Jhelum
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Overview
The Jhelum rises at Verinag and flows through Srinagar and Wular Lake in Jammu and Kashmir before joining the Indus system as one of the five rivers of Punjab.
It is one of the three western rivers allotted to Pakistan under the Indus Waters Treaty (1960). Its ancient name is the Hydaspes: Alexander defeated Porus at the Battle of the Hydaspes in 326 BCE but restored his kingdom.
Geography and key facts
- Source: Verinag (Jammu and Kashmir)
- Flows through Srinagar and Wular Lake
- A western river under the Indus Waters Treaty
- Ancient name Hydaspes: Alexander vs Porus, 326 BCE
Why it matters for UPSC
Asked in the Indus river system (2021), dam/lake–river pairs (2010), a 2023 statements question and ancient river names (2026).
Note for UPSC
Rises at Verinag and flows through Srinagar and Wular Lake. One of the three western rivers allotted to Pakistan under the Indus Waters Treaty.
Prelims asks about tributaries, the states a river flows through, its basin and the projects on it, so trace the course on the map.
Asked in PYQs
- UPSC Prelims 2026 · Q3Which of the following pairs of ancient and modern names of rivers is/are correctly matched ? Select the answer using the code given below :…
- UPSC Prelims 2023 · Q1Consider the following statements : How many of the statements given above are correct?…
- UPSC Prelims 2021 · Q53With reference to the Indus river system, of the following four rivers, three of them pour into one of them which joins the Indus direct. Among the following, which one i…
- UPSC Prelims 2010 · Q95Which one of the following pairs is not correctly matched? Dam/Lake — River…
Questions from our Prelims bank whose text names Jhelum.
Key facts
- Type
- River
- State / UT
- Jammu and Kashmir
- River system
- Himalayan
- Basin
- Indus
- Extent on map
- 31.2°–34.4°N, 72.1°–75.4°E
- Asked in Prelims
- 4 questions · 2026, 2023, 2021, 2010
From the Map Explorer data; positions are for orientation.
In the lessons
- Physical Features and Drainage of India
- India–Pakistan and India–Afghanistan Relations
- Mahajanapadas and the Rise of Magadha
- Drainage Systems of India: Himalayan and Peninsular Rivers
- The Harappan (Indus Valley) Civilisation (map lesson)
- Harappan Civilisation: Sites, Town Planning and Phases (map lesson)