 "Banihal" means blizzard in the Kashmiri language.Another view regarding the origin of the name of the place is that the word 'Banihal' has actually been derived from two Kashmiri words viz 'bah' meaning twelve and 'nallhe' meaning a rivulet.Twelve rivulets signifying the various brooks flowing through the area and eventually joining the small local river called Nalla Bischlari.