Harmukh


Harmukh is a mountain with a peak elevation of, in Ganderbal district of Jammu and Kashmir in India. Harmukh is part of the Himalaya Range, and is located between Nallah Sindh in the south and Kishanganga River in the north, rising above Gangabal Lake in the vicinity of Kashmir valley. It is mostly climbed from the northwestern side of Arin, Kudara Bandipore.

Religious beliefs

Harmukh, with Gangbal Lake at its foot, is considered a sacred mountain by Hindus. According to Kashmiri Hindus theology, Harmukh is the abode of Lord Shiva. According to the legend of "Hurmukhuk Gosoni"

Geographical setting

Harmukh lies in the northwestern Himalayan Range. The Karakoram Range borders it on the north and the Kashmir Valley on the south. Melt waters from glaciers form Gangabal Lake which lies at its foot to the north east side and contribute significantly to the regional fresh-water supply, supporting irrigation through Nallah Sindh. This Himalayan Range lies along the southern edge of the Eurasian tectonic plate and is made up of ancient sedimentary rocks. Those strata were folded and thrust-faulted, and granite masses were intruded, when the Indian plate collided with Eurasia, beginning more than 100 million years ago. It is notable for its local relief as it is a consistently steep pyramid, dropping sharply to the east and south, with the eastern slope the steepest.

Climbing history

Harmukh was first climbed by members of the Great Trigonometric Survey led by Thomas Montgomerie in 1856. Montgomerie made the first survey of the Karakoram some to the north, and sketched the two most prominent peaks, labelling them K1 and K2.
Harmukh was later climbed by many other climbers and in July 2020 Harmukh is climbed by group of Friends lead by Imtiyaz Ahmad Wani, Qaiser, Javaid Ahmad Najar, Aadil, Mudasir, Naseer, Imran locals of Bandipora. This was the first successful ascent to the eastern peak after nearly 3 decades.
The policy of the Great Trigonometric Survey was to use local names for mountains wherever possible and K1 was found to be known locally as Masherbrum. K2, however, appeared not to have acquired a local name, possibly due to its remoteness. The mountain is not visible from Askole, the last village to the south, or from the nearest habitation to the north, and is only fleetingly glimpsed from the end of the Baltoro Glacier, beyond which few local people would have ventured. Therefore, Harmukh is the mountain from which the world's second-highest mountain peak, K2, was discovered and the name given it by the Survey, K2, continues to be used.

Climbing routes

The easiest route among the different routes of Harmukh is via Arin Bandipore, 47 km motorable road from Srinagar to Arin and 18 kilometers of high altitude alpine trek leads to the base of Harmukh. Another trek leads from Naranag to the base of Harmukh at Gangabal Lake, but it is a steep climb at some places.