Pir Panjal Range

The Pir Panjal rises along the southwestern edge of the Vale of Kashmir, separating the Jhelum basin from the Chenab and the hills of Jammu. The westernmost range of the Lesser Himalayas, it stretches from the country of the Beas towards the Kishanganga. Its high passes have long provided routes through the mountains that enclose the Vale of Kashmir.

One such route crossed the Pir Panjal Pass between the valley and Poonch. Under the sultans of Kashmir it was extended as far as Bhimber, and after Akbar conquered Kashmir, the Mughal emperor strengthened it as an imperial road from Lahore to the valley. The passage over the mountains thus became part of the road by which the Mughal court reached Kashmir.