KASHMIR, VALE OF

scenic intermontane valley between the main Himalayan ranges (northeast) and the Pir Panjal Range (southwest), in northwestern India. The valley is an ancient lake basin 85 mi (140 km) long, 20 mi wide, and 5,300 ft (1,620 m) high. Drained by the upper Jhelum River, the valley is lined by 12,00016,000-ft-high mountains that help shelter it from the wet southwest monsoon. It is the centre of population for the Kashmir area; Srinagar is the capital of the state of Jammu and Kashmir. The fertile alluvial soil yields rice, corn (maize), fruit, and vegetables, and the scenic mountains and lakes (notably Wular and Dal) attract many tourists. The valley was the resort of Mughal emperors, notably Jahangir, the early 17th-century emperor of Hindustan (northern India) who constructed picturesque gardens and buildings for his empress, Nur Jahan. The vale is sometimes referred to as the happy valley, perhaps because it gives a feeling of isolation from the rest of the world.