Neelum Valley or Neelum District of Azad Kashmir holds a rich history, taking us back to Buddhist Monasteries and Hindu Temples and the stories of their Devis (Female Lords). The old name of Neelum Valley was Kishan Ganga Valley and the Neelum river that flows throughout the valley was previously named Kishan Ganga river. One neighboring valley of Neelum is Kaghan Valley and many mountain tracks connect both of them, whereas the other side of Neelum Valley or we can say the other part of the valley is in Indian-Occupied Kashmir, divided by the Neelum River at many locations.
The two main locations covered in this trip are Sharda Tehsil or village and Arangkel. Sharda is named after the Hindu Devi which is shadowed by two mountains named Shardi and Nardi (named after the two Hindu Devi sisters Sharda and Narda). There is also a Temple located in Sharda Village that has seen both Buddhists and Hindus in the olden days.
19 Kilometers ahead of Sharda is Kel Valley, from there a moderate-level mountain track leads us to Arangkel Valley, which is a beautiful meadow shadowed by snowcapped mountains. These mountains are a boundary between Azad Kashmir and Indian-Occupied Kashmir.
