Ravi, river
This article has been extracted from THE IMPERIAL GAZETTEER OF INDIA , 1908. OXFORD, AT THE CLARENDON PRESS. |
Note: National, provincial and district boundaries have changed considerably since 1908. Typically, old states, ‘divisions’ and districts have been broken into smaller units, and many tahsils upgraded to districts. Some units have since been renamed. Therefore, this article is being posted mainly for its historical value.
Ravi
Pronounced: Raa-vi
(@ the Hydraotes of Arnan, the Pamshni of the Vedas, and the Travail of classical Sanskrit authors. The present name means c sun '). One of the five rivers of the Punjab from which the Province derives its name Rising in the Kulu subdivision of Kangra District, it immediately passes into the Chamba State, after which it re-enters British territory on the borders of Gurdaspur District, opposite Basoli in the Jammu district of Kashmir, forming the boundary of that State for 25 miles, with a general south-westerly course. It leaves the hills at Shahpur, but still flows between high cliffs, while on the Jammu side the mountains rise from its very brink At Madhopur the head- works of the Ban Doab Canal draw off a large portion of its waters. Thenceforward the banks sink in height, and the river assumes the usual charactei of the Punjab streams, flowing in the centre of an alluvial valley, with high outer banks at some distance from its present bed. In 1870 it carried away the Tali Sahib shrine near Dera Nanak, a place of great sanctity with the Sikhs, and still threatens that town The Ravi next passes between Sialkot and Amntsai Districts, preserving its general south-westeily dnection. The depth is here not more than a foot in March and April, swelling m June and September to 18 or 20 feet. Entering the District of Lahore, it runs within a mile of Lahore city, and throws out several branches which soon, however, rejoin the parent stream. A railway and foot-bridge spans the river a few miles north of Lahore, and the grand trunk road crosses it by a bridge of boats After entering Montgomery District it receives its chief tributary, the Degh, on its noith- western bank. The Degh rises in Jammu and flows through Sialkot and Lahore Districts, bringing with it large deposits of silt and affording great facilities for irrigation by wells. The Ravi then passes into Multan District, where it is again bridged by the North-Western Railway near Sidhnai, and finally falls into the Chenab in 30 31' N and 71 51' E., after a total course of about 450 miles.
Throughout its course in the plains, the Ravi flows everywhere in
a comparatively narrow valley, often only a couple of miles m width,
with generally a veiy tortuous channel. In one part, howevei, the
nver runs a perfectly straight course for 12 miles from Kuchhrmba to
Sarai Sidhu m Multan District, between high wooded banks, forming
a beautiful reach called the Sidhnai, where the SIDHNAI Canal takes
off. Few islands are formed, but the bed shifts occasionally from
place to place The floods of the Ravi fertilize only a fringe of one or
two miles on either side, and it is little employed for direct irrigation,
although it supplies water to the Ban Doab and Sidhnai Canals.
Navigation is difficult, but grain is shipped from Lahoie in considerable
quantities Deodar timber, floated down in lafts from the Chamba
forests during the rams, finds its way to Lahore only m seasons of
heavy flood. In 1397 the Ravi still flowed east and south of Multan
and united with the Beas, as it did in the time of Chach (A. D. 800).
The change of course northwards has been comparatively slight, and
its date is uncertain. Even now, at times of high flood, the water finds
its way to Multan by the old channel
