10th June 2012:
It was an unique experience to be
able to meet the family of our Shikara operator at their residence and be able
to have a glimpse of the traditional houses in the secluded quarters. We were
bidding good bye to Srinagar and were proceeding to Pahalgam where we intend to
stay for two days. Our vehicles were being loaded with our luggage. Looking
back, we had regrets for not having been able to visit many other places of
interest and importance in or around Srinagar. The Shankaracharya Temple
(Takht-e-Sulaiman), Tulip Gardens, Shalimar Gardens (Our group is to be blamed),
Pari Mahal, A boat cruise in Jhelum cutting through Srinagar, The fort on the
top of Hari Parbat and shrines of Sharika Bhagawathi, Hamza Makhdoom and the
Gurudwara (Chatti Padshahi) are some of them. They called for a further stay of
2/3 days to explore.
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| Front View |
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| Backside View |
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| Very old picture |
Pahalgam is also a much sought after
tourist destinations in Kashmir which is 94 kilometres South East from Srinagar.
While making a move, we requested our driver to make a brief halt in front of
the arched gate at the foot of Hari Parbat. The locality is known as Rainwari and the massive gate itself is called Kathi Darwaza. The vehicle stopped as requested and without wasting time I jumped
out and went inside to have an appreciation of the inhabited area there. Once
the Moghul emperor Akbar wanted to etablish a township in the fort precincts to
be known as Nagar Nagor and a wall running round the hill was constructed. I
was looking for some kind of centuries old ghettoes but the houses/buildings
seemed to be of recent origin. The present settlement inside is supposed to be
unauthorised but then they are not devoid of civic facilities.
I had to remain contended with whatever
I could see, although there was a road which probably leads to the top of the
hill fort. Getting inside would have entailed delays because of other
inviting monuments in its precincts. After traversing through the narrow lanes
we entered the highway within the city. There were many shops displaying
colourful bowls and household utilities made of a kind of local reed. Farther
ahead were shops selling carved stoneware. Shortly we were out of the city
limits and were proceeding to our destination at optimum speed. We had also
requested for a stopover at Avantipur, 30 kilometres ahead. I was on the look
out and while passing through a small town, a ruined structure to our left made
its appearance and immediately I asked for the vehicle to stop. The vehicle was
already slowed down and the driver responded that he remembered it. Yes this was
the Avantipur I had in mind. The ruins still majestic in appearance stood there.
It was a temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu built by a king known as Avantivarman
during the 9th century CE which was destroyed by the non-believers as a part of
their crusades in the 14th century CE. This deserves a separate post.
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| Avantipur Ruins |
En route we came across several
traditional houses in a state of disrepair and looked as if they have been
abandoned. Some one amongst us also screamed “look at those houses, there is no
life”. As a matter of fact I was so much engrossed looking at the beauty all
around, I did not pay much attention. I remained oblivious of the fact that
these were the houses of the original inhabitants of Kashmir, known as Kashmiri
Pandits. Infiltrations and militancy in the valley made them to move out en-mass
in 1990 leaving behind all their possessions. For a moment I was sad but then
thought of diverting my attention. I requested the driver if he could take us
through the country side so that we can have a feel of the rural life. Soon we
came at a point where there was a diversion towards the right with a small
hoarding which read “Apple Valley”. The driver was kind enough to heed to our
request and leaving the highway drove through the narrow road. We came across a
shepherds driving their flock of sheep for grazing. Our driver clarified that
the name Pahalgam has been derived from these shepherds. Pahalgam means a Valley
of Shepherds.
There were plantations of Walnut
trees followed by Apple and Cherries. The fruits were either not visible or were
too tender and small. Cultivation of Apples for which Kashmir was famous is now
dwindling. The farmers have switched over to Cherries and Kiwis (native fruit of
New Zeraland). The later largely gets exported to various countries. Then there
were paddy fields as far as we could see. Women folk was engaged in
transplanting operations in the water filled slushy fields. This sight was
similar to what we could see elsewhere in India except that women here were well
clad. There was a small village in between where they had good houses and some
remnants of the past also existed. They were the wooden two storied houses since
abandoned. There were similar structures where the lower portion had the shop
and the upper portion was used as a dwelling. It seemed that the rural
population is also fairly affluent. There were no traces of any poverty as could
be encountered elsewhere in India.
After passing through few more
villages, we were once again on the highway leading to Pahalgam. The Liddar
river (originally Lambodari) on the way mesmerized us and we stopped on its
banks to have a photo session with the beautiful views behind. This river is
full of rapids and had we stayed there for some more time we could have had a
rafting experience.
Finally we arrived at the main bazaar
area of Pahalgam and had a late lunch at the Nathu’s Rasoi, one of the best in
the town.
Thereafter walked through the streets window shopping. We were booked
at Hotel Baisaran but due to some communication gap, we could not be
accommodated there. After several telephonic calls to the Hotel Centre Point at
Srinagar (they were the people who arranged the package) we were led to a
nondescript (but good) hotel some where up in the hill. Probably the village was
Ladipura. However the surroundings were scenic. We checked in for a night there,
only to move out next day early in the morning to a central location.
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| Father and Son |