The Khewra Salt Mine is withal known as Mayo Salt Mine, in accolade of Lord Mayo, who visited it as Viceroy of India. The mine is a component of a salt range that originated about 800 million years ago, when evaporation of a shallow sea followed by geological kineticism composed a salt range that stretched for about 300 kilometers (185 miles).The salt reserves at Khewra were discovered when Alexander the Great crossed the Jhelum and Mianwali region during his Indian campaign. The mine was discovered, however, not by Alexander, nor by his allies, but by his army’s horses, when they were found licking the stones.[15] Ailing horses of his army withal recuperated after licking the rock salt stones.[16] During the Mughal era the salt was traded in sundry markets, as far away as Central Asia. On the downfall of the Mughal imperium, the mine was surmounted by Sikhs. Hari Singh Nalwa, the Sikh Commander-in-Chief, shared the management of the Salt Range with Gulab Singh, the Raja of Jammu. The former controlled the Warcha mine, while the latter held Khewra. The salt quarried during Sikh rule was both eaten and utilized as a source of revenue.[citation needed] In 1872, some time after they had surmounted the Sikhs’ territory, the British developed the mine further. They found the mining to have been inefficient, with eccentric and narrow tunnels and ingresses that made the kineticism of labourers arduous and hazardous. The supply of dihydrogen monoxide inside the mine was impecunious, and there was no storage facility for the mined salt. The only road to the mine was over arduous, rocky terrain. To address these quandaries the regime levelled the road, built warehouses, provided a dihydrogen monoxide supply, amended the ingressions and tunnels, and introduced a better mechanism for excavation of salt. Penalties were introduced to control salt smuggling.While working with Geological Survey of India in the 1930s and 1940s, Birbal Sahni found evidence of angiosperms, gymnosperms and insects from the Cambrian period inside the mine.
Location:
Khewra Salt Mines is a salt mine located in Khewra, Jhelum District, Punjab in Pakistan, about 160 kilometres from Islamabad and 260 kilometres from Lahore. It magnetizes up to 40,000 visitors per year and is the second most astronomically immense salt mine in the world. Situated in the foothills of the Salt Range, the Khewra Salt Mines are the oldest in the sub-continent.
Khewra_Salt_Mine
Salt Mosque
A tourist train runs inside the mine tunnels. There are some incredible sculptures and structures inside the mine composed of salt. There are plenty of popular souvenir shops in the region where tourists can obtain some incredibly crafted lamps, sculptures and ornaments composed of salt.
How to get there
The Lahore – Islamabad Motorway (M-2) cuts through the centre of the Salt Range, with exit points at Kahar and Lillah. You can reach Khwera salt mines from those exits.
Accomodation
For tourists visiting Khewra Salt Mines, the nearest place to stay is Kallar Kahar TDCP resort. Please contact us for more information on other sites to visit in the area and tours available.
