Chenab River, river of the Indian subcontinent in northwestern India and northeastern and eastern Pakistan.
The Chenab is formed by the confluence of two streams, Chandra and Bhaga, in the western (Punjab) Himalayas in India’s Himachal Pradesh state. It flows west through Jammu and Kashmir union territory—the Indian-administered portion of the disputed Kashmir region)—between the steep cliffs of the Siwalik Range (south) and the Lesser Himalayas (north). Turning southwest, it continues into Pakistan, descending from the uplands into the broad alluvial lowlands of Punjab province. After receiving the Jhelum River near Trimmu, the Chenab empties into the Sutlej River, a tributary of the Indus River. Its total length is about 605 miles (974 km), and it feeds several irrigation canals.