I've been thinking about the Kashmir Valley for a very long time, and I adore the colour contrast that exists there in the non-winter months. The list is endless and includes the rich green pine forests, light green meadows, blue to white rivers, green shades of lakes, gorgeous blue skies with painted white clouds, horses, sheep, colourful wildflowers, lotuses and lilies in lakes, colourful shikharas and houseboats, and much more. You have to come here to understand what I mean.
Coming to the places we covered in this week, we visited Srinagar, Pahalgam and Sonmarg, during our short stay.
Srinagar is the centre of Kashmir, which Shah Jahan accurately dubbed “the paradise on earth”, long ago. This picture-perfect hamlet, surrounded by an Arc of Majestic Himalayas and featuring tranquil blue lakes and gorgeous gardens, appears to be right out of a painting.
Perched atop the Zabarwan mountain valley sits Dal Lake. It is made more picturesque by the sight of the rusty brown chinar leaves falling along the Dal Lake's shoreline.
Without a doubt, the Dal Lake in Kashmir left us speechless with its breath-taking beauty.
On our way to the Dal Lake, the Shalimar Bagh offers some breath-taking demonstrations of the Mughals' construction of three terrace gardens. Constructed by Praversena II during his reign in Srinagar, this garden was once Jahangir, the Mughal emperor's cottage.
You can effortlessly take in the unparalleled aerial view of Dal Lake. There are numerous architectural landmarks, lovely man-made lakes, and breath-taking fountains in this area. You must visit this "Adobe of love" if you're looking for peace and harmony.
After what seemed like a day of starving ourselves, we headed to Makai Gate for some tantalizing Barbequed Fish, Chicken and meat. As we watched the meat being cooked on coal, our salivary glands were doing a dance of their own. When we were handed over our plates, we couldn’t wait to eat it, despite it coming to us straight from the coals. We were lost in the tenderness of the meat cooked right in front of us over the coal. We galloped everything within minutes of its arrival.
With this, we ended our day and rested well with excitement and anticipation for the next day.
The next morning, we headed to Pahalgam for a day trip. The drive there is, in my opinion, the nicest part of visiting Pahalgam. We travelled from Srinagar on the most magnificent road journey. Tall mountains and verdant paddy fields began to surround us on both sides as we ventured further out of the town. The towns we passed along the road were all intriguing and had their own expertise. For example, Sangam was known for creating cricket bats, Apple Valley for its many apple orchards, and Pampore for its saffron. Rows of poplar trees gave way gradually to walnut-laden trees, and the Lidder River, which flowed ferociously, became a frequent companion. It was hard not to occasionally lose yourself in a reverie. We had a good notion of what to expect at our destination from the travel.
The precise translation of the term Pahalgam is "a village of shepherds." There are lots of opportunities to discover both nature and yourself thanks to its unspoiled beauty and picturesque settings. Mesmerised by the beauty, we were left to decide whether we wanted to take a pony ride or trek to Baisaran Valley, also known as the Switzerland of India, owing to it’s vast green meadows outlined by snow-capped mountain peaks, or hire a cab and visit Chandanwari, Aru valley and Betaab Valley. Since we were short on time, we decided to visit the latter.
A short cab ride later, we had reached our first destination, Chandanwari.
Chandanwari, is represented by views covered in snow. It's a lovely location that holds religious significance as well. This is the starting location of the Amarnath Yatra.
Hindus do this yearly pilgrimage walk during the month of Sawan, which runs from July to August. In addition, one can take in the natural beauty of the area here. This is the place for you if you enjoy playing in the snow.
This charming location offers sloping scenery that will make your heart sing. The journey by car to Chandanwari is an exciting one. As the route meanders alongside the Lidder River, the snow-capped mountains are visible.
Our next stop was Betaab Valley
This location, which is 15 kilometers from Pahalgam and situated between Pahalgam and Chandanwari, seems like something from a picture postcard. The popular Bollywood film of the same name from the 1980s, which was partly filmed in Betaab Valley, gave rise to the moniker. Although the official name is still Hagan Valley, which was its previous name, Betaab Valley is the one that is most frequently used.
This valley is picture-perfect with its expanse of verdant pastures, snow-capped mountains, towering Deodar trees, and pine woods all surrounding it. It comes with a river called Lidder running through it, which completes the package to nourish your body, mind, and spirit.
You will be enthralled by the beautiful beauty that surrounds you. In addition to its breath-taking scenery, Betaab Valley is well-known for serving as a starting point for numerous hikes. For those of you who like to take on new challenges, here is the perfect site to begin an exciting hike.
In addition, this is a photographer's dream come true. This is the place to be if you are an enthusiast for photography. It's also a honeymooner's favourite. The lush green meadows, winding streams, and tall trees add a romantic tinge to the whole atmosphere.
The picturesque Aru Valley would be another addition to the list of locations in Pahalgam that are a must-see. Situated approximately 15 kilometres away from Pahalgam, it is breathtakingly picturesque.
In fact, there are so many breath-taking locations along the Pahalgam to Aru Valley road that it will be hard for you to take your cameras down for even a brief moment.
On our drive to Aru valley, we halted at a viewpoint. And, in that moment, I found the quote by the great poet Amir Khusrau, “Gar firdaus bar-rue zamin ast, hami asto, hamin asto, hamin ast” totally apt for Kashmir. The view that I saw left me totally mesmerised in the beauty of this place and from that moment on, I knew in my heart, this was literally, “Heaven on Earth”. To this day, this view serves as a wallpaper on my phone.
Aru Valley, after all, is breathtakingly gorgeous, with scenic views, the majestic Himalayan peaks blanketed in snow, and a mountain river meandering through it. For those seeking solitude and tranquillity, Aru Valley is a welcome respite from the bustle of Pahalgam. There are several hikes in Kashmir that begin in the Aru Valley. Indeed, it was the ideal location for us, as we were searching for some quiet, nature, and activities.
Aru Valley is quite stunning. The peaceful people can be found in the little village encircled by mountains.
Situated at the valley's mouth, the small settlement is encircled by green hills, meadows, and pine trees. A few shepherds and their herd of sheep and goats were in motion when we saw them. There were horses grazing nearby. We appeared to be in a fantasy land. And we had the impression that we could stay here indefinitely!
Our hearts were at Peace at Aru valley and we wished we had come to Aru Valley earlier in the day instead of visiting it at the end of the day.
We returned back to Srinagar that night totally lost in the beauty of Pahalgam.
The next morning, we were all set for our day trip to Sonamarg. We could visit two places, again, first being the Thajiwas glacier and the second being Zozilla pass.
Feeling confident, we decided to trek to Thajiwas glacier.
Thajiwas Glacier is a mountain glacier near the town of Sonamarg. Visible from nearly every location in Sonamarg, it is one of the easiest glaciers to reach in Kashmir.
This is a popular campsite as well as a beautiful setting. It provides breath-taking vistas of snow-capped mountains and emerald waterways. There is snow on the walk even in the summertime. The final point is called snow point as a result. When you combine all of this, you get an amazing trekking path.
The glacier being the last point of the trek, was crowded with tourists, making it less peaceful. However, the most enjoyable part of this trek was the journey and the picturesque view that this journey offered us. We enjoyed the journey more than the destination. Ever since I had read Heidi – the girl of the Alps, as a child, I had always wanted to sit under an extremely tall pine tree and watch a river flowing nearby, while the afternoon sun shines over me. This trek to Thajiwas glacier fulfilled this dream.
We didn’t spend much time at the glacier point, as it was crowded with tourists and ponies and their guides. We headed towards Sonamarg soon after and spent some more time sitting under the pine trees and just doing nothing but observing nature in all its glory.
We headed back to Srinagar post reaching Sonamarg. It was such a fulfilling trek.
We headed back to Mumbai the next day, feeling sad that we were going back to concrete laden structures from such lush green meadows outlined with snowclad peaks.
