Punjab of Pakistan

The state of Punjab is known as the land of five rivers, due to the five major rivers flowing through this region. These rivers are the most important geographical feature of this area and have given the name Punjab ('Punj' means Five + 'Aab' means Water) to this land. The names of five rivers of Punjab are Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas and Satluj. All these rivers are tributaries of Indus river and converge together to form Panjnad river which ultimately flows into Indus river. The mighty Indus then terminates into Arabian Sea near Karachi city in Pakistan. All these rivers together with Indus river are considered part of Indus Valley River System.

This region is referred as Pancha-nada in Puranas and Mahabharata, which also means land of five rivers. The Greeks referred to this region as Pentapotamia, which means an inland delta of five converging rivers. It means that that these rivers are draining this land since ancient times.

Now many students ask that how many rivers in Punjab today? As of today, three rivers namely Satluj, Beas and Ravi are there in Punjab state of India. Ravi flows partially in Punjab, mainly along the international boundary of India and Pakistan and then enters Pakistan. The other two rivers Jehlum and Chenab flows in the Punjab state of Pakistan.

Satluj (or Sutlej) is the eastern most tributary of Indus river. Its sanskrit name is Shatadru. The source of origin is Rakshastal Lake in Tibet. Some geologists consider the source as Mansrover lake. The two lakes Mansrover and Rakshastal are very huge lakes in Tibet region and close to each other. The water of Mansrover lake overflows into Rakshastal lake. The river enters India in Himachal Pradesh and then enters Ropar district of Punjab.



The river Beas merges with it at Harike in Tarn Taran district. It unites with Chenab river near Uch Sharif in Pakistan, forming the Panjnad river. The Panjnad river merges with the Indus river at a distance of 100 Km from Bahawalpur city in Pakistan. The total length of Sutlej is around 1500 Km. This is the longest river in Punjab.

Bhakra Dam is one of the biggest dams in India and its reservoir Gobind Sagar Lake is the second largest reservoir in India in terms of water storage capacity. Nangal Dam, Karcham Wangtoo Dam, Nathpa Jhakri Dam are the other main dams on this river.

Beas is named Arjikiya in vedas and ancient name in sanskrit is Vipasa. Beas river originates from Beas Kund (also called Vyas Kund) in Himalaya mountains in Himachal Pradesh. It enters Punjab in Hoshiarpur district. The total length of the river is approximately 470 Km and terminates by merging with Sutlej river at Harike in Tarn Taran district of Punjab. Pong dam and Pandoh dam are the two main dams built on this river. Pong Dam, also called as Maharana Partap Sagar, is located in Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh. Pandoh dam is located in Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh and it diverts the waters of Beas river to Sutlej river.

Vedic name of Ravi is Purushini and its name is Iravati in sanskrit. Ravi river rises in Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh and enters into Punjab in Pathankot district. The river flows along the international border of India and Pakistan separating the Gurdaspur and Amritsar districts of Punjab from Pakistan. It flows for a total length of around 720 Km and finally terminates by merging with Chenab river near Ahmadpur Sial town in Pakistan. Major dams on this river are Ranjit Sagar dam (or Thein Dam), Shahpur Kandi dam, Chamera dam, Karcham dam and Kaushalya dam. But now India had stopped the water of this river.

This river is known with the name Askani in Vedas and its sanskrit name is Chandrabahga. Chenab river starts in upper Himalayas in Lahaul and Spiti district of Himachal Pradesh. It then flows through the Jammu region in Jammu and Kashmir state and enters into Punjab state in Pakistan. The river does not flow through the today's state of Punjab in India. The total length of this river is around 960 Km. The river Jhelum join it at Trimmu and then Ravi joins it near Ahmedpur Sial. It then merges with Sutlej to form the Panjnad river. The Panjnad river then merge with the Indus river which terminates by flowing into the Arabian Sea.

The vedic and sanskrit name of Jhelum is Vitasta. Jhelum river originates through Verinag Spring located in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. The place is located in Verinag, around 80 Km distance from Srinagar. It is the western most of the five rivers of Punjab and is a tributary of Chenab river. The river flows through Jammu and Kashmir state in India and then enters Punjab state in Pakistan. It does not flow through state of Punjab in India, neither touches its boundry at any place. The total length of the river is around 725 Km and it terminates into Chenab river near Trimmu in Jhang district.