Zanskar River
Encyclopedia
Indus River
The Indus River is a major river which flows through Pakistan. It also has courses through China and India.Originating in the Tibetan plateau of western China in the vicinity of Lake Mansarovar in Tibet Autonomous Region, the river runs a course through the Ladakh district of Jammu and Kashmir and...
. In its upper reaches, the Zanskar has two main branches. First of these, the Doda
Doda River
The Doda or Stod is a river of Jammu and Kashmir in northern India. It flows through the state of Ladakh. The source of the river is the Drang Drung glacier of the Pensi La....
, has its source near the Pensi-la
Pensi-la
Pensi-la is a mountain pass in the Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir, which is known as the Gateway to Zanskar. Pensi La is 4,400 m above sea level and connects the Suru Valley region to the Zanskar Valley region...
(4,400 m) (14,450 ft) mountain-pass and flows south-eastwards along the main Zanskar valley leading towards Padum
Padum
Padum is the largest town and administrative centre of Zanskar tehsil of Kargil district in the state of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It is 240 km away from Kargil.-Description:...
, the capital of Zanskar
Zanskar
Zanskar is a subdistrict or tehsil of the Kargil district, which lies in the eastern half of the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. The administrative centre is Padum...
. The second branch is formed by two main tributaries known as Kargyag river, with its source near the Shingo La (5,091 m) (16,703 ft), and Tsarap river, with its source near the Baralacha-La. These two rivers unite below the village of Purne to form the Lungnak river (also known as the Lingti or Tsarap). The Lungnak river then flows north-westwards along a narrow gorge towards Zanskar's central valley (known locally as gzhung khor), where it unites with the Doda river to form the main Zanskar river. This river then takes a north-eastern course through the dramatic Zanskar Gorge
Zanskar Gorge
The Zanskar Gorge is found in the Zanskar region of Indian-administered Kashmir. Its walls are near vertical cliffs up to 600m high and the Zanskar River is only 5m wide in places. In summer it is a spectacular and remote location for rafting...
until it joins the Indus
Indus River
The Indus River is a major river which flows through Pakistan. It also has courses through China and India.Originating in the Tibetan plateau of western China in the vicinity of Lake Mansarovar in Tibet Autonomous Region, the river runs a course through the Ladakh district of Jammu and Kashmir and...
near Nimmu in Ladakh
Ladakh
Ladakh is a region of Jammu and Kashmir, the northernmost state of the Republic of India. It lies between the Kunlun mountain range in the north and the main Great Himalayas to the south, inhabited by people of Indo-Aryan and Tibetan descent...
.
