River Jhelum
| Jhelum झेलम Hydaspes |
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Jhelum River during the summer
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Flow of Jhelum.
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| Native name | ਜਿਹਲਮ ਦਰਿਆ (Punjabi) झेलम (Devanāgarī) جہلم (Urdu) Vyeth(ویتھ) (Kashmiri) |
| Other name(s) | Hydaspes, Bidaspes, Vitastā, Bihat, Wihat, Bihatab, Biyatta, Jailam |
| Country | India, Pakistan |
| Basin features | |
| Main source | Verinag Spring |
| River mouth | Chenab River |
| Tributaries |
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| Physical characteristics | |
| Length | 725 km (450 mi) |
| Discharge |
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Jehlam River or Jhelum River (/ˈdʒeɪləm/) is a river that flows in the Indian and Pakistani controlled portions of Kashmir, and Punjab in Pakistan. It is the westernmost of the five rivers of Punjab, and passes through Jhelum District. It is a tributary of the Chenab River and has a total length of about 725 kilometres (450 mi).
Anjum Sultan Shahbaz recorded some stories of the name Jhelum in his book Tareekh-e-Jhelum as:
“Many writers have different opinions about the name of Jhelum. One suggestion is that in ancient days Jhelumabad was known as Jalham. The word Jhelum is reportedly derived from the words Jal(pure water) and Ham (snow). The name thus refers to the waters of a river (flowing besides the city) which have their origins in the snow-capped Himalayas. However, some writers believe that when "Dara-e-Azam" reached a certain place on the river bank after winning many battles, he fixed his flag at that place and called it "Ja-e-Alam" which means "Place of the Flag". With the passage of time it became Jhelum from "Ja-e-Alam".
The Sanskrit name of this river is Vitasta. The river's name is derived from the mythological incident regarding the origin of the river as explained in Nilamata Purana. Goddess Parvati was requested by sage Kasyapa to come to Kashmir for purification of the land from evil practices and impurities of Pisachas living there. Goddess Parvati then assumed the form of a river in the Nether World. Then Lord Shiva made a stroke with his spear near the abode of Nila (Verinag Spring). By that stroke of the spear, Goddess Parvati came out of the Nether World. Shiva himself named her as Vitasta. He had excavated with the spear a ditch measuring one Vitasti (a particular measure of length defined either as a long span between the extended thumb and little finger, or as the distance between the wrist and the tip of the fingers, and said to be about 9 inches), through which the river - gone to the Nether World - had come out, so she was given the name Vitasta by him.
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Wikipedia