The year was 1984; a school girl went for summer vacation in the valley of
Kashmir with her parents. It was a sunny morning, the atmosphere very pleasant,
as she rode on the Shikara from the back gate of her hotel on the very next day
of their arrival. The soft Sun kissing her half face, the rhythmic motion of
rowing gently cradling, she was in a slumber until in a magical moment the Dal
Lake opened up in front of her eyes. The Molten gold of the water adorned with
lotus and water lily contrasted the cool green of Chinar trees lined up on the
bank, delicate Kashmiri girls rowing flower boats smiled adorably; ‘I will come
back again, once grown up’ she muttered under grasped breath. ‘The heaven on
Earth’ was the tittle of the first travelogue she ever wrote.
***
“Agar firdaus bar roo-e zameen
ast,
Hameen ast-o hameen ast-o hameen
ast”.
---- Amir Khusro
‘If there is a heaven on earth,
It is this, it is this, it is
this”.
This June, after many years of patient waiting, I
went back to Kashmir to fulfill my promise. It was a seven day leisure trip,
with no particular agenda; the idea was to enjoy the divine beauty of the
valley and relax. The itinerary was made to suit the idea. We arrived in an
afternoon from Kolkata via Delhi and soon realized all our mobile numbers
except one were inactive (prepaid numbers don’t work in Kashmir); I breathed a
sigh of relief, though the other two members griped, especially my teenage
daughter was almost ready to take a return flight to Delhi.
We were booked for the first night in a house boat
run by the Welcome group. The houseboat was in Nagin Lake, a bit away from the
main tourist congregation of Dal Lake. After the initial excitement of water
taxi (our very own Shikara) and the grandeur of the house boat, we settled down
at the veranda with a pot of Kawa (Kashmiri tea). It was then, that the
mesmeric memory of long past came back again like a cherished dream. The serene
lake with a tinge of saffron in the twilight was stretched across the horizon,
ultimately surrendering at the feet of its meditating Lord, the mighty Himalaya;
the absolute silence spread its splendor befitting the magnificence. Hours
passed by, I sat motionless; my mind empty yet ecstatic.
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| View from Houseboat in the twilight |
Next day morning, the fire globe rose above the
mountains flaming the eastern sky; the Lord withdrew himself in obscurity. Nagin
Lake like a dazzling mermaid danced around in her Golden splendor; kingfishers
and seagulls kissing her in admiration.
It was time again to move, I whispered ‘Goodbye’ to
the celestial maiden caressing the water from the shikara.
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| The morning view |
Our next destination was Gulmarg, which took about
two hours by road from Srinagar; we had arrangement for one night stay there at
a resort on the uphill of the Gondola station. We weren’t too keen on the
Gondola ride to the top of the glacier, but zest of our driver Hilal Bhai was
indomitable; we succumbed at the end. The ride to the top was enjoyable, if one
can ignore the tourist rush, the view at top was absolutely breathtaking. Still,
I won’t recommend this to those who have already visited Jung Fro and Mt.
Titlis in Switzerland. We checked in the resort at around 3 pm, the snow caped
mountain patterned with deep pine green from the window view took away all the
fatigue and irritation of the Gondola adventure instantly. Instead of late
lunch, I settled for a high tea, the open air coffee shop midst the mountains
being the sole reason. The evening was well spent on taking a steep walk on the
hill, shadowed by the tall pines and bubbly streams. We could do full justice
to the elaborate buffet dinner at the end.
 |
| View from top |
 |
| View from top |
 |
| View of the cable station from uphill |
As pre-decided, I and my husband went for a long
walk towards the valley quite early in the morning. The lonely road, the
pristine landscape, sweet note of birds offered me a memory of life time.
From Gulmarg we proceeded towards Pahelgam; that was to
be our abode for next two nights. My husband asked me while planning for the
trip, which were the places that moved me most in my previous trip; ‘Dal Lake
and Lidder River’, was my instant answer. As the first glimpse of Lidder appeared
parallel to the road approaching Pahelgam, I travelled in a time machine;
trying to find out a particular spot at the valley, a certain turn on the
river, it was absolutely childlike. In Pahegam the resort in which we stayed
was spread across the hill overlooking Lidder River; there was view of it even
from our cottage room. The well kempt garden of the resort lavished with
various roses and sitting arrangements at strategic points was my refuge for
the next two days. Sitting by Lidder, writing came spontaneously; I indulged on
romancing with history. We took a short trip to Betab valley on the second day
based on strong recommendation and certainly didn’t regret it. A portion of the
valley along with the river was fortified to make it an enjoyable tourist point
without tampering with the nature.
It was a sense of loss that moistened my eyes at
the time of bidding farewell to Lidder, she travelled along for some time
before sending us off.
 |
| View from resort |
 |
| View from our resort |
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| The river bed |
 |
| Another view from resort |
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| Betab Valley |
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| Betab Valley |
 |
| Bloom in the grass |
On the way to Srinagar, we stopped by on the
National Highway to visit the Avantipura ruins; that had a cluster of temples
built in 9th Century AD by King Avanti Varman. The Central temple was
of Lord Vishnu in his eternal sleep; though dilapidated, the structure invoked
awe with its majesty and intricacy of carved walls.
This time in Srinagar, we stayed at ‘The Lalit Grand
Palace’, a palace turned hotel, former residence of Maharaja Hari Singh. We
stayed there for three days, away from the hustle bustle of the City Centre, right
in the lap of nature. The property had huge garden, so well nurtured that it
can put even Nishad garden to shame; the green pasture, the imposing pine
forest at the backdrop and the Dal Lake in view created a sense of vastness
truly regal. Sitting for hours at the early morning and in the romantic
twilight on the grass lawn, looking at the Dal Lake and the Pines had been a
great indulgence; there gentle breeze often kissed my curls, silence appeased
my engaged mind, I sipped the wonder of nature.
 |
| At the hotel |
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| Hotel lawn |
We went for Shikara ride one evening on Dal Lake
and the next morning on Nagin Lake for a longer one. In Nagin Lake, we were the
only tourist enjoying the serene landscape and exploring the beautiful alleys
midst floating gardens and waterlily blooms. Pari Mahal, an eight layered
garden built by Prince Dara Shiko, Chashme Shahi, Nishad Garden and Akbar Fort
were few sites we visited in between.
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| Pari Mahal |
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| Nagin Lake on Shikara ride |
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| Nishad Garden |
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| Akbar Fort |
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| Chashme Shahi |
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| The floating market at Dal Lake |
After seven days of sheer bliss we left Srinagar
with heart full of memories and bags full of shopping. It is said that a shrine
is generally visited twice in a lifetime; like that I completed my cycle of
visiting the paradise twice in my lifetime; happy and fulfilled now I would
relish the nostalgia for the rest of my days.
***
All photographs of this blog are personal property of Mr. Dilip Pal. Copyright (c)dilippal 2016
Copyright (c)ananyapal2016
ALL RIGHT RESERVED
