Kashmir (April 2023)

There were six of us – three couples – on this trip, all (ex) neighbours from Alwarpet, Chennai.

Day 1: Delhi

In Delhi, we stayed at Aero cityy – the aero city is a nice concept – it pulls together all brands related to the travel ecosystem – hotels, restaurants, travel booking offices etc. On the first day, we went to Bahaii temple and got roasted in the late April sun! And, with three ladies, you would of course expect shopping to be part of the itinerary – we went to Lajpat Nagar market to pick up some dresses for the ladies. In the evening, we want to Virat Kohli’s restaurant (named One8 Commune) in Aero city.

The flight from Delhi to Srinagar was early in the morning and we were all hungry and so wanted to grab a quick breakfast prior to the flight. It took us close to an hour, not what you would call “quick”! So much so that Indigo had started boarding and we were at least 10 minutes from the departure gate. We just about made it and were the last passengers to board!

Is Kashmir safe to visit?

Before sharing our Kashmir trip experience, I know this question is on everyone’s mind as it was on ours – Wait, was it safe to visit Kashmir?

We spent close to a week in the third week of April 2023 and, based upon our experience, we can confidently say that it is safe to visit Kashmir. It was the month of Ramzan, the week leading up to Eid on April 22^nd. While most locals were fasting through the day, there was hectic activity and people shopping with gusto in the evenings and heavy traffic on the roads. We didn’t notice any undercurrent of tension. Of course, while there were the CRPF posts and bases in most places that reminded you that things were not all hunky dory, otherwise life was as normal as could be. The interesting thing was that all locals concurred that tourist arrivals were running to capacity and was keeping them busy throughout the past several months. This augurs well for the local economy and will hopefully, over time, turn people away from the politics.

Day 3 – Srinagar

As you approach Kashmir and Srinagar, you will have breath-taking views of wave upon wave of snow-laden Himalayan peaks from quite a distance. Sometimes, you are not sure if you are looking at clouds or the mountain peaks!

If there is heaven on earth, it is here, it is here, it is here…

Does Kashmir do justice to what emperor Jahangir is supposed to have said: “If there is heaven on earth, it is here, it is here, it is here.” While beauty is in the beholder’s eyes, Kashmir is truly one of the most beautiful places that we have visited. With its snow-clad Himalayan mountains, the tall, stately Chinar trees, the gurgling streams and rivers, tranquil lakes, and cool climate, Kashmir can easily qualify as India’s Switzerland. Of course, while the infrastructure is still basic in many places and you experience many of the same challenges as in most other touristy places in India, the natural beauty of Kashmir is incomparable.

Srinagar:

Places to visit in and around Srinagar:
1. The ubiquitous Dal Lake: Right from the time that we landed in Srinagar, through the next hour or so of the drive, we went past the Dal lake. The lake itself is only a sixth of its original size (15 sq.km. in 2013 vs. the original 90 sqkm) and yet dominates the topography of Srinagar city. So, you can (only) imagine how large it must have originally been.Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva: Located at a height of ~1000 ft, the mount dedicated to Lord Shiva is believed to be where Adi Shankaracharya attained spiritual enlightenment in 8CE. Hazaratbal Mosque built in the 17^th century by Shah Jehan – is supposed to contain the hair of Prophet Mohammed.Gardens: Srinagar has some fabulous gardens, some of which are featured below:
  1. Tulip garden: This garden boasts of some fabulous tulips which can give the Dutch tulips a run for their money. This garden also has the backdrop of the beautiful Zabarwan mountains!Chashmashahi garden is believed to have been commissioned a by Mughal Emperor Shah Jehan and built by his governor Ali Mardan Khan.
1. Kashmiri artefacts:
  1. Of the many images of Kashmir you will likely take home, one of those would be the ubiquitous Kashmiri overcoat – Pheran, with its sleeves hanging loose!
  1. Chinar trees: Reputed to have been brought to Kashmir from Iran and planted by Syed Qassim Shah Hamdani. Chinar trees hold deep cultural significance in Kashmiri traditions and folklore. They are often regarded as a living symbol of Kashmiri heritage and are mentioned in ancient texts and poetry. The Chinar tree has been a source of inspiration for several prominent Kashmiri poets and writers.
  1. Kashmiri pulao – One of the many well-known culinary items is Kashmiri pulao, which is made with the scented Basmati rice and all the rich dry fruits that Kashmir is famous for.
  1. Kehwa chai: Kashmiri Kahwa is a fragrant, warming, mild green tea made with whole spices, saffron, and nuts like almonds or walnuts.
  1. Kashmir is also known for other items such as hand-woven carpets, Pashmina shawls and handicrafts.

Sonemarg (Day 4): We were to drive up to Sonemarg – however, it was a literally a “wash-out” as it was raining and snowing through most of the day. We came back to Srinagar that day and went to Gulmarg the next day.

Gulmarg (Day 5):
1. Gulmarg is Kashmir’s snow-laden destination through much of the year. People come here mostly for skiing. It was snowing around the hotel we stayed in – we had good fun playing with snow balls.
1. And, because it is cold, you need to gear up for it by renting out overcoats, gum boots, gloves etc. As none of us knew skiing, we just walked up the mountain.
1. Gulmarg is as touristy as it gets – we saw hordes of All Terrain Vehicles (ATVs) which are used by the tourists, especially those that do not know skiing

Pompour (Day 6):
1. Pompour: the main town we had to traverse on-route to Pahalgam. The route was very scenic passing through yellow-laden mustard fields with a grand view of the snow-laden peaks in the distance.
1. Among the many things that Pompour is known for, saffron is perhaps the most renowned. It is also known for other dry fruits such as almonds, walnuts, black and blue berries. We picked up some saffron as well as some dry fruits.
1. Pompour is also known for its “Kashmir-willow” cricket bats.

Pahalgam (Day 6):
1. For most of us on the trip, Pahalgam was easily the “stand-out”, the best part of the trip! Not only was the weather great, the sceneries were straight out of picture post cards!
1. The hotel (Hotel Heevan) we stayed in was by the Anglican sounding “Lidder” river!
1. Pahalgam is a valley and is adjacent to many other valleys. One of them is now named “Betaab” – so named after a Bollywood movie of that name that featured Sunny Deol and Amrita Singh back in 1983!
1. We went to a nearby valley and had loads of fun; on the way back, we met with a shepherd who had a Pashmina goat with him! He was pushing for us to take a picture with his Pashmina goat so as to entice us to buy Pashmina wool, which is very expensive.

The Shikara [Houseboat] (Day 7):
1. A boat ride on the Shikara in Dal lake is truly a “one-of-a-kind” experience. The Kerala houseboats are the closest!
1. The Shikaras are used for joy rides and transporting tourists on the lake
1. Many of the Shikaras are also fully appointed “hotels”. We stayed overnight in one such hotel with Mughal-like luxury, which was one of the highlights of our Kashmir trip!
1. We had the luxury of vendors coming to our boat to offer us their wares – artificial jewellery, shawls, carpets, small art / hand work (jewellery box etc.)
1. The 3-men on the boat all had left feet who couldn’t dance for nuts. But the women insisted that we learn the routines overnight the previous night and join them in performing the next morning. And, so we did – dance to their tunes!

Day 8: Winding up:
1. One unfinished item on the agenda was shopping for shawls and Kashmir silk sarees. We picked up some of these and were all set to return to Chennai.