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Published: August 2nd 2013
Day 4:
Having ended our stay at Pahalgam, we would go to Srinagar today.
We got up early and took our breakfast and checked out of our room. From the rate chart we called the Taxi Asociation and booked an Omni. After bidding adieu to the resort boys and the owner we waited for our car. Finally we left Pahalgam for Srinagar at around 9: 15 am with fresh and fond memories. We told our driver, a young fellow, that we intended to stop at a few places on our way and so he should not hurry. We also asked him to show us apple orchard on the way, to which he readily agreed. Our car zoomed ahead along the empty road. Our driver suggested that we take a short cut through the village at Bij Behera where we can find a lot of apple orchards. We followed this route and arrived at Bih Behera in about an hour’s time. We passed small streams, wooden rickety bridges, bumpy roads typical of a village, shepherds with their sheep. The feel was amazing. We came across several apple orchards on both sides of the road and stopped near one. There were
apple trees all over full of red apples hanging from them. Several hundred lay piled up on the ground. An aged woman guided us through the trees, it was apples and apples all around. Next to the orchard we saw huge pile of apples being packed in cartons of various sizes. On asking the person he told us that these are packed in 6, 8 & 10 kg packs. Some tourists were already there packing their bounty. We decided to buy a 6 kg pack. The process of packing is itself interesting. They use layers of dry straw and newspaper in between lines of stacked apples inside the carton. Having seen the orchard we moved on.
Next we stopped at Avantipura, famous for its Ruins. This site is of immense archaeological significance but somehow we felt tourists are only interested in scenic beauty rather than our country’s history. We bought tickets and entered the premises which is right on the highway. A guide (a sardar) came forward and started to inform us about the site’s history. Basically here was a temple of Lord Vishnu which had been buried under the river Jhelum. Years later when the river
changed its course, archaeologists excavated the parts out. It is a huge area and about 80% of the structures have been destroyed. The remaining part that is restored is fragile and maintained with a lot of effort. The surrounding area is at a higher ground level from the ruins.
We moved on to Sangrama and this time we could see the road lined up with shops selling cricket bats. I have never seen so many cricket bats before. Sangrama makes the best cricket bats in India. My son wanted to take one but I decided against because of the difficulty to carry it back, as already we were with one baggage more.
We passed and area where we saw a board mentioning ‘ Green Tunnel’ and seconds later we understood why it is called so. The entire stretch of the road about 4 Km were lined with tall deodar trees on both sides. The green leaves and branches creating a ‘green tunnel’. We stopped next when we saw big stretches of land with purple flowers. Yes, we were at the saffron fields at Pampore. We got down from the car and walked into one
of the fields. The farmers there were plucking the flowers. They explained to us how only the stalks inside the flowers are removed and dried in the sun to get those thin thread like saffron which we know. From 2 Tons of flowers we get only 2 kgs of saffron, hence it is so expensive. There were many shops selling saffron adjacent the road but we did not think of buying with the doubt of getting cheated.
Around 1.30 PM we reached Srinagar and arrived at Dal Gate. The glimpse of the Dal Lake at this point created a ‘wow’ ness. We drove through Boulevard Road along the Dal Lake till Nehru Park from where we turned right and reached our hotel Diplomat. It was a medium category hotel unlike the one in Pahalgam, checked in and took some rest. Next we came out for lunch. The restaurant beside the Hotel where we were supposed to eat was shut, so we walked in search of a place to eat and found one not far away. It was a newly opened Tower Group hotel with a Bengali restaurant. We had lunch with rice, dal, vegetable, egg curry and
shikaras
waiting at the ghatchicken. After having our stomachs full, we took an auto to the Tourist Reception Centre to buy advance e-tickets for the Gondola Ride for our Gulmarg tour 2 days after and then returned to Dal Lake for Shikara ride.
It was an awesome feeling standing in front of the Dal Lake with Shikaras parked at the Ghat. This is the great Dal Lake – which is synonymous to the word Kahsmir. There are rate charts displaying the fare for Shikara ride to various places and durations but bargaining is permitted. The Shikarawalas were screaming for customers. We took one and ventured into the lake. The beauty of the lake cannot be described. Slowly we came across Char Chinar, Nehru Park, floating shops and restaurants. On one side of the lake houseboats were parked one after the other. Some very elegant others weary and the names too are very impressive – California, White Hose, Alexandra etc. We came across big lotus plantations, floating vegetable fields right on the lake. There were vendors selling clothes, dry fruits, jewellery, saffron, flowers all in their shikaras. They came to our shikara and pleaded us to buy their wares. At one place
we saw a floating ‘Hamam’. There were artificial fountains at different places in the lake. We came across local people busy with their daily work in their floating houses. It was like a whole city in water somewhat similar to Bangkok. We also passed by a police patrol on shikara and there was a floating Post Office right at the Nehru Park Ghat. The waters of the lake was not clean though, in fact we saw weeds being pulled out by a machine. After a nice heart warming journey we returned to the Nehru Park Ghat and witnessed a fantastic sunset by the lake. I find it necessary to mention that though the Dal Lake begins at the Dal Gate area, it is very narrow just like our Tolly nullah at this point. As we move ahead through the Boulevard Road, the lake widens gradually, waters are cleaner and the beauty increases. At Nehru Park the lake becomes very wide and thereafter we can see the vast expanse of the lake. There are many hotels in the Dal Lake area but for a better view and ride in the lak,e hotels more toward Nehru Park should be preferred. The place
is quieter and clean. There are about 16 ghats along the road from where rides can be taken but it is better to board a shikara from ghat no. 11, 12 and after. In this way, we can enjoy the expanse of the lake avoiding the crowd and spend more time than when taking a ride from near Dal Gate. The distance from Dal Gate to Nehru Park is about 2 km and is definitely walk able.
With sunset we felt really cold though it was not as much as in Phalgam. We walked along the Boulevard Road, the lights from the houseboats shimmering in the waters created a lovely sight. There were a lot of Bengali tourists conversing on the top of their voices as usual. Shikarawalas hailing customers for a ride at a discount, vendors with their make shift stalls trying to attract customers. There are many vegetarian restaurants & dhabas along the road. Auto rickshaws seemed to be the local mode of transport other than the small crowded buses. We went to Nathu’s Sweets and bought sweets and then visited Shaw Palace to do some shopping. We bought some shawls and floor rugs. There
was a tea stall selling hot ‘pakoras’. We had tea and gorged on pakoras. After negotiating with an auto rickshaw for next day’s Srinagar local sight seeing, we returned to the Hotel eating our dinner at the Tower Group restaurant.
Day 5
I woke up early in the morning and went by the Dal Lake. The place was completely deserted. It was still dark and dense fog had accumulated over the water. The area otherwise bustling with activity wore a deserted quiet look. There was no one anywhere near. I returned after clicking photos and we all had breakfast with hot ‘ aloo paratha’ and ‘andaa bhurji’. By that time our Auto had come to pick us up. First we went for Sankaracharya Temple situated on top of the Zabarwan Hills. We took a right turn and started climbing up-hill in twists. It was pretty cold and we had to keep the doors of the Auto closed to prevent the chilling breeze from biting us. We arrived at the check post manned by military personnel and were told to get down from the Auto for identification. After the formalities we continued to climb up and reached the spot
where no vehicles are allowed further. No cameras and mobiles are allowed to be carried inside the temple. We had no other option but to keep the valuables with our driver. The main temple was atop a cliff and we had to climb about 180 steps to reach there. The journey was exhausting no doubt but the aerial view of the entire city and Dal Lake from the top was mesmerizing. Wonder why no cameras are allowed even upto the entrance. The temple is a small one where Lord Shiva is worshipped. We came down and moved on to visit the famous Mughal Gardens. First we went to see the Pari Mahal made by Dara Shikoh, then Chasm-e-Shahi made by Shah Jahan, to Nishaat Bag made by Asaf Jha, brother of Nur Jahan and lastly Shalimar Bag made by Jahangir. Since October is not the time for tulips we did not go to the popular Tulip garden. You have to come in April to witness the tulips. Each of the gardens occupies a very large area, Shalimar being the biggest. The gardens are under extreme care of the local ‘malis’ and are really a treat for the eyes. Bloomimg flowers,
nicely trimmed bushes, chinar trees with colourfull leaves (here these were reddish orange while in Pahalgam we saw them yellow), water fountains, flowing water cascades make the gardens royal. You can guess the standard of living of the Mughals. It was noon and we had lunch at a restaurant next to Shalimar Bag. We had ‘Dosa’ Kashmiri style and ‘Kehwa’ tea. Our next destination was Hazratbal.
We traveled along the road keeping the Dal Lake on the left and almost circled the city when we reached Hazrat Bal Mosque. The mosque occupies a huge area and is situated just beside the Dal Lake but on the other side of the city. At that time people were offering their afternoon ‘namaz’ so we were asked by the armed security to wait for sometime. The premises had flocks of pigeons either feeding on seeds or hovering around. My son started playing with them. We entered the mosque after prayers were over. Men and women have separate areas allocated for offering prayers. It is customary to cover the head while inside the mosque. There is a glass box where ‘hair’ of Mohammad the Prophet is kept. Outside the mosque there
are many eateries. There we saw huge ‘rotis’ being kept for sale. To witness making of these rotis is an achievement itself, but since it was already afternoon, the shops were not making any. From there we decided to go to the old city. Since at this time there was no trouble there, we thought it wise to pay a visit. After about half an hour we reached the spot where incidences of ‘stone throwing’ by the local youth at the policemen took place not too long ago. At this moment the place is so normal. The old city has a charm of its own. The houses, buildings all seem to have history written on the walls. I felt a similarity with old Cairo city, Egypt. We stopped near Jama Masjid and phew … what a robust structure it is. The entrance to the Masjid has a huge wooden door and there are 4 such gates on each side. The gates are joined by corridors on all four sides where thousands of devotees can offer namaz. The compound has well cared garden, flower plants with a small fountain in the center. From there we went to see the place of
Pir Dastagir Shahib. This monument had been burnt down two months back by a devastating fire. The structure does not exist anymore, it is being re-built. The ‘samadhi’ of the Pir has been kept at an adjacent house. After paying our respects we went to Lal Chowk, the central district of Srinagar and the market place. The place is just like our New Market with shops selling different items dotted on both sides of the street. There are also hawkers selling their wares on the foot path. Lal chowk is the life center of the city with full of activity. Kashmir is also known for its tasty kababs. We found one shop selling kababs and packed some for ourselves. We found a decent looking shop selling dry fruits and bought some. It was late in the evening, we returned to the hotel and relished tea with kabab and pakora (I was in love with these already). Later we went out to the Dal Lake to have a shikara ride at night. This time we had a totally different feeling. The lights from the roadside buildings and hotels fell in the waters and the reflection thus created a mystic appearance. Gentle
breeze was blowing across the lake and we were shivering. We must mention here that during the day under bright sunlight we hardly felt the cold. It was only in the morning and after sunset did we feel the cold. After a nice ride we returned to the hotel having dinner at the Bengali restaurant. By this time we had developed a rapport with the attendants at the restaurant and heard about many incidents from them. Our Auto driver also turned out to be a good natured person and gave us a lot of information about Kashmir. He had a special liking for my son whom he named ‘Ghantelal’. Till today he calls me up and talks to us every weekend. We arranged a car for next day’s trip to Gulmarg, which I will share separately along with Manasbal Lake.
Day 6
Trip to Gulmarg – to be posted separately.
Day 7
Trip to Mansabal Lake -– to be posted separately.
Day 8
Today we shall leave Kashmir. I got up very early in the morning at 5.00 am and waited for the Shikara at the Nehru Park
Ghat. It was dark. The shikarawala would take me to the vegetable market which is something worth a look. My wife and son stayed back. I was standing in the chilling morning no one to be seen around. After a few minutes I heard splashing sound and could see the shikara coming. We left for the venue and after traveling for about an hour reached a place where I could see several shikaras huddled together each carrying vegetables for sale. The place was busy with sellers and buyers negotiating at the top of their voices. After shooting them live with my camcorder, I took my way back as we had to leave as early as possible. Our car had arrived, the auto driver Mr. Mansoor Ahmed had come to see us off. We checked out and sped towards the airport and reached there much early as we knew that there would be rigorous security checking. After boarding the plane we were in no time above the Pir Panjal range again. This time I could capture the entire beauty in my camcorder and thanked God for the same. We were back in Kolkata by evening with lovely memories from the paradise
on earth.
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D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley
Gardens and more
Sounds like you are having a wonderful time exploring. Enjoyed your blog.