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It is curious and interesting to note that a good number of rivers and streams in the province of Jammu in Jammu and Kashmir State have been called by the same name. Some examples can be quoted as that of various Tawis and Devikas and Sindh or Sindhus. Why should these rivulets or streams, flowing in far apart districts be assigned the same nomenclature is a fascinating question.
Today we find some eleven streams named as Tawis in the province of Jammu, whose names are found in ancient scriptures also. These are as under:
1. Poonch Tawi1: This stream origintes from the Pir Panchal mountain ranges in the district of Poonch and flowing through Baflias, Surankot, Poonch, Kotli and Mirpur meets river Jehlum, somewhere in Pakistan occupied territory.
2. Rajouri Tawi2: This also originates from the same range, flows down the middle mountains, passing through Darhal, Thanna Mandi, Rajouri, Nowshehra etc. joins Chandrabhaga or Chenab below Jalalpur in Wazirabad district of Pakistan. It is interesting to note that many tributaries of Rajouri Tawi are also named as Tawis or Taos, such as:
(a) Sukh Tao (or Dry Tawi), which is a fair weather stream, a tributary of Rajouri Tawi, orginating from Behram Gala and meeting Rajouri Tawi near the town of Rajouri itself.
(b) Malkani Tao is another Tawi of Rajouri, a tributary of the same river.
(c) Later Barekh Tao is a tributary of Rajouri Tawi flowing near Sunder Bani in Nowshehra.
(d) Tawi Nalla another small tributary of Rajouri Tawi flows near Chak Maidan.
(e) Munawar Tawi is another tributary of Rajouri Tawi meeting it in Chamb sector of Akhnoor borders.
3. Jammu Tawi3: This originates from Kalinag Kund adjacent to Kund Kaplas in the Kailash mountain ranges on the Dudu Basantgarh slopes and flowing down Dudu, Latti Bandhol, Sudh Mahadev, Chenani, Udhampur, Jammu merges with Chenab near the Pakistan border. The other two branches of Jammu Tawi are:
(a) Nikki Tao is the left branch of Jammu Tawi river separating itself from the main river near the canal crossing, and passing by the side of Tawi Islands. It rejoins the main Tawi river some distant away beyond R.S. Pura.
(b) Kali Tao is the left portion of the main Jammu Tawi,...