“Agar
firdaus bar roo-e zameen ast, Hameen ast-o hameen ast-o hameen ast (If
there is Heaven on Earth, It’s here, it’s here, it’s here)”. These are the
words of Persian Poet Aamir Khusru explaining what Kashmir is all about.
We
company friends (4 of us) decided to visit Vaishno Devi. It was Kiran’s idea and
a wish, which we three also realized & decided to take it up. Then Srinagar
was planned as well for 2 days.
Plan
was made 3 months in advance & train tickets were booked immediately. We
had booked return tickets for Pune – Jammu Tawi Jhelum Express (11077 / 11078).
Stay arrangement at Srinagar were made at Privilege Guest House through one
acquaintance. Stay at Katra (base town for Vaishnodevi) was not planned; it was
decided to directly reach Katra & look for stay. Since the time of July was
supposed to be the off-season in that region, it was expected that there would
be no rush.
Prelude
to our trip was filled with some negative news all around. Due to fire at
Itarasi Signal Control Station on 23rd June 2015, many trains were
getting cancelled including Jhelum Express. During last 10 days of our
journey, Jhelum was running only alternate days. One week before our departure,
there were heavy rains near Sonamarg & a cloud-burst. Jammu-Srinagar Highway
(NH-1) was closed due to land-slides. There was some news about agitation in Srinagar as well. We started making alternate train
reservations. We had made about 3 more reservations, in case our train
gets cancelled or NH-1 is closed.
Finally,
we got a confirmation 2 days prior that our train will be running. At last we
boarded Jhelum Express (11077) on 18-Jun-15 evening from Pune Station. After
covering one of the longest train journeys in India – 38 hours for about 2000 kms – we reached Jammu in the morning of 20-Jun-15 at 11.15 am (late by 1:15 hours).
Katra
is a place about 40 kms from Jammu by road. It’s a small town but an important one
because of it being the base camp for Vaishno Devi Pilgrimage – 2nd
most visited temple in India after Tirupati. Vaishno Devi is one of the holiest
pilgrimages for Hindus. Vaishno Devi Temple has been recreated at two places –
a smaller one at Pimpri (near Pune) while a much larger one at Indore. After
seeing both, it was my chance to see the original.
Katra
is very well connected with Jammu – Private Buses, Taxis ply regularly from
Jammu Railway Station. And, now Katra can be visited by train as well.
Jammu-Katra is on the ambitious Kashmir Railway Project which India has
undertaken. Under this project, Kashmir Valley will be connected to India
through Railway (fully operational hopefully by 2020) which was so far not
possible due to the terrain. Technological advancements will now make this
possible to lay railway tracks from Jammu till Baramulla via Srinagar. Just one
leg of this project is yet to be completed – Katra-Banihal. Other 3 legs are
ready & being used – Jammu-Udhampur, Udhampur-Katra &
Banihal-Baramulla.
July
20, 2015:
When
we reached Jammu at 11.15 am, we came to know there is a passenger train (DMU)
at 12 noon for Katra. We decided to undertake this train journey, as this was
newly launched service (PM Modi inaugurated Udhampur-Katra Railway Service in
July 2014). We caught up the DMU amidst heavy rush. The train takes about 2
hours to reach Katra. By road it is about 1 hour as the train goes by the
longer route via Udhampur
(Jammu-Baljata-Sangar-Manwal-Ramnagar-Udhampur-Katra).
The
route is excellent. Tracks cut through the mountains with Tawi River by the
side is awesome. After 56 bridges (read it somewhere, I didn’t count) & 30
tunnels (I counted these), we reached Katra at 2 pm. Katra Railway Station (or
Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra – SMVD Katra as it is named) can be the Model
Railway Station in the country. In first instance, it seems to be an Airport.
Clean Platforms, Clean Tracks, Wide Walkways, Cool Entrance, Green Lawns, Solar
Panels over the shades, an Escalator (though it is not yet functioning) – all
these are too good.
 |
| Katra Railway Station |
Outside
the Station, there are these Hotel Agents. You need to fix-up a price and they
provide Pick-up to the Hotel, take you to the Vaishno Devi Starting Point, Pick
you up from Vaishno Devi back to Hotel & finally drop you from Hotel to
Railway Station or Bus Stand. All this inclusive in the Hotel price. We
finalized one at Rs. 1500 for an AC Room for 3 beds (suitable for 4 people) –
Hotel Nest, near Jiji Chowk, Katra (Phone No: 9858575372, 9906331858,
9103331858). It’s a decent hotel, nice rooms, with clean toilets. Immediately
we rushed for a lunch at a mess just opposite. Then had a nice bath after 2
day train journey & got ready to 5 pm to move for our Vaishno Devi Darshan.
The hotel guy took us first at the Registration Point to prepare an access card.
Each pilgrim has to be personally present for this. A photo is captured while
registration & an access card is provided. Also it is better to carry
another Photo ID proof along.
 |
| Access Card |
One
caveat – please do not carry any additional belongings. No food & water is
required. Better to carry separate cash instead of Wallet & Cards. Camera
& related equipment can be carried depending upon your load taking ability.
Remember you need to walk an ascent of about 12 kms (normally takes about 4
hours). Mobile can be carried as it has become a necessity nowadays. Free
Lockers are available above and those are quite spacious. All the belongings
can be kept in those. Any leather items are not allowed inside the cave
(Wallet, Belts, Watch, etc). Importantly, if possible, an extra Top or T-shirt
should be taken. It will be useful to change in case the one you are wearing
gets wet. We hadn’t taken one & while returning in the night, it was chilling
out there & my shirt was wet due to rains while climbing up.
After
getting our access cards, we moved towards the base entrance and started our
walk at 5.30 pm. We purchased the “Jai Mata Di” head-bands & a walking
stick. Ensure take a visiting card of that shop. You can return back those
walking sticks & get back half the money. Sticks costs for Rs. 10 & 20 depending on the size & type.
One
can either walk or hire a Horse, or a Doli. Pitthus are available to carry the
luggage or small kids & babies. Rate card is available. Nowadays Helicopter
service is also available during day-time. Ponies cost Rs. 700, Dolis cost Rs.
4000 (both-ways) while helicopter service costs Rs. 1039 (one-way). Helicopter
service is from Katra to Sanjhichat which is about 2.5 kms from Bhawan (which
houses Main Cave).
 |
| Yatra starts from here |
The
walk-way is nicely made-up of well-laid blocks. Most of it is shaded; with work
still going on. Initial 3-4 kms are fully lined-up with shops & hotels on
both sides. Impression of Gulshan Kumar can be seen on these shops with his
photos & the T-Series name & brand still displayed. Gulshan Kumar is
said to have contributed immensely in development of this area. In between,
steps are also there which actually act as a short-cut to the walk-way;
however, climbing these is tiresome & those are not recommended for aged
& those suffering from BP & heart diseases.
Shri
Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board has provided excellent amenities all along –
First Aid Centers, Drinking Water, Snacks Centre, Washrooms, Sitting Areas.
Security Check-points are also there in between. The Shrine Board has done a
commendable job in preparing & maintaining the route. Same must have been
since last 15-20 years. Earlier, the route actually was a small path cut
through the hill; even riding on a horse was frightening. Watch the song “Mata
Ne Bulaya Hai” from Hindi Classic movie “Avatar”; it shows how the pilgrimage
was in 1980s.
Vaishno
Devi yatra, they say, happens only if there is a Call from the Goddess (Maa Kaa
Bulawa).
Vaishno
Devi is actually the natural rock formations – 3 Pindis (Maha-Saraswati, Maha- Laxmi
& Maha-Kali) inside a Cave. Bhavan is the place, the congregation of buildings,
which houses this Cave. Bhavan is about 12 kms from starting point at Katra.
Mid-way at about 5/6 kms, the route separates out into two – one through Adhkuwari
and another through Himkoti. The one through Himkoti is 1 km shorter. Horses go
by Adhkuwari route. Adhkuwari is the half-way to the yatra to the Main Cave. It
is about 6 kms from Katra.
 |
| The bright lights at the centre is the "Bhawan" |
 |
Katra town as seen from top
- bright lights at the centre is the Railway Station |
We
took the Himkoti route. This seems to be newly constructed route. This becomes much
simpler if you are walking; because, there are no ponies allowed on this way. Ponies
do come in-between while you are walking, breaking your rhythm. Battery
operated vehicles ply from Adhkuwari to Himkoti (only for aged, differently
abled people – subject to availability).
With
few pit-stops, we reached the top at 9.30 pm. This seemingly exhaustive journey
is not so tiresome actually. Since you travel in a group (known as well as
unknown people), with an intense desire, shouting (or listening to) slogans of
“Mata”, you doesn’t feel that effort. Once at the top, we had some light food,
deposited our belongings in lockers & went for the Darshan. There was not
much rush and it took another hour or so for us to reach the Cave.
Goddess
Vaishnavi in her child (Kumari) form lived sometime during Lord Ram’s Age. On
his insistence, she came at the bottom of these hills (Trikoot Parvat) for
meditation. During some Bhandara arrange by a local Brahmin, she was harassed
by Bhairon Nath. Vaishnavi ran away from him, climbed up the Trikoot Mountan
& hid inside a Cave. She did meditation here for 9 months. Bhairon Nath
reached here searching her. Vaishnavi ran away from him by breaking away the
Cave on other side using her Trishool. This Cave is now known Garbha-joon &
is at Adhkuwari. Pilgrims do go through this Cave & it is said that coming
out is like a new birth after washing out of all the sins.
Vaishnavi
climbed up to run away from Bhairon Nath. She came across another Cave; she hid
inside. Bhairon Nath followed here also. At the entrance of the Cave, Vaishnavi
severed the Head of Bhairon Nath killing him. So much was the force that the
Head flew away & landed at the hillock above the Cave. Bhairon Nath died,
but he expressed his remorse & shame before Vaishnavi for his wrong
behavior. Vaishnavi granted a wish to him; Bhairon Nath temple is made at the
place on the hillock where his Head fell & the devotees would have to visit
that temple after Vaishno Devi Darshan. This will complete the Vaishno Devi
Yatra.
The
Main Cave is rarely used now; it’s entrance can be seen while you pass through
it. This was the Cave through which pilgrims used to go years ago. It is about
4-5 feet in height and stream of chilled water continuously flows through it –
the Charan Ganga said to originate from the Sanctum Sanctorum. However, as the
number of pilgrims started to rise, it became difficult to manage. Hence this
Cave is used only during lean periods; now two parallel paths are constructed
around it which directly take you inside Sanctum Sanctorum. If you are lucky
enough, you could get the chance to go through the original Cave.
Inside,
are the 3 rock formations (called Pindis) signifying 3 Goddesses – Maha-Saraswati,
Maha-Laxmi & Maha-Kali. The Pindis are beautifully decorated with golden
crown, ornaments, flowers, red clothing. The view is satisfying. Inside, you
can identify the entrance of the Main Cave coming from the right side. Heavy
gushing sound of water is heard; it is the Charan Ganga originating from here.
After
such a peaceful Darshan, we decided to return back. By the time, we got our
belongings from the Locker, it was 12 midnight. We started our descend. Walking
down is obviously less tiresome than ascending. By 3.30 am we were at the
bottom. We took an Auto-Rickshaw for our Hotel (note: Hotel Pick-up is not
available between 11 pm to 6 am). We had heard from someone that there are
Masseurs available and a Foot Massage is important as it relaxes & frees
your leg muscles to relieve for any pain later. These Masseurs are available
near Bus Stand and they do the Massage there or also accompany with you to your
hotel. The Auto-Driver took us to Bus Stand and we took the Masseur with us to
the hotel. It was relieving Massage really. And it really helped. We had the
whole Kashmir tour in front of us and we didn’t felt that much exertion.
July
21, 2015:
After
a brief sleep of couple of hours, we left for Jammu, this time by Bus. Regular
buses ply for Jammu from Katra Bus Stand. After getting down at Jammu, we hired
a Taxi, finalized a rate with him as we wanted a special taxi for 4 of us. We
got Tavera for Rs. 4000. Normal rate is Rs. 700 per person (they take
7-8 passengers).
We
started at 9 am for Srinagar. Jammu-Srinagar is about 300 kms along the NH-1
highway. First 50 kms till Udhampur is the 2 lane highway with 3-4 tunnels
& bridges. It is newly constructed about an year ago. Once Udhampur is
crossed, comes the undependable part of this Highway. Next 200 kms till Kashmir
Valley starts, the road is a complete Ghat Section with turns all around. High
rocky patches on side while deep valley on the other. This road witnesses
closure & blockages due to climatic conditions, land-slides in rainy
season, vehicle breakdowns causing traffic jams of hours together. So much the
undependability, that at times Jammu-Srinagar can be covered in 6 hours while
at times, it may take more than 10 hours. We took about 11 hours to reach
Srinagar – about 3 major traffic jams in between due to vehicle breakdowns.
 |
| Enroute Srinagar - NH-1 Jammu Srinagar Highway |
However,
the road is awesome; the view is fantastic. If you wish to visit Kashmir, you
need to travel atleast once through this Highway. Air journey to Srinagar would
not be that satisfying – The Paradise is better experienced on land & not
seen through the air. The road turns through the hills with large Deodar trees
all around. Houses with colored roofs are constructed over the slopes of the
hills. Large rivers follow you at every nook & corner – Tawi at first, then
Chenaab & Jhelum towards the end in Srinagar. The route goes like
Jammu-Udhampur-Patni Top-Ramban (halfway)-Qazigund-Anantnag-Srinagar. Somewhere
near Patni Top, a large construction activity is going on. It is the
Chenani-Nashvi Tunnel Project – a 13 kms tunnel (Asia’s largest) is being
constructed. After it is completed, hopefully by 2017, it will save about 50-70
kms. This is equivalent to 3-4 hours of today’s journey.
 |
Dam on River Chenaab
We had an awesome Rajmaa-Chaawal here at place named Peera |
Another
attraction of this route is the Jawahar Tunnel (or Banihaal Pass). It is about
200 kms from Jammu. It is the only route which connects Kashmir Valley with
rest of India. It is therefore strategically important for India & hence
controlled by the BSF. State of J&K is comprised of 3 regions – Jammu,
Kashmir Valley & Ladakh. And Jawahar Tunnel is the entry to the Valley. It
is the Gateway to the Paradise on Earth. It is located within Pir Panjal
Mountain Range. Our driver was saying we actually crossed about 420 hills from
Jammu till here.
It
comprises of 2 uni-directional tunnels, 2.5 kms each in length. It is well
ventilated inside. Open to traffic 24 hours & 7 days a week. Fully under
control of BSF. Another tunnel is newly constructed below this one. It is for
the Railway Line between Banihaal & Srinagar.
From
here starts the Kashmir Valley. Actually, we did feel the change in weather
after we crossed the Tunnel; climate was much cooler. From here on one can see
the Kashmiri Villages, Snow-capped Mountains far away, smart & beautiful
Kashmiri People wearing Phiran (traditional woolen overcoat), Kahwa (tea like
drink). And also to mention, the presence of Armed Forces; all through the
road, after every few kms, a patrol party comprising 3-4 CRPF Men can be seen.
Road
now is pretty straight; the 200 kms of turns & twists are not here anymore.
The mighty Jhelum on your left indicates that your now entering Srinagar,
capital city of the State of J&K.
We
reached Srinagar by 7 pm – almost a drive of 10 hours. Straight we went to our
Guest House, since it was late, we were tired & there was nothing else to
do.
July
22, 2015:
We
had one acquaintance in Srinagar. He volunteered to accompany us & show us
around. Next morning, he along with his colleague came to our Guest House. He
had made arrangements for a vehicle. We started-off at about 9 am. We decided
to go to Gulmarg. It is a place very near to Srinagar – just an hour’s drive
(40 kms).
Originally
named as Gaurimarg referred to the Goddess Paarvati, later on it was
rechristened as Gulmarg – literary means “Meadows of Flowers”. It is a vast
expanse of pastures further extending towards snow clad mountains. The meadow
is World’s highest Golf Course during Summer, while in Winter it get converted
into a Skiing Facility. The time we went, it was lush green all over, with
colored flowers in between & occasional trees with snow peaks at the
backdrop. Emperor Shahajahan is said to have collected various types of Flower
Plants from Gulmarg to be used in various Mughal Gardens at places in Delhi
& Agra.
Many
a films have been shot here – Jai Jai Shiv Shankar song, Jab Tak Hain Jaan
song. The room in which the Bobby song “Hum Tum Ek Kamare Mein” was shot at one
house here. It is now famous as “Bobby Hut”. The guides show these here.
 |
| Temple where 'Jai Jai Shiv Shankar" song was shot |
After
vehicle parking, there are two ways one can go ahead – a horse ride & a
rope-way (Gandola). They take you to the top near snow. There are many shops
from where one can hire Gum-Boots, Jackets, Caps, etc. While a horse ride can
be exciting & adventurous, after sometime it becomes monotonous &
boring. We did take a horse ride, but it took us about 3-4 hours for whole
journey. You need to do a good bargain for a horse-ride – we finalised one for
Rs. 1200 per person.
There
is another good option available – a Gandola ride (rope-way). It is one of
longest Rope-ways of Asia & highest in World. It is in two stages. Stage-1
is from Gulmarg till Khilenmarg (literary means Playground) which is at the
foot of Apharwat Peak (Ticket price is Rs. 600). “Yahoo” song from film “Junglee”
was shot at Khilenmarg. Stage-2 is from Khilenmarg to Apharwat Summit (Ticket
price is Rs. 800).
Gulmarg
is within miles from the LOC. Actually from the Apharwat Summit, they show the
Pakistani Posts across the LOC. We actually missed this view by opting for a
horse-ride instead of a Gondola. By the time reached back after our horse-ride,
it was almost 4 pm. And due to bad weather, Stage-2 was closed.
Nonetheless,
we had an awesome time. Some different experience riding a horse to climb little
ahead of Khilenmarg. Total distance might be about 7-8 kms one-way. Horses are
well-trained. They know the route and they take you properly to the
destination; sometime need to give directions by using the reins. The route is
scary sometimes; real tough. Heavy climb, rocky patches, slippery paths. But
the horses take you extremely well. They take you till the point of snow. The
snow here actually is not the one like we see in movies. Actually, it is brown
in color due to mud mixed with it. But the view is breathtaking.
We
were just taking few photographs & were planning to walk a little ahead
towards some more snow, when it started raining really heavy. There were some
shacks made to serve tea. All the tourists took refuge there. We had the famous
Kashmiri Drink, the Kahwah, here. It ran heavily for about 20 minutes. Then the
rain stopped abruptly, the way it started. The locals said this is the weather
here all year at this altitude. Due to such unreliability, we decided to get
down at the earliest. We didn’t had any rain protection with us.
We
reached the parking at 4 pm. By the end, we were really bored by the horse-ride
and wished to reach back at the earliest. It is due to this boredom & time
consuming, I feel it is better to prefer a Gondola at Gulmarg. It takes you at
much higher altitude, sure-shot to witness good snow; it is time-saving; it
will be an awesome experience to travel in one of the highest & longest
rope-way as your cable-car disappears in the clouds. My next visit here is
going to be a Gondola ride surely.
We
had missed a lunch due to our horse-ride. We decided to go back to Srinagar
& have an early dinner. Our friend took us to – he said – one of the good
hotels of Srinagar, Mughal Darbar, which serves good Wazwan. Wazwan is a food
preparation that is Traditional Kashmiri. However, I alone being a vegetarian
had to adjust with Paneer. Rice is an important meal here. Raajma-Chawal is a
very delicious dish here. Meat is also part of most of the dishes of Kashmir.
After
our dinner, we visited Lal Chowk, to have some ice-cream. It has one large
Clock-Tower called the Ghanta-ghar. It is the place of extreme significance in
History as well as Present of Srinagar (for that matter, the whole of Kashmir). The place is a witness of enormous
protests, countless rallies & number of political speeches – in the past as
well as today. In a way it is one of the happening places in Srinagar. The Ghanta-ghar can be seen in movie “Haider” (Shaahid
Kapoor’s speech).
July
23, 2015:
Next
morning, our plan was to visit Pahalgam, about 90 kms from Srinagar. We started
early at 7.30 am. The route is via Anantnag, the same route we came from Jammu
on NH-1. What all we missed due to low evening light that day, we were able to
see now – the vast Saffron (Kesar) Fields & its shops of Pompore &
Cricket Bat factories. At Anantnag, route bifurcates, one towards Jammu while
another to Pahalgam. Awantipora is another attraction – the remains of an
ancient Hindu Temple. We skipped this due to paucity of time.
Pahalgam
is one more tourist destinations of Kashmir located in the Lidder Valley &
apart from its scenic beauty, famous because of being on route of Amarnath
Yatra. The road to Pahalgam is extremely scenic. After Anantnag, the River
Lidder follows last 40 kms route till Pahalgam. The view is extremely scenic -
clean white river water with white stones & boulders all around. We reached
Pahalgam by 9.30 am. Pahalgam is bigger town compared to Gulmarg. It is a main
place for Amarnath Yatra. Helicopter Service for Amarnath is available from
here. Nice hotels are available. Good market place is there for a good shopping
of Kashmir Special Goods.
There
are various spots nearby. Ponies are available here too. They refer to some
place called as Mini-Switzerland. However, we were terrified with ponies now. We
moved ahead towards Betaab Valley, a place about 15 kms ahead of Pahalgam. The
place has got this name from Sunny Deol – Amrita Singh starrer film, “Betaab”.
It was shot here – see “Jab Hum Jawan Honge”.
Betaab
Valley, as per me, was by far the best location I saw in our trip. Lush green
pastures, covered from all sides by mountain ranges (snow-capped at some
places) & a stream of ice-chilled water of Lidder River flowing across the
plains. The water is sparkling clean (actually it is a melting snow at the top)
& awfully chilled. We tried to get into the water (just above ankle
length); could not stay inside for more than 15 seconds. The area is converted
into a park & is extremely well-maintained. There is cleanliness all
around. Place is brilliantly photogenic. There is a nominal ticket price of Rs.
5.
We
spent about 3 hours inside. We returned to Pahalgam, had our lunch and again
proceeded to Aru. It is lesser known place about 12 kms from Pahalgam. It is
situated on the banks of River Aru, a tributary of Lidder. The road to Aru from
Pahalgam is an adventure. Very narrow road running by the banks of River Aru
& negotiating sharp turns, finally takes you to the Aru. It is actually a
place resting in the Lidder Valley.
 |
| Aru River |
After
about an hour’s time, we decided to leave back to Srinagar. We reach at the Dal
Lake at 7 pm. We bid adieu to our friends from here & proceeded for a
Shikaara ride. Actually our’s was a very short trip to Kashmir. 2 days here are
insufficient. Our main aim was Vaishnodevi Yatra. Since we had couple of days
with us, we planned Srinagar. But we were not able to visit the city (various
Mughal gardens, Shankaracharya Temple, Hazaratbal Dargah, Tulip Gardens, etc).
We skipped Sonamarg & Yusmarg.
 |
| Shikaaras - characteristic of Dal Lake |
But
being in Srinagar for two days & not visiting Dal Lake, was not acceptable
to us. Hence, it was almost getting dark, but we decided to have a Shikaara ride.
Shikaaras are the small wooden boats. They have a multipurpose use – mainly
used for transportation of people apart for fishing, transportation of goods,
aquatic vegetation and also homes. They are mostly made of Deodar wood. There
are about 1800 Shikaaras here. A ride costs around Rs. 300 & carries about
4-6 people. We took a Shikaara ride. Our Boatman explained us some information
about the lake apart from some view points. He was speaking fluent English
apart from Hindi.
Dal
Lake is the life-line of Srinagar. About 1 to 1.5 lakh people are dependent on the
Lake. They live on the Lake; their earnings depend on the Lake (tourism,
fishing, aquatic plantations, shops, etc). It is said to be about 22 kms in
perimeter & forms interlinking with many small lakes & water bodies. Nageen
Lake is also one such famous Lake for tourism. Two hillocks over look the Dal
Lake – Hari Parbat on one side while Shankaracharya on the other.
 |
| Dal Lake with Hari Parbat at the backdrop |
Houseboats
form highlight of Dal Lake. These were originally built by the British. There
was some rule by the Maharaja of Kashmir that building of houses in Valley was
restricted. Hence British came-up with this unique concept. Since then,
Houseboats have become part of Dal Lake. They are made from Deodar or Walnut
wood, have intricately crafted interiors & exteriors and can be large
enough to house 3 bedrooms apart from a Living Room & Kitchen. Price of a
Houseboat normally is in Lakhs of Rupees while its life can be more than 100
years. Unlike Kerala, Houseboats here are stationery and parked along the banks
of Dal or Nageen Lake or along Jhelum River. The boatmen show the Housboats
where movies like Mission Kashmir & Bemisaal (Amitabh Bachchan) were shot.
Floating
Plantations another wonder of the Lake. Locals here grow various Plants,
Vegetables (Cucumber, Pumpkins) & Fruits (Watermelons) over the Lake
waters. This is the technique is use since centuries here. These are formed by
interweaving the weeds in the water forming mats. Plantations are done on
these. It is like a farming done on the surface of water. The produce from
these Floating Gardens form a source of livelihood for its farmers.
There
is a full-fledged Floating Market on the Lake. From a hair-pin to handloom,
everything is available. Shops are set-up actually on the boat. One just needs
to get from his Shikaara to the other Shikaara-Shop. Various Shikaaras are
moving in the Lake carrying small items like jewellery & vegetable for
sale. Even, we saw one Shikaara selling Kedaabs.
Dal
Lake is rightfully known as “Venice of the East” and more truly is referred as
the “Jewel in the Crown of Kashmir”. It’s for this reason, the Dal Lake with
its Shikaara forms the identity of Kashmir world over.
Our
ride ended by 8 pm. A brief shopping & dinner followed.
July
24, 2015:
Tonight,
we had our return train to Pune – Jhelum Express (11078) which departs from
Jammu Tawi Station at 9.45 pm. We had some time off; so we decided to visit the
Rahgunath Temple – one of the attractions of Jammu. It is a temple dedicated to
Lord Ram; while has many small temples of other deities in the vicinity. The
temple is located in the market area & is built by Maharaja Gulaab Singh.
Finally,
we came to an end of our memorable trip; with a self-promise to visit once
again – with a plan to spend more time in Kashmir. We reached Pune on the
evening of July 26, 2015.
Maps:
