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

. 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

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 Nilamata Purana (), also known as the ''Kasmira Mahatmya'', is an ancient text (4th to 8th century CE) from Kashmir which contains information on its history, geography, religion, and folklore. It was used by Kalhana as one of sources of h ...

. 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 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 Greek kingdom of Macedon. He succeeded his father Philip II to the throne in 336 BC at the age of 20 ...

and his army crossed the Jhelum in BCE 326 at the Battle of the Hydaspes River, where he defeated an Indian king,

Porus Porus or Poros ( ; 326–321 BC) was an ancient Indian king whose territory spanned the region between the Jhelum River (Hydaspes) and Chenab River (Acesines), in the Punjab region of what is now India and Pakistan. He is only mentioned in Gr ...

. According to

Arrian Arrian of Nicomedia (; Greek: ''Arrianos''; ; ) was a Greek historian, public servant, military commander, and philosopher of the Roman period. '' The Anabasis of Alexander'' by Arrian is considered the best source on the campaigns of ...

(''

Anabasis Anabasis (from Greek ''ana'' = "upward", ''bainein'' = "to step or march") is an expedition from a coastline into the interior of a country. Anabase and Anabasis may also refer to: History * '' Anabasis Alexandri'' (''Anabasis of Alexander''), ...

'', 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 Bucephalus (; ; – June 326 BC) or Bucephalas, was the horse of Alexander the Great, and one of the most famous horses of classical antiquity. According to the '' Alexander Romance'' (1.15), the name "Bucephalus" literally means "ox-h ...

, buried in present-day Jalalpur Sharif. It is thought that ancient Bukephala was near the site of modern

Jhelum Jhelum (; , ) is a city, located along the western bank of the Jhelum River, in Punjab, Pakistan. It is the 21st largest city in Punjab and 31st largest in Pakistan, by population. Located in northern Punjab, it serves as the capital of the ...

. According to

Gujrat district Gujrat ( Punjabi, ) is a district of Gujrat Division in the Pakistani province of Punjab. The Gujrat District was created by the British Government in 1846. According to the 2023 Pakistani census the population of the Gujrat District is 3,219 ...

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

under the terms of the

Indus Waters Treaty The Indus Water Treaty (IWT) is a water-distribution treaty between India and Pakistan, arranged and negotiated by the World Bank, to use the water available in the Indus River and its tributaries. It was signed in Karachi on 19 September 196 ...

. 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

Legends

According to Hindu

puranas Puranas (Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature
(1995 Editio ...

, 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 Kashyapa (, ) is a revered Vedic sage of Hinduism., Quote: "Kasyapa (Rudra),(Vedic Seer)..." He is one of the Saptarishis, the seven ancient sages of the ''Rigveda''. Kashyapa is the most ancient and venerated rishi, along with the other Sa ...

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

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 In Greek mythology, Thaumas or Thaumant (; ; ) was a sea god, son of Pontus and Gaia, and the full brother of Nereus, Phorcys, Ceto and Eurybia. Mythology According to Hesiod, Thaumas's wife was Electra (one of the Oceanids, the many daughter ...

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 In Greek and Roman mythology, a harpy (plural harpies, , ; ) is a half-human and half-bird mythical creature, often believed to be a personification of storm winds. They feature in Homeric poems. Descriptions Harpies were generally depicted ...

, 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 Wular Lake (), also known as Wolar () in Kashmiri language, Kashmiri, is one of the largest fresh water, freshwater lakes in the Indian subcontinent. It is located near Bandipore, Bandipora town in the Bandipora district of Jammu and Kashmir ...

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 The Kaghan Valley (Hindko, ) is an Alpine climate, alpine valley in Mansehra District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The valley stretches across the northern Pakistan, rising from its lowest elevation of to its highest point at the Babusar P ...

. It is then joined by the Poonch River, and flows into the

Mangla Dam The Mangla Dam () is a multipurpose dam situated on the Jhelum River, lying in the Mirpur District of Pakistan administered Azad Kashmir and the Jhelum District in Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab, Pakistan. It is the List of largest dams, sixth-large ...

reservoir in the

Mirpur District Mirpur District () is a district of Pakistan-administered Azad Jammu and 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 sources (a ...

. The Jhelum enters

Pakistani Punjab Punjab (, ) is a province of Pakistan. With a population of over 127 million, it is the most populous province in Pakistan and the second most populous subnational polity in the world. Located in the central-eastern region of the country, i ...

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

at Trimmu in the

Jhang District Jhang District (Punjabi language, Punjabi and ) is a Districts of Pakistan, district of Faisalabad Division, Faisalabad division in the Punjab (Pakistan), Punjab province, Pakistan. Jhang is the capital and administrative seat of the 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 The Panjnad River ( Punjabi and ) is a river at the extreme end of the Bahawalpur district in the Punjab province of Pakistan. The name ''Panjnad'' is derived from Persian ''panj'' ("five") and Sanskrit ''nadī́'' ("river") which means "five r ...

, 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 ...

Mithankot Mithankot ( Punjabi / ) also known as Kot Mithan, is a city in Rajanpur District in Punjab, Pakistan. Mithankot is located on the west bank of the Indus River, a short distance downstream from its junction with Panjnad River. Most of its inhabita ...

. 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 Pakistan Railways is the state-owned railway operator in Pakistan. Founded in 1861 as the North Western State Railway and headquartered in Lahore, it owns of operational track across Pakistan, stretching from Peshawar to Karachi, offering bot ...

, 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 The Indus Basin Project is a water control project that resulted from a treaty, Indus Waters Treaty, signed between India and Pakistan in 1960 that guaranteed what Pakistan would receive water from the Indus River independent from upstream contro ...

, 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 Baramulla (), also known as Varmul () in Kashmiri, is a city and municipality of the Baramulla district of the Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region.The application of the term "administered" to the various r ...

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. *

, 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

to the Chenab. ** Rasul-Qadirabad Link Canal ** Chashma-Jhelum Link Canal runs from the

Chashma Barrage Chashma Barrage is a barrage on the River Indus in the Mianwali District of the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is 304 km northwest of Lahore and 56 km downstream of Jinnah Barrage. The contract for Chashma Barrage works was awarde ...

on the

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 Uri may refer to: Places * Canton of Uri, a canton in Switzerland * Úri, a village and commune in Hungary * Uri, Iran, a village in East Azerbaijan Province * Uri, Jammu and Kashmir, a town in India * Uri (island), off Malakula Island in V ...

, 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,

, 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

City, 2005

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 pa:ਜੇਹਲਮ