Lidder Valley

Lidder Valley
Liddar Valleya
The Lidder Valley at Pahalgam
Length25 mi (40 km)
Width3 mi (4.8 km)
Geography
CountryIndia
StateJammu and Kashmir
RegionKashmir
DistrictAnantnag
Population centerPahalgam
Borders onSind Valley (North)
Kashmir Valley (West)
Coordinates33°46′35″N 75°12′48″E / 33.77639°N 75.21333°E / 33.77639; 75.21333 
Mountain rangeHimalayas
RiverLidder River

The Lidder Valley or Liddar Valley[1] is a Himalayan sub-valley that forms the southeastern corner of Anantnag district in Indian-administered Kashmir.[2] The Lidder River flows down the valley. The entrance to the valley lies 7 km northeast from Anantnag town and 62 km southeast from Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir. It is a 40-km-long gorge valley[3] with an average width of 3 km.

Geography

The Lidder Valley is situated within the jurisdiction of Pahalgam tehsil, of Anantnag district. It is bordered by Kashmir Valley to the west, and Sind Valley to the north,[4] and covers a length of 40 km. It has a maximum width of 5 km. The Lidder basin is surrounded on the south and southeast by the Pir Panjal Range, on the north by the Sind Valley and on the northeast by the Zaskar Range. The Lidder drainage basin has an area of 1134 km2.[5] It is formed by the flow of the Lidder River which flows within a Y-shaped valley, upstream of Pahagam the river diverges into the East Lidder and the West Lidder. The East Lidder of which reaches eastwards from Pahalgam up past Chandanwari and flows from east to west starting in the area of Sheshnag Lake and the Shisram Glacier.[1] The West Lidder originates from the Kolhoi Glacier[3][6] and runs through green coniferous forests through many alpine meadows. The Lidder Valley provides fresh water supply to other districts and irrigation for agriculture. The Lidder River flows through the entire valley passing several natural landmarks and tourist spots, including Aru, Pahalgam, Betab Valley, and Akad. The main towns in the Lidder Valley are Mandlan, Laripora, Phraslun, Ashmuqam and Seer Hamdan.[7]

Geology

Horse riding at Pahalgam

The Lidder Valley formed over millions of years as the Lidder River cut into the Himalayan Mountains. Today, the river continues to deposit sheets of sand in the lower areas of Anantnag.[8] Gradual erosive processes have washed away bordering forests and created deep gorges at many places.[citation needed]

The Lidder Valley at Aru, Jammu and Kashmir

Ecology

The Lidder Valley has many glacier-fed streams, and the tributaries of the Lidder River are home to different types of trout.[9] The valley is the natural habitat of the Himalayan black bear. The Himalayan brown bear, musk deer, snow leopard and hangul have also been spotted in the Aru and Lidderwat areas, which are close to Dachigam National Park.[7][10]

References

  1. ^ a b Kaul, Manmohan N., Glacial and Fluvial Geomorphology of Western Himalaya, South Asia Books, 1990, p. 23, ISBN 978-8170222446
  2. ^ Parmanand Parashar (2004). Kashmir The Paradise Of Asia. Sarup & Sons, 2004. p. 97–. ISBN 9788176255189. Retrieved 20 June 2012.
  3. ^ a b M.S. Kohli (1983). The Himalayas: Play Ground of the Gods Trekking, Climbing, Adventure. Indus Publishing, 1983. p. 45–. ISBN 9788173871078. Retrieved 20 June 2012.
  4. ^ Subodh Kapoor (2002). The Indian Encyclopaedia: Gautami Ganga -Himmat Bahadur. Genesis Publishing Pvt Ltd, 2002. p. 178–. ISBN 9788177552669. Retrieved 20 June 2012.
  5. ^ Kanth, T.A., Aijaz Ahmad Shah and Zahoor ul Hassan; Geomorphologic Character & Receding Trend of Kolahoi Glacier in Kashmir Himalaya, Recent Research in Science and Technology 2011, 3(9): 68-73 Archived 2013-12-11 at the Wayback Machine, ISSN 2076-5061
  6. ^ N. Ahmed and N. H. Hashimi (1974). "Glacial History of Kolahoi Glacier, Kashmir, India" (PDF). Journal of Glaciology. 13 (68): 279. Bibcode:1974JGlac..13..279A. doi:10.1017/S002214300002308X. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 December 2013. Retrieved 16 April 2012.
  7. ^ a b "Pahalgam". anantnag.gov. Archived from the original on 12 December 2013. Retrieved 20 June 2012.
  8. ^ Sir Walter Roper Lawrence (1895). The Valley of Kashmir. Asian Educational Services, 1895. p. 47–. ISBN 9788120616301. Retrieved 20 June 2012.
  9. ^ R.B.Singh (1990). Environmental geography. Heritage Publishers, 1990. p. 230–. ISBN 9788170260622. Retrieved 20 June 2012.
  10. ^ Trevor Drieberg (1978). Jammu and Kashmir: a tourist guide. Vikas Pub. House, 1978. p. –. ISBN 9780706905755. Retrieved 20 June 2012.