and is the westernmost of the five major rivers of the
Punjab
Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...
region. It originates at
Verinag and flows through the Indian-administered territory of
Jammu and Kashmir, into Pakistan-administered Kashmir, then the Pakistani province of
Punjab
Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...
. It is a
tributary
A tributary, or an ''affluent'', is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream (''main stem'' or ''"parent"''), river, or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries, and the main stem river into which they ...
of the
Chenab River
The Chenab River is a major river in India and Pakistan, and is one of the 5 major rivers of the Punjab region. It is formed by the union of two headwaters, the Chandra and Bhaga, which rise in the upper Himalayas in the Lahaul region of Hima ...
and has a total length of about .
Etymology

A
Pakistani
Pakistanis (, ) are the citizens and nationals of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Pakistan is the fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the second-largest Muslim population as of 2023. As much as ...
author, Anjum Sultan Shahbaz, recorded some stories of the name Jhelum in his book ''Tareekh-e-Jhelum'':
The
Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...
name for the river is ''Vitástā'', derived from an apocryphal legend regarding the origin of the river in the
Nilamata Purana. The name survives in the
Kashmiri name for this river, ''Vyath'' and in
Punjabi (and more commonly in
Saraiki) as ''Vehat''. It was called the
Hydaspes
The Jhelum River is a major river in South Asia, flowing through India and Pakistan, and is the westernmost of the five major rivers of the Punjab region. It originates at Verinag and flows through the Indian-administered territory of Jammu an ...
by the armies of
Alexander the Great
Alexander III of Macedon (; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), most commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the Ancient Greece, ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia (ancient kingdom), Macedon. He succeeded his father Philip ...
.
History

The river Jhelum was originally recognized by the name Vitasta. The river was called ''Hydaspes'' () by the
ancient Greeks
Ancient Greece () was a northeastern Mediterranean civilization, existing from the Greek Dark Ages of the 12th–9th centuries BC to the end of classical antiquity (), that comprised a loose collection of culturally and linguistically re ...
.
Alexander III of Macedon and his army crossed the Jhelum in BCE 326 at the
Battle of the Hydaspes River, where he defeated an Indian king,
Porus. According to
Arrian (''
Anabasis'', 29), he built a city "on the spot whence he started to cross the river Hydaspes", which he named ''
Bukephala'' (or ''Bucephala'') to honour his famous horse
Bucephalus, buried in present-day
Jalalpur Sharif. It is thought that ancient Bukephala was near the site of modern
Jhelum. According to
Gujrat district historian Mansoor Behzad Butt, Bukephalus was buried in Jalalpur Sharif, but the people of
Mandi Bahauddin, a district close to Jehlum, believed that their
tehsil
A tehsil (, also known as tahsil, taluk, or taluka () is a local unit of administrative division in India and Pakistan. It is a subdistrict of the area within a Zila (country subdivision), district including the designated populated place that ser ...
Phalia was named after Alexander's dead horse, saying that the name ''Phalia'' was a distortion of ''Bucephala''.
The waters of the Jhelum are allocated to
Pakistan
Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...
under the terms of the
Indus Waters Treaty. India is working on a
hydropower
Hydropower (from Ancient Greek -, "water"), also known as water power or water energy, is the use of falling or fast-running water to Electricity generation, produce electricity or to power machines. This is achieved by energy transformation, ...
project on a tributary of Jhelum river to establish first-use rights on the river water over Pakistan as per the
Indus Waters Treaty.
Legends
According to Hindu
, the goddess
Parvati
Parvati (, , IPA: /Sanskrit phonology, pɑɾʋət̪iː/), also known as Uma (, , IPA: Sanskrit phonology, /ʊmɑː/) and Gauri (, , IPA: /Sanskrit phonology, gə͡ʊɾiː/), is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism, revered as the Devi, ...
was requested by the sage
Kashyapa to come to
Kashmir
Kashmir ( or ) is the Northwestern Indian subcontinent, northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term ''Kashmir'' denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir P ...
to purify the land from the evil practices and impurities of the
pishachas living there. Parvati assumed the form of a river in the
netherworld. Her consort
Shiva
Shiva (; , ), also known as Mahadeva (; , , Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐh and Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the God in Hinduism, Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions w ...
struck with his spear near the abode of Nila, (
Verinag spring). With this stroke of the spear, Parvati emerged from the netherworld. He excavated a ditch measuring one ''vitasti'' using the spear, through which the river, originating from the netherworld, came out, and so he gave her the name ''Vitástā''.
The
ancient Greeks
Ancient Greece () was a northeastern Mediterranean civilization, existing from the Greek Dark Ages of the 12th–9th centuries BC to the end of classical antiquity (), that comprised a loose collection of culturally and linguistically re ...
also regarded the river as a
god
In monotheistic belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...
, as they did most mountains and streams. The poet
Nonnus
Nonnus of Panopolis (, ''Nónnos ho Panopolítēs'', 5th century AD) was the most notable Greek epic poet of the Imperial Roman era. He was a native of Panopolis (Akhmim) in the Egyptian Thebaid and probably lived in the 5th century AD. He i ...
in the ''
Dionysiaca
The ''Dionysiaca'' (, ''Dionysiaká'') is an ancient Greek epic poem and the principal work of Nonnus. It is an epic in 48 books, the longest surviving poem from Greco-Roman antiquity at 20,426 lines, composed in Homeric dialect and dactylic hex ...
'' calls the ''Hydaspes'' a
titan
Titan most often refers to:
* Titan (moon), the largest moon of Saturn
* Titans, a race of deities in Greek mythology
Titan or Titans may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment
Fictional entities
Fictional locations
* Titan in fiction, fictiona ...
-descended god, the son of the sea-god
Thaumas and the cloud-goddess
Elektra, the brother of
Iris, goddess of the
rainbow
A rainbow is an optical phenomenon caused by refraction, internal reflection and dispersion of light in water droplets resulting in a continuous spectrum of light appearing in the sky. The rainbow takes the form of a multicoloured circular ...
, and half-brother to the
harpies, the snatching winds. Since the river is in a foreign country, it is not clear whether they named the river after the god, or whether the god ''Hydaspes'' was named after the river.
Course
The river Jhelum rises from Verinag spring at the foot of the
Pir Panjal
The Pir Panjal Range ( ; ) is a range of mountains in the Lower Himalayan region located in the Western Himalayas of northern Indian subcontinent. It runs southeast to northwest between the Beas and Neelam/Kishanganga rivers, in the Indi ...
in the southeastern Kashmir Valley administered by India. It is joined by its tributaries
*
Lidder River near village Mirgund at
Khanabal
*
Veshaw River at Sangam in
Anantnag
Anantnag ( ; ), also called Islamabad ( ; ), is the administrative headquarters of Anantnag district of Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region.The application of the term "admi ...
*
Sind River at Shadipora
*
Pohru River at
Doabgah in
Sopore,
Jammu and Kashmir.
It flows through
Srinagar
Srinagar (; ) is a city in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region.The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of Kashmir and a mention of the Kashmir dispute is supported by the tertiary ...
and
Wular Lake before entering Pakistan-administered Kashmir through a deep narrow gorge. The
Kishanganga River/Neelum River, the largest tributary of the Jhelum, joins it at
Domel,
Muzaffarabad, as does the next largest, the
Kunhar River of
Kaghan Valley. It is then joined by the
Poonch River, and flows into the
Mangla Dam reservoir in the
Mirpur District. The Jhelum enters
Pakistani Punjab in the
Jhelum District
Jhelum District () is a district, located partially on the Pothohar Plateau and in Indus Plain, in Punjab, Pakistan. Jhelum is one of the oldest districts of Punjab. It was established on 23 March 1849. Jhelum is known for providing many sold ...
. From there, it flows through the plains of Pakistan's Punjab, forming the boundary between the
Jech and
Sindh Sagar Doabs. It ends in a confluence with the
Chenab River
The Chenab River is a major river in India and Pakistan, and is one of the 5 major rivers of the Punjab region. It is formed by the union of two headwaters, the Chandra and Bhaga, which rise in the upper Himalayas in the Lahaul region of Hima ...
at
Trimmu in the
Jhang District. The Chenab merges with the
Sutlej
The Sutlej River or the Satluj River is a major river in Asia, flowing through China, India and Pakistan, and is the longest of the five major rivers of the Punjab region. It is also known as ''Satadru''; and is the easternmost tributary of t ...
to form the
Panjnad River, which joins the
Indus River
The Indus ( ) is a transboundary river of Asia and a trans-Himalayas, Himalayan river of South Asia, South and Central Asia. The river rises in mountain springs northeast of Mount Kailash in the Western Tibet region of China, flows northw ...
at
Mithankot.
Most of the villages and important cities of Kashmir valley are situated on the banks of Jhelum.
Lakes
Infrastructure
Bridges
* Victoria Bridge,
Haranpur, constructed in 1973, approximate 5 km from
Malakwal near
Chak Nizam village. Its length is 1 km, mainly used by
Pakistan Railways, but there is a passage for light vehicles, motorcycles, cycles and pedestrians on one side.
Dams
Listed in the order of upstream to downstream.
India
The river has rich power generation potential in India. Water control structures are being built as a result of the
Indus Basin Project, including the following:
* On Jhelum
**
Kishanganga Hydroelectric Power Project, 330 MW, in
Bandipora district, completed in 2018. In May 2025, after suspending
IWT, India has decided to significantly increase the capacity of the Kishanganga Project.
[सिंधु जल संधि का क्या हश्र करने जा रही है मोदी सरकार? किसानों से संवाद में इरादे का खुलासा]
MSN.com, 20 May 2025.
**
Uri-I Stage-I Hydroelectric Power Project, 480 MW, in
Baramulla district, completed in 1997.
**
Uri-I Stage-II Hydroelectric Power Project, 240 MW, in Baramulla district, under tendering in 2025.
[पानी को लेकर गिड़गिड़ा रहा पाक, इधर भारत ने बना लिया खास प्लान; नए प्रोजेक्ट्स में स्टोरेज पर फोकस]
MSN, 11 June 2025.
* On tributaries of Jhelum
** Owari Nag Nallah
*** Karnah Hydroelectric Power Project, 12 MW, at village Haridal (Pingla Haridal) in the Kupwara district. 53% complete in October 2023.
[Energy deficit in J&K down from 17.8% during 2018-19 to 1.5% up to November 2023 during 2023-24: Union Minister for Power and New & Renewable Energy]
PIB, 9 Dec 2023.
**
Kalnai River
***
Lower Kalnai Hydroelectric Project, 48 MW, at
Donadi in Doda district,
under-construction stalled project expedited in April 2025 after the termination of IWT.
[Indus Waters Treaty Suspended: Modi Government Fast-Tracks Five Major Hydropower Projects in Jammu & Kashmir - Details Here]
timesnownews.com, 28 Apr 2025.
**
Sind River
***
Upper Sind Hydroelectric Project 1st at Sumbal in Bandipora district, 22.6 MW, completed in 1973.
***
Upper Sind Hydroelectric Project 2nd, 127.6 MW, at Kangan in Ganderbal district, completed in 2002.
*** Lower Sind Hydroelectric Power project at Ganderbal in Ganderbal district, 15 MW (produced only 2MW due to reduced flow), completed in 1955.
Ganderbal’s 15 MW hydel plant now producing just 2 MW
greaterkashmir.com, 27 Dec 2024.
Pakistan
* Karot Hydropower Project, 720 MW, concrete-core rockfill gravity large dam in Pakistan was completed in 2022.
* Mangla Dam, 1070 MW, 7278 MCM, completed in 1967, is one of the largest earth-fill dams in the world.
* Rasul Barrage, 22 MW, constructed in 1967, has a maximum flow of 850,000 ft³/s (24,000 m³/s).
* Trimmu Barrage, 1263 MW, constructed in 1939 20 km from Jhang city at the confluence with the Chenab, has maximum discharge capacity of 645,000 ft³/s (18,000 m³/s).
Canals
* Pakistan
** Upper Jhelum Canal runs from Mangla Dam to the Chenab.
** Rasul-Qadirabad Link Canal
** Chashma-Jhelum Link Canal runs from the Chashma Barrage on the Indus River
The Indus ( ) is a transboundary river of Asia and a trans-Himalayas, Himalayan river of South Asia, South and Central Asia. The river rises in mountain springs northeast of Mount Kailash in the Western Tibet region of China, flows northw ...
to the Jhelum river.
Gallery
File:Jhelum river, Baramullah, Kashmir, 1880s.jpg, Jhelum river, Baramullah, Kashmir, 1880s
File:Jhelum River abt 1900.jpg, Jhelum River c. 1900; photo taken by Eugene Whitehead Esq.
File:Crossing the boiling floods of Jhelum River by a bridge of one raw-hide rope, at Uri in Jammu and Kashmir (c. 1903).jpg, Jhelum River at Uri in Kashmir
Kashmir ( or ) is the Northwestern Indian subcontinent, northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term ''Kashmir'' denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir P ...
, 1903
File:Bridge made of three ropes across the Jhelum river.jpg, Rope Bridge at Karli, 1908
File:Srinagar (Kashmir), 1969, bridge over the Jelhum river..jpg, Bridge over the river, Srinagar
Srinagar (; ) is a city in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region.The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of Kashmir and a mention of the Kashmir dispute is supported by the tertiary ...
, 1969
File:Jehlum River Muzaffarabad best view.jpg, Jhelum river near Muzaffarabad (2014)
File:Jhelum River (Muzaffarabad) 11.jpg, File:River Jehlum, Muzaffarabad
File:Jehlum- River Muzaffarabad.jpg, Near Muzaffarabad, 2014
File:Jhalum river water fall at verinag.JPG, The Jhelum at Verinag, 2014
File:Jhelum River Bridge.JPG, Jhelum River at Jhelum City, 2005
See also
Notes
References
External links
Livius.org pictures of the Hydaspes
{{Authority control
River gods in Greek mythology
Rivers of Azad Kashmir
Rivers of Jammu and Kashmir
Tributaries of the Indus River
International rivers of Asia
Jhelum
Jhelum District
Rigvedic rivers
Rivers in Buddhism
Rivers of Punjab, Pakistan
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