The Heaven on Earth

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.

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“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.

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.

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

The river bed

Another view from resort

Betab Valley

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 9^th 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

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.

Pari Mahal

Nagin Lake on Shikara ride

Nishad Garden

Akbar Fort

Chashme Shahi

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.

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All photographs of this blog are personal property of Mr. Dilip Pal. Copyright (c)dilippal 2016

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