kashmir project

8/4/2019 Kashmir Project

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MINOR PROJECT REPORT

ON

TOURISM SPOTS IN KASHMIR

SUBMITTED TO: - SUBMITTED BY: -

Dr. Supriya Choudhary Sahil Kamra

Department of Business BBA (TTM) 3rd semester

Administration (Lecturer) 0231495008

MAHARAJA SURAJMAL INSTITUTE

C4 JANAKPURI, NEW DELHI-110058Affiliated to GGS Indraprastha University, Delhi

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

This project has been possible through the direct and indirect cooperation of various

people who bear the imprints of their efforts for my work. I take this opportunity to

acknowledge the invaluable assistance of the people who helped me in the successful

completion of this project report.

I would like to thank Ms. Supriya Choudhary, lecturer in Department of Business

administration for her constant guidance and assistance which motivated me to give

my best to the project report. I would also like to thank faculty member who

provided me all the necessary information in completion of the project report.

Sahil Kamra

Msi/BBA (T&TM) 08

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CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that the project title TOURISM SPOTS IN KASHMIR is

a work carried out by Sahil Kamra 01/MSI/BBA (TTM) under the

guidance of Ms.Supriya Chaudhary Lecturer department of Business

Administration. It is stated that work is original and the project has been

submitted as per the course requirement.

Ms.Supriya ChaudharyLecturer,

Department of Business Administrat ion

Submitted by:-Sahil Kamra

BBA(ttm) 0231495008

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CONTENTS

CHAPTER-1

Introduction andDefinitionsObjectivesResearch and MythologyLimitations

CHAPTER-2History

CHAPTER-3Analysis, statistics and Interpretations

CHAPTER-4Conclusions and Recommendations

BIBLIOGRAPHY

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CHAPTER-1

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Tourism spot in Kashmir

Srinagar Sightseeing

S i g h t s e e i n g i n S r i n a g a r i s c o m m o n l y d o n e b y b u s o r t a x i . A n o t h e r

w a y o f s e e i n g t h e c i t y , e s p e c i a ll y t h e l a k e a r e a , i s b y sh ikara . I t i s

pa r t i cu l a r l y p l eas an t t o r ow over t he wa t e r s o f t he Da l Lake t o v i s i tt h e M u g h a l G a r d e n s a n d o t h e r l a k e s i d e s i t e s , i n c l u d i n g t h e f a m o u s

Hazra tbal mos que .

T h e w e l l - k n o w n s i g h t s i n t h e c i t y a r e Shankaracharya Tem pl e a t op

t he h i l l ca l l ed Takh t -e -Su l e i m an , a 5 km c l i mb f r om Nehr u P a r k on a

m e t a l l e d r o a d . A c r o s s t h e c i t y i s a n o t h e r , m u c h l o w e r h i l l c r o w n e d

by the H ar i Par ba t For t , bu i l t by an Af ghan gover nor o f Kas hmi r i n

t h e 1 8 t h c e n t u r y . T h e l o w w a l l e n c l o s i n g t h e u p p e r p a r t o f t h e h i l l

w a s c o n s t r u c t e d b y E m p e r o r A k b a r . O n t h e h i l l a r e s e v e r a l f a m o u s

p la ce s o f w or sh ip : t he t em pl e o f g o dd e ss S ha ri ka , t he s hr in e o f

M u s l i m s a i n t M akhdoorn Sah i b , a n d t h e h i s t o r i c S i k h G urudwara

Cha t t i Padshah i

The Lakes

S r i n a g a r ' s d i s t i n c t i v e f e a t u r e i s t h e g r e a t b o d y o f w a t e r , t h e Dal

Lake , w h i c h f o r m s i t s f o c a l p o i n t . T h e D a l h a s , w i t h in i t s a r e a , t w o

e n o r m o u s s h e e t - l i k e e x p a n s e s o f w a t e r -Lokut -dal an d Bod-dal , t h e

r es t o f i t s s u r f ace be i ng b r oken up a l t e r na t i ve l y by man- made s t r i ps

o f l a n d i n h a b it e d b y w h o l e c o l o n i es o f p e o p l e a n d v e g e t a t i on . T h u s

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t h e l a k e i s n o t a f l a t , u n b r o k e n m a s s o f w a t e r , b u t a l a b y r i n t h o f

wa t e r way s , awas h wi t h a l i f e s t y l e no t f ound e l s ewher e i n t he wor l d .

L ea d in g f ro m t he D a l i s t he s ma ll er Nagin Lake . H e r e t o o , t h e

w a t e r s a r e e d g e d b y t r e e s o f w i l l o w a n d p o p l a r w h o s e r e f l e c t i o n i s

m i r r o r e d i n t h e l a k e . ' B a t hi n g b o a t s ' h e r e , a s w e l l a s o n t h e D a l ,

h i r e o u t w a t e r - s k is a n d m o t o r l a u n c h es . T h e w a t e rs o f t h e l a k e s a r e

p l e a s an t l y c o o l f r o m m i d - Ma y t o m i d - Se p t e mb e r . Sh i karas c a n b e

h i r e d f r o m a n y o f t h e s t e p s c a l l e d ' gha t s ' ( j e t t i e s ) l e a d i n g t o t h e

l ake . S ome r i des a r e f i xed and t he i r r a t e s a r e pos t ed a t each ghat as

w e ll a s o p po si te t he T ou ri st R ec e pt io n C en tr e. Sh i karas a re a

r e f r e s h i ng l y nove l way o f s ee i ng S r i naga r by day and a t t w i l i gh t , t heg e n t l e s o o t h i n g m o t i o n o f t h e b o a t , a s i t g l i d e s a l o n g t h e w a t e r , i s

unbe l i evab l y r oman t i c .

N a g i n l a k e l i e s t o t h e e a s t o f t h e c i t y a t t h e f o o t o f t h e Zabarwan

M o u nt a in . T h e Shankaracharya h i ll ( T ak h t- i -S u la i ma n ) i s t o t h e

s ou t h and Hari Parbat on i t s wes t . The l ake i s 6x3 km and i s d i v i ded

b y c a u se w ay s i n to f o ur p a rt s . G agr i ba l , Lakut -dal , Bod-dal a nd

Nagin . L o k u t - d a l a n d B o d - d a l e a c h h a v e a n i s l a n d i n t h e c e n t r e ,

ca l l ed Rup Lank o r Char Chi nar i and Sona Lank, r e s pec t i ve l y .

THE MUGHAL GARDENS

W it h t e rra ce d l a wns , c asc ad in g f ou nt ain s, p ain t-b ox -b rig ht

f l ower beds wi t h t he panor ama o f t he Da l i n f r on t o f t hem - t he t h r ee

M u gh al G ar de ns o f Chesm ashah i , Nishat and Sha l i m ar a re t he

M u g h a l E m p e r o r s ' c o n c e p t o f p a r a d i s e a n d a r e t o d a y v e r y p o p u l a r

p l aces f o r p i cn i cs and excur s i ons .

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Shal imar Bagh

Bui l t by Emper or J ehang i r f o r h i s w i f e Nur J ehan , Shal imar , 15 kms

f ro m t he T RC , i s a b e au ti fu l g a rd e n w it h s we ep in g v is ta s o v er

ga r dens and l akes , and s ha l l ow t e r r aces . The ga r den i s 539 m by 182

m a n d h a s f o ur t e rr a ce s , r i s in g o n e a b o v e t h e o t he r . A c a na l l i ne d

w i th p o li s he d s t on e s a n d s u pp l ie d w i th w a te r f r om Harwan r uns

t h r ough t he mi dd l e o f t he ga r den . The f our t h t e r r ace , by f a r t he bes t ,

was once r e s e r ved f o r r oy a l l ad i es .

Nishat Bagh

S i t ua t ed on t he banks o f t he Da l Lake , w i t h t he Zabar wan Mount a i ns

as i t s backdr op , ( 11 km. f r om TRC) , t h i s ' garden o f b l i s s ' commands

a m ag ni fi ce nt v ie w o f t he l ak e a nd t he s no w c a pp ed P ir P an ja l

m o u n t a i n r a n g e w h i c h s t a n d s f a r a w a y t o t h e w e s t o f t h e v a l l e y .

N is ha t w as d es ig ne d i n 1 6 33 A D b y A sa f K h an , b ro th er o f N u r

J ehan .

Chashma Shahi

A t C ha sh ma sh ai , i s a t as te fu ll y l ai d g a rd e n i n t er ra ce s, w hi ch

c ommand s a ma gn i f i c en t v iew o f the Da l Lake b e low and

s ur r ound i ng moun t a i n r anges . The coo l wa t e r o f t he s p r i ng i s h i gh l y

r e f r e s h i n g a n d d i g e s t i v e . T h e o r i g i n a l g a r d e n w a s l a i d o u t b y S h a h

J ehan i n 1632 AD. TRC S r i naga r f r ee o f cos t t o v i s i t t he pe r mi t s canbe had f r om t he i n f r omat i on Coun t e r Chas hma S hah i Gar den . P e r mi t s

can be had f r om t he i n f r omat i on coun t e r .

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Pari Mahal

O n c e t h e r o y a l o b s e r v a t o r y , P a r i M a h a l h a s a c h a r m i n g l y l a i d o u t

g a r d e n a n d i s a f i v e - m i n u t e d r i v e f r o m C h e s h m a s h a h i . A B u d d h i s t

m o n a s t e r y a t o n e t i m e , i t w a s c o n v e r t e d i n t o a s c h o o l o f a s t r o l o g y

b y D a r a S h i k o h , M u g h a l E m p e r o r S h a h J e h a n 's e l d e s t s o n . S i t ua t e d

o n th e s pu r o f a m ou nta in o ve rl oo kin g th e D al , th e a nc ie nt

monument , w i t h a we l l - l a i d s pac i ous ga r den i n f r on t , i s conn ec t ed t o

Ches hmas hah i by r oad . I t i s i l l umi na t ed a t n i gh t .

Harwan

O n t h e h i l l s i d e , s o u t h o f t h e v i l l a g e o f H a r w a n ( 1 9 k m s f r o m t h e

T R C ) ), r e m a rk a b l e r e m a i n s o f a n c i e n t o r n a m e nt e d t i l e p a v e m e nt s o f

t h e B u d d h i s t p e r i o d h a v e c o m e t o l i g h t. T h e t i l e s d e p i c t t h e d r e s s e s

o f t he peop l e , s uch as l oos e t r ous e r s , Tur koman caps o r c l os e f i t t i ng

t u r bans and l a r ge ea r - r i ngs whi ch r evea l Cen t r a l As i an

SHRINES & MONUMENTS

Hazratbal Mosque

H a z r a t b a l M o s q u e i s l o c a t e d i n a v i l l a g e o f t h e s a m e n a m e o n t h e

b a n k s o f t h e D a l . I t s p r i s t in e w h i t e m a r b l e e l e g a n c e i s r e f l ec t e d i n

t he wa t e r s o f t he l ake .

H a zr at ba l ' s s pe ci al s ig n if ic a nc e i s d er iv ed f ro m t he f ac t t ha t i t

h o u s e s a h a i r o f t h e p r o p h e t M u h a m m a d . T h i s i s d i s p l a y e d t o t h e

p u b l i c o n r e l i g i o u s o c c a s i o n s , u s u a l l y a c c o m p a n i e d b y f a i r s . A p a r t

f r o m t h e s e o c c a s i o n s , F r i d a y p r a y e r s a r e o f f e r e d a t H a z r a t b a l a n d

a t t ended by t h r ongs o f peop l e . Hazr a t ba l i s r emar kab l e f o r be i ng t he

o n l y d o m e d m o s q u e i n S r i n a g a r ; t h e o t h e r s h a v i n g d i s t i n c t p a g o d a

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l i k e r o o f s . T h e s h r i n e m o s q u e c o m p le x i s s i t u at e d o n t h e w e s t e r n

s h o r e o f t h e D a l L a k e o p p o s i t e N i s h a t B a g h a n d c o m m a n d s a g r a n d

v i ew o f t he l ake and t he moun t a i n bey ond .

Jama Masj id

T h e J a m a M a s j i d a t Nowhat ta , i n t h e h e a r t o f t h e o l d c i t y , i s t h e

o t h e r i m p o r t a n t m o s q u e i n S r i n a g a r a t w h i c h t h o u s a n d s o f p e o p l e

c o n gr e ga t e f o r t h e F r id a y p r ay e rs . O f i m po s in g p r op o rt i on s , t h e

m o s q u e i s b u i l t a r o u n d a c o u r t ya r d a n d i s s u p p o r te d b y 3 7 0 w o o d e n

pi l lars .

T h e h u s h e d q u i e t o f t h e m o s q u e c o u n t e r p o i n t s t h e b u s t l e o f t h e o l d

bazaa r s s u r r ound i ng i t . Or i g i na l l y bu i l t by Su l t an S i kandar i n 1 4 0 0

AD, and en l a r ged by h i s s on , Za i n - u l - Ab i d i n , i t i s a t y p i ca l exampl e

o f I n d o - Sa r a c e ni c a r c h it e c t ur e . D e s t ro y e d t h r i c e b y f i r e a n d r e b u i lt

e a c h t i m e , t h e m o s q u e , a s i t n o w s t a n d s , w a s r e p a i r e d d u r i n g t h e

r e i gn o f Mahar a j a P r a t ap S i ngh .

Shankaracharya Temple

T h e s a c r e d t e m p l e o f S h a n k a r a c h a r y a o c c u p i e s t h e t o p o f t h e h i l l s

k n o w n a s Takh t - I -Su l a i m an i n t h e s o u t h - e a s t o f S r i n a g a r . T h e s i t e

da t es back t o 250BC. The ph i l os opher Shankaracharya s t ay ed a t t h i s

p l a c e w h e n h e v i s i te d K a s h mi r t e n c e n t u ri e s a g o t o r e v i v e Sana t an

Dharma.

B e f o r e t h i s d a t e , t h e t e m p l e w a s k n o w n a s G opadr i , a s a n e a r l i e r

e d i f i c e o n t h e s a m e s i t e w a s b u i l t b y k i n g La l i tad i t ya i n t h e 6 t h

c e nt ur y A D. I n f ac t , t he r oa d b el ow t he h il l, w it h r es id e nc es o f

h i g h - r a n k i n g S t a t e G o v e r n m e nt o f f ic i a l s, i s s t i l l k n o w n a s G upkar

r o a d . B u i l t o n a h i g h o c t a g o n al p l i n t h a n d a p p r o a ch e d b y a f l i g h t o f

s t eps wi t h s i de wa l l s t ha t once bor e i ns c r i p t i ons , t he ma i n s u r v i v i ng

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s h r i ne cons i s t s o f a c i r cu l a r ce l l . I t ove r l ooks t he Va l l ey and can be

a p p r o a ch e d b y a m o t o ra b l e r o a d . A m o d e r n c e i l in g c o v e r s t h e i n n e r

s a n c t u m a n d a n i n s c r i p t i o n i n P e r s i a n t r a c e s i t s o r i g i n t o t h e r e i g n

o f E m p e r o r S h a h J e h a n . T h e o r i g in a l c e i l i n g w a s d o m e - s h a p e d a n d

t he b ri ck ro of , i t a pp e a rs , i s n ot mo re th an a ce nt ur y o ld .

Khanqah of Shah Hamadan

S i t u a t e d o n t h e b a n k s o f t h e r i v e r J h e l u m , b e t w e e n t h e t h i r d a n d

f ou rt h b ri dg e , i t i s t he f ir st m os qu e e ve r b u il t i n S ri na g ar . T he

or i g i na l one was bu i l t i n 1395 .

S hah Hamadan ' s f u l l name was Mi r S ay ed Al i Hamadn i , t he s u r name

b e i n g d e r i v e d f r o m t h e c i t y o f H a m a d a n i n P e r s i a . Shah- i -H am dan ,

w h o c a m e f r o m P e r s i a i n t h e 1 3 t h c e n t u r y , w a s r e s p o n s i b l e f o r t h e

s p r ead o f I s l am i n Kas hmi r . Khanqah- i -Mual la , o n t h e b a n k s o f t h e

J he lu m, w as t he v er y s po t w he re S ha h -i -H am da n u se d t o o ff er

prayer s .

Af t e r s t ay i ng i n Kas hmi r f o r many y ea r s , he l e f t f o r Cen t r a l As i a v i a

L a d a k h . A m o s q u e e s t a b l i s h e d b y h i m a t Shey ( n e a r L e h ) a t t r a c t s

devo t ees .

T h e K h a n q a h i s a w o o d e n s t r u c t u r e w h o s e c h i e f a e s t h e ti c f e a t u r e i s

i t s b e au t if u ll y c a rv e d e a v es a n d h a n gi n g b e ll s . T h e i n te r io r s a r e

r i c h ly c a r v e d a n d p a i n te d , a n d t h e a n t i q u e c h a n d e li e r s g i v e i t a n a i r

o f opu l ence .

Hari Parbat Fort & Temple o f Shar ika Devi

The Mugha l emper o r ' s f o r t c r owns t he t op o f Har i P a r ba t h i l l . The r e

i s l i t t l e l e f t o f i t s f o r mer g l o r y , bu t t he r ampar t s a r e s t i l l i mpr es s i ve

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a n d t h e o l d a p a r t m e n t s w i t h i n t h e f o r t , e v e n t h o u g h i n a s t a t e o f

r u in , s t il l c o n ve y a t l e as t a l it t le o f t h e g r a n d eu r o f t h e M u g h a ls

s u m m e r r e t r e a t i n p a r a d i s e . T h e f o r t w a s l a t e r d e v e l o p e d i n 1 8 t h

c e n t u r y b y a n A f g h a n g o v e r n o r , A t a M o h a m m a d K h a n . T h e h i l l i s

c o n s i d e r e d s a c r e d t o t h e H i n d u s d u e t o t h e p r e s e n c e o f t e m p l e o f

Sharika , whi ch i s be l i eved t o be a f o r m o f goddes s Durga or Shak t i .

The wa l l a r ound t he h i l l was bu i l t by Akbar i n 1592- 98 AD. The h i l l

i s s u r r ounded by a l mond o r cha r ds , wh i ch make a l ove l y s i gh t du r i ng

A p ri l w h en t h e t r e e s b l o s so m , h e ra l di n g t h e a d v en t o f s p ri n g i n

Kas hmi r .

Makhdoom Sahib

On t he s ou t he r n s i de o f t he Har i P a r ba t h i l l i s t he h i s t o r i c s h r i ne o f

Makhdoom S ah i b , wh i ch i s v i s i t ed by peop l e o f a l l f a i t hs .

Chhatt i Padshahi Gurudwara

T h e s i x t h S i k h g u r u t r a v e l l e d t h r o u g h K a s h m i r , s t o p p i n g t o p r e a c h

occas i ona l l y . A gur udwar a has been bu i l t a t t he exac t s i t e o f each o f

t he se h al t s . Th e m os t i mp or t an t o ne a mo ng th ese i s Chha t t i

Padshah i gurudwara , s i t ua t ed near t he Kathi Darwaza , in Rai nawar i ,

S r i naga r , wh i ch i s he l d i n g r ea t r eve r ence by devo t ees o f a l l f a i t hs .

Martand

M a r t a nd , l o c a t e d a t o p a p l a t ea u , c l o s e t o t h e t o w n s h i p o f A n a n t n a g ,

h a s a t em pl e d ed ic at ed t o S u r y a , t he " S u n G o d" . B ui lt b y k in g

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Lai t ad i t y a Mukt ap i da ( 7 t h t o 8 t h cen t u r y AD) , i t i s a med i eva l t empl e

wi t h a co l onnaded cour t y a r d and t he s h r i ne i n i t s cen t r e . The t empl e

compl ex has 84 co l umns and o f f e r s a commandi ng v i ew o f t he va l l ey

of Kas hmi r .

Kheer Bhawani

T h e G o d d e s s R a g n y a D e v i i s s y m b o l i s e d a s a s a c r e d s p r i n g a t T u l a

M u l a v i l l a g e , 2 7 k m s f r o m S r i n a g a r . W i t h i n t h e s p r i n g i s a s m a l l

m a r b le t e m p le . T h e d e v o t e es o f t h e g o d d e s s f a s t a n d g a t h e r h e r e o n

t he e i gh t h day o f t he f u l l moon i n t he mont h o f May when , accor d i ng

t o be l i e f , t he goddes s changes t he co l our o f t he s p r i ng ' s wa t e r s . The

t e m p le - s p r in g c o m p le x i s a f f e c ti o n a t e ly k n o w n a s Kheer Bhawan i

b e c a u s e o f t h e t h o u s a n d s o f d e v o t e es w h o o f f e r m i l k a n d ' kheer ' t o

t he s ac r ed s p r i ng , wh i ch mag i ca l l y t u r ns b l ack t o war n o f d i s as t e r .

Awant ipur

F o u n d e d b y Avant i varman w h o r e i g n e d K a s h m i r i n t h e 9 t h c e n t u r y ,

t h i s anc i en t t owns h i p i s 29 k ms f r om S r i naga r .

T he s it e h as t wo i mp os in g t em pl es , t he l ar ge r o ne o f S i va -

Avant i svara i s m a r k e d b y h u g e w a l l s , s o m e h a l f a m i l e b e n e a t h t h e

t o w n o n t h e o u t s k i r ts o f v i l la g e J a u b r o r . T h e s u b s id i a r y s h r i ne s a r e

t o t he r ea r co r ne r o f t he cour t y a r d . The compl ex has , o ve r t he y ea r s ,

l o s t i t s g r andeur and been r educed t o r u i ns , t hough i t i s s t i l l v i s i t ed

b y t h e d e v o u t . H a l f a m i l e u p i s Avant i svami - Vi shnu , a b e t t e r

p r es e r ved , t hou gh s mal l e r t empl e .

THE OLD CITY

Wi t h i t s a l mos t med i eva l cha r m, t he o l d c i t y o f S r i naga r has s i gh t s ,

s me l l s an d so unds t o ench an t t he mo st j ade d t r a ve l l e r . I t s

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l aby r i n t h i ne r oads and bus t l i ng bazaa r s a r e a pho t ogr apher ' s de l i gh t .

T r ad i ti o n al ly d r es s ed m e n a n d w o me n o n t h ei r w a y t o t h e c i t y 's

m a ny m o sq u es a n d s h ri n es , b u rn t b r ic k b u il d in g s w i th t h ei r r i ch

w a r m c o l o u r , t h e s e a r e s o m e o f t h e o l d c i t y ' s m o o d s w h i c h l i n g er i n

t he co r ne r s o f a t r ave l l e r ' s mi nd , l ong a f t e r one l eaves Kas hmi r .

Lend i ng t he a r ea i t s v i t a l i t y i s t he p r es ence o f t he r i ve r J he l um t ha t

f lo ws t hr ou gh i t. S ri na ga r h as f or l on g b ee n K as hm ir 's m os t

i mpor t an t commer c i a l t own , and when one cons i de r s t ha t boa t s have

a l w a y s b e e n a p r i m a r y m e a n s o f c o n v e y a n c e i n K a s h m i r , i t i s n o t

d i f f i c u l t t o s e e w h y . I n t i m e , t h e c i t y h a s f o r m e d a r o u n d t h e b a n k s

o f t h e r i v e r. T o d a y , t h e p r e s e nc e o f t h e r i v e r J h e l u m h a s b e c o m e a ni n t eg r a l pa r t o f t he o l d c i t y , des p i t e t he f ac t t ha t boa t s a r e no l onger

s o ex t ens i ve l y us ed as a means o f convey ance . N i ne b r i dges s pan t he

R i v e r J h e l u m , a n d m a n y , m a n y m o r e t i n y o n e s i n t e r s e c t t h e n e t w o r k

o f wa t e r way s t ha t f l ow t h r ough t he o l d c i t y .

T h e n i ne b r id g es a r e Z e r o B r id g e, A m ir a K a d al , B u d sh a h K a d al ,

H a b b a K a d a l , F a t e h K a d a l , Z a i n a K a d a l , A a l i K a d a l , N a w a K a d a l

a n d S a f a K a d a l , Kada l b e i n g t h e K a s h m i r i w o r d f o r b r i d g e . O f

t h e s e B u d s h a h B r i d g e a n d Z e r o B r i d g e a r e t h e n e w e s t ; t h e f o r m e r

hav i ng been cons t r uc t ed by t he Br i t i s h i n t h i s cen t u r y . P r es en t l y , t he

o ld es t b ri dg e i s F at eh K ad al , t oo d il ap id at ed f or a ct ua l u se .

H o we ve r, m an y o f t he o ld b ri dg es h a ve b ee n r ep la ce d w it h n ew

c o n c r e t e b r i d g e s a n d a f e w n e w o n e s h a v e a l s o b e e n a d d e d i n v i e w

o f t h e i n c r e a s i n g t r a f f i c . T h e m o s t p r o m i n e n t a m o n g t h e s e i s t h e

Abdu l l ah Br i dge , s i t ua t ed nea r t he Tour i s t Recep t i on Cen t r e .

Th e v i ew f r om any o f the o l d c ity ' s b r id ges i s who ll y an d

u n m is t ak a b ly K a sh m ir i . O l d b r ic k b u il d in g s l i ne t h e b a nk s . T h e

d i s t i n c t i v e p a g o d a - l i k e r o o f o f a m o s q u e o r a s h r i n e e n l i v e n s t h e

h o r i z o n , a n d i n t h e m u d d y w a t e r o f t h e R i v e r J h e l u m , a s t r a g g l i n g

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r o w o f doongas f l a n k s t h e e d g e s . T h e s e b o a t s , w i t h t h e i r s h i n g l e d

r o o fs , a r e t h e f o re r un n e rs o f S ri n ag a r s h o u se b o at . A p a rt i cu l ar

c o m m u n i t y l i v e s i n t h e m . F o r m e r l y t h i s c o m m u n i t y w a s a s s o c i a t e d

w i t h f e r r y in g p e o p l e , l i v e st o c k a n d f o o d g r a i n s a l o n g t h e r i v e r. T h e

p a s t s t i l l l i n g e r s i n t h e i r l i f e s t y l e s e v e n i f t h e i r o c c u p a t i o n s h a v e

c h a n g e d . O c c a s i o n a l l y o n e m a y c a t c h s i g h t o f a doonga m a k i n g i t s

s ta te ly p ro gr es s d ow n t he r iv er a s t he o w ne r s hi ft s r es id en c e!

Doongas a re s pa rs el y f ur ni sh e d - v ir tu al ly n o f ur ni tu re i s s ee n

e x c e p t f o r t h e k i t c h e n , w h i c h g l e a m s w i t h c o p p e r u t e n s i l s o f e v e r y

des c r i p t i on t ha t l i ne t he s he l ves f r om f l oo r t o ce i l i ng .

R o a d s i n t h e o l d c i t y t e n d t o b e n a r r ow , w i n d i n g a n d c h a o t i c . S o m ea r e t o o n a rr o w t o a d mi t v e h ic u la r t r af f ic . E a ch r o ad c o nn e c ts t o

l a n e s a n d t h e y i n t u r n t o b y e - la n e s , a l l a p p e a r i n g t o t h e u n i n i ti a t e d

and t e r r i b l y conf us i ng . Ther e a r e a r t e r i a l r oads , however , and ma j o r

mar ke t s qua r es wher e i t i s d i f f i cu l t t o ge t l o s t .

I n a l an e o f f Nowhat ta Chowk , t he re a re s ev e ra l c o p pe r s h o ps ,

o v e r f l o w i n g w i t h a n a m a z i n g p r o f u s i o n o f c o p p e r w a r e . A s a m a t t e r

o f f a c t , s u c h s h o p s a r e s i t u a t e d a l l o v e r t h e o l d c i t y b e c a u s e e v e r y

K a s h m i r i u s e s c o p p e r f o r t a b l e w a r e - e v e n huqqa b a s e s a r e m a d e

f r o m c o p p e r . S o m e a r t i c l e s a r e u n - p a t t e r n e d , o t h e r s w o r k e d i n b a s -

r e li e f, e n g ra v in g o r p i er c ed o p e n- w or k . E x o ti c a s t h ey a r e, t h ey

make a t t r ac t i ve o r nament s abou t t he hous e , o r can be us ed as s e r v i ng

d i s hes .

O n e o f t h e m a n y m o o d s o f t h e o l d c i t y i s t h e c o n s t a n t r e m i n d e r

a b ou t i ts t ra d it io n o f h an d ic ra ft s . W el l- a pp o in te d s ho p s i n t he

f a s h i o n a b l e a r e a s o f S r i n a g a r s e e m r a t h e r r e m o t e f r o m t h e h u m b l e

f a m i li e s o f c r a f ts m e n w h o c r e a te t a p e s t r i es a n d s h a w l s ; t h e o l d c i t y

c h a n g e s a l l t h a t . F r o m t o p f l o o r w i n d o w s o n e c a t c h e s s i g h t o f g a i l y

e m b r o i d e r e d f a b r i c h a n g i n g o u t t o d r y . O c c a s i o n a l l y a w i z e n e d o l d

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m a n c y cl e s d o wn t h e r o ad , b e a ri n g a c a rp e t, i t s l u s t ro u s c o lo u rs

g l owi ng i n t he s un l i gh t .

Kas hmi r i co l our s a r e no t t he f i e r y co l our s o f t he des e r t t ha t s ea r t he

e ye li ds . T he y a re s ub du e d, a lm os t p u rp os el y i t w ou ld s ee m, t o

c o u n t e r p o i n t n a t u r e ' s m a g n i f i c e n c e . E a r t h y t o n e s o f b r i c k , t h e r i c h

h u e o f c o p p e r , e v e n t h e v e r m i l i o n o f K a s h m i r i c h i l l i e s d r y i n g o n

w i n d o w s i l l s i n a u t u m n a p p e a r m o n o c h r om a t i c w h e n s e t o f f a g a i n s t

t he s pl en do ur o f t he V al le y s b ac kd ro p. T he o nl y c ra ft w he re

K a s h m i r i s r e v e l i n c o l o u r i s i n t h e i r c a r p e t s . H e r e t o o , t h e c o l o u r s

a r e n e v e r l o u d , n e v e r d i s h a rm o n i o us , b u t a l w a y s s u b t le a n d s o f t . A t

H a b b a K a d a l , s ho p a ft er s ho p s el ls n ot hi ng b ut s ke in s o f w o ol ,m a in l y t o c a rp e t w e a v e rs . S t ud y t h e m u t e d t o ne s a n d t h e n r e la t e

t h e m t o t h e c a r p e t s t h a t y o u s e e - a s l o n g a s t h e c o l o u r s r e m a i n i n

y our mi nd ' s ey e , y ou wi l l neve r mi s t ake a Kas hmi r i ca r pe t .

T h e o ld c i t y a ls o b oa st s o f K a sh mi r s m an y a n ci en t s hr in e s a nd

m os qu es a mo ng wh ic h t he sh rin e o f Shah- i -Hamdan, s i t ua t ed

b et we en H ab ba K ad al a nd F at eh K ad al , i s p ro ba bl y t he m os t

i mpor t an t . Shah- i -H am dan , who ca me f r om Per s i a in t he 13 th

c en tu ry , w as r es po ns ib le f or t he s pr ea d o f I sl am i n K as hm ir .

Khanqah- i -Mual la , o n t h e b a n k s o f t h e J h e l u m , w a s t h e v e r y s p o t

w h er e S ha h- i- H am da n u se d t o o ff er p ra ye rs . U p on h is d e at h, a

s hr in e , o rn a te ly d e co ra te d w it h p ap ie r- ma ch e o n t he w al ls a nd

ce i l i ng , was bu i l t i n h i s memor y . Makhdoom Sahib, Pat thar Masj id ,

Jama Masj id and P i r Dastagi r a r e t he ma j o r mos ques and s h r i nes i n

t he o l d c i t y .

T o u r i s t s a r e w e l c o m e t o v i s i t t h e m o s q u e s a n d s h r i n e s i n t h e o l d

c i t y . T h e r e a r e a f e w p o i n t s t o b e k e p t i n m i n d i n a c c o r d a n c e w i t h

t h e s a n c t i t y o f t h e s e p l a c e s . W o m e n a r e n o t a l l o w e d i n t o t h e i n n e r

s a n c t u m o f s h r i n e s , b u t t h e r e i s n o s u c h r e s t r i c t i o n i n t h e c a s e o f

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m o sq u e s. S h oe s m u st b e t a ke n o f f a t t h e e n t r an c e . J a mi a M a sj id

c h a r g e s a f e e f o r p h o t o g r a p h y . V i s i t o r s a r e e x p e c t e d t o c o n f o r m t o

ce r t a i n r egu l a t i ons i n t he ma t t e r o f d r es s - no s k i mpy t ops , s hor t s o r

s hor t s k i r t s a r e a l l owed .

O ne d oe s n ot g o t o th e o ld c it y t o s ho p. T he e xh ila ra tio n i n

e x pl or in g t he o ld c it y c om es f ro m p e ep in g i nt o a w or ld w hi ch

n o r m a l l y a d m i t s n o o u t s i d e r s a n d w h i c h c o n t i n u e s a t i t s o w n p a c e ,

no t much a f f ec t ed by chang i ng t i mes

Wular Lake

I t i s d i ff i cu l t t o d e sc r ib e i n m e re w o rd s t h e b e g u i li n g b e au t y o f

Wul a r Lake .

F o r o n e , i t s f o r m i d a b l e s i z e - t h i s i s o n e o f A s i a ' s l a r g e s t f r e s h

wat e r l akes - f o r ano t he r , i t changes cha r ac t e r w i t h eve r y f ew mi l es .

T he d ri ve f r om S ri na ga r w il l t a ke y ou t o th e c alm w ate rs o f

Manasbal Lake, w he re t he re i s n o o th er s ou nd b ut b ir ds on g.

M a n a s b a l h a s o f t e n b e e n d e s c r i b e d a s t h e b i r d w a t c h e r ' s p a r a d i s e ,

a n d a s y o u r s h i k a r a g l i d e s t h r o u g h t h i s m i r r o r o f t r a n q u i l l i t y , y o u

wi l l expe r i ence y e t ano t he r f ace t o f Kas hmi r .

Dr i v i ng t h r ough t he t own o f Band i por a , wh i ch has a de l i gh t f u l l y l a i d

ou t Mugha l Gar den , t he Wul a r w i l l a l way s be t o y our l e f t . Her e and

t he r e , y ou wi l l hea r women chan t i ng s ome age - o l d d i t t y a s t hey p i ck

wa t e r ches t nu t s , de f t l y nav i ga t i ng t he weeds i n f l a t - bo t t omed s k i f f s .

Watlab

Gr adua l l y , t he panop l y o f t he ' r ea l Kas hmi r ' , m i l e s away f r om we l l -

t r a v e rs e d a r e a s , w i l l u n f o l d b e f o r e y o u , a n d y o u w i l l r e a c h W at l ab .

H e r e , h i g h o n a h i l l t o p i s t h e s h r i n e o f a M u s l i m m y s t i c , Baba

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Shukurddin . F r om he r e , t he Wul a r Lake s t r e t ches away as f a r a s t he

e y e c a n s e e , e d g e d b y p i c t u r e s q u e v i l l a g e s a r o u n d t e r r a c e d b r e e z e -

r i pp l ed f i e l ds o f paddy , i n a r i o t ous bur s t o f co l our . A t Wat l ab t he r e

i s a F o r e s t R e s t H o u s e a m i d s t s p r a w l i n g a p p l e o r c h a r d s . Y o u c a n

r e s t h e r e t o e n j o y t h e s h e e r g r a n d e u r o f t h e s p e c ta c u l a r c o u n t r ys i d e

a t l e i s u r e .

Achabal

O n c e t h e p l e a s ur e r e t r e a t o f E m p r es s N u r J e h a n , Achabal ( 1 , 6 7 7 m )

h a s a f i ne g a rd e n i n t h e M u g h al s t yl e , w i t h i t s o w n s p e c ia l c h a rm

a nd c ha ra ct er . I t w as i n K as hm ir t ha t t he M ug ha l G ar de n w as

b r ough t t o pe r f ec t i on , and Achaba l i s one s uch mas t e r p i ece .

S i t ua t ed a t t he f oo t o f a h i l l w i t h a r ow o f ma j es t i c ch i nars f r ami ng

i t , t he Mugha l ga r den i s a v i s ua l de l i gh t w i t h t he i r s t epped t e r r aces ,

f o r m al e l e g a n ce , o r n a m en t a l s h r u bs , s p a r k li n g f o u n t ai n s a n d f a l l in g

wat e r . Achaba l i s 58 kms f r om S r i naga r , v i a Anan t nag .

Daksum

P a s t t h e M u g h a l G a r d e n s o f A c h a b a l , w i t h t h e i r t i n k l i n g f o u n t a i n s ,

t h r o u gh t h e b r e a t h t a ki n g s p l e n d o u r o f t h e s p r i n g s a t K o k a r n ag , l i e s

Daks um.

T u c k e d a w a y i n a d e n s e l y f o r e s t e d g o r g e a t a n a l t i t u d e o f 2 4 3 8 m ,

D a k s u m w o u l d b e c o m p le t e l y s i l e n t b u t f o r t h e Bringhi r i ve r wh i ch

gus hes t h r ough i t .

D a k s u m i s a w a l k e r ' s p a r a d i s e . U p t h e h i l l s w h i c h a r e s w a t h e d i n

con i f e r ous t r ees , pas t gu r g l i ng b r ooks , t he s i mpl e , haun t i ng no t es o f

a f l u t e w i l l w a f t d o w n t o y o u f r o m w h e r e a n u n s e e n s h e p h er d t e n d s

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h i s f l o c k . F o r i n t h e h i l l s s u r r o u n d i n g Daksum , s u d d e n l y y o u w i l l

f i nd y our s e l f i n g r as s y meadows wher e s heep a r e t aken t o pas t u r e .

Daksum i s a r ev iv in g e x pe ri en c e - th e b ra ci ng m ou n ta in a ir , t he

s o li t ud e , t h e d e ns e ly c l ad h i ll s , a n d b e yo n d t h em , s n ow c o v er e d

m ou n ta in s, a l l c on tr ib ut e t o D a ks um 's m ys ti qu e , m ak in g i t t he

per fec t r e t r ea t .

Kokernag:

S i t u at e d i n t h e h e a r t o f B r i n gh i v a l l e y , K o k e r n a g ( 2 , 0 2 0 m , 7 0 k m s

f r o m S r i n a g a r ) , i s s e t a m i d s t s p r a w l i n g g a r d e n s f r a g r a n t w i t h t h e

b l oo m o f t h ou s an d s o f f l ow e rs . T h e K o k er n ag s p ri n g b u b bl e s a t

s e v e n p l a c e s a t t h e f o o t o f t h e f o r e st e d m o u n t a i n. T h e w a t e r o f t h e

s p r i ng i s f amous f o r i t s med i c i na l and d i ges t i ve p r ope r t i e s .

Yusmarg

A t w o h o u r d r i v e f r o m S r i n a g a r ( 4 7 k m s ) w i l l t a k e y o u t o a c r e s

upon ac r es o f g r as s y meadow r i nged by f o r es t s o f p i ne , and t ower i ng

b e y o n d t h e m , a w e s o m e a n d m a j e s t i c s n o w c l a d m o u n t a i n s . T h i s i s

Y u s m a r g - c l o s e e n o u g h t o S r i n a g a r f o r a p i c n i c , i d y l l i c e n o u g h t o

make y ou wan t t o s t ay f o r a f ew day s . Her e a r e wa l ks o f eve r y s o r t -

a l e i s ur e l y a m b l e a l o n g f l o w e r - st r e w n m e a d o ws o r a w a y t o w h e r e a

m i g h t y r i v e r f r o t h s a n d c r a s h e s i t s w a y o v e r r o c k s , i t s m i l d w h i t e

f oam ea r n i ng i t th e name o f D u d h G a ng a. F u r t he r away , a

c a p t i va t i n g l a k e , Ni lnag, i s c ra dl ed b y h il ls . N ea rb y a re s ev er al

peaks- Tat t a Ku t t i an d Sang Safed t o n a m e a c o u p l e o f t h e m . A b o u t

1 3 k m s f r o m Y u s m a rg , a s h o r t d e t o u r a w a y f r o m t h e S r i n a g a r r o a d ,

i s Charar i - Sharief , t h e S h r i n e o f K a s h m i r s p a t r o n s a i n t Sheikh

Noor-ud-d in or Nund Reshi , now r ebu i l t a f t e r t he devas t a t i ng f i r e o f

1994 whi ch engu l f ed t he en t i r e bu i l d i ng .

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Aharbal

G r a d u a l l y , t h e d i s t a n t r u m b l e b e c o m e s a r o a r a s o n e a p p r o a c h t h e

wa t e r f a l l o f Ahar ba l , wh i ch c r as hes down a na r r ow gor ge . Ahar ba l i s

mor e t han j us t a wa t e r f a l l .

T h e r e a r e s e v e r a l p l a c e s t o p i c n ic i n t h e s u r ro u n d i n g a r e a s , a s w e l l

a s d el ig ht fu l w al ks o f v ar yi ng l en gt hs a ll o ve r t he h il ls id es .

I n t e res t i ng t r ek s- one o f the m t o t he h i gh a l t i tud e l ake o f

Kounsernag a t 13 ,500 f t above s ea l eve l - t akes o f f f r om Ahar ba l .

Verinag

L o c a t e d 8 0 k m s f r o m S r i n a g a r a t a n a l t i t u d e o f 1 , 8 7 6 m , t h e s p r i n g

o f V e r i n a g i s b e l i e v e d t o b e t h e c h i e f s o u r c e o f t h e r i v e r J h e l u m .

C o ns tr uc ti on o f t he o ct ag o na l b as e o f t he s pr in g a nd t he a rc ad e

a ro u nd i t w as u nd e rt ak en b y t he M ug h al E mp er or J ah an g ir a n d

c o m p l e t e d d u r i n g t h e r e i g n o f S h a h J a h a n . D o w n t h e s t r e a m t o t h e

e a s t l i e t h e r e m a i n s o f a M u g h a l p a v i li o n a n d b a t h s . V e r i n a g c a n b e

appr oached t h r ough t he l i nk r oad , wh i ch t u r ns o f f , f r om t he na t i ona l

h i ghway a t Lower Munda .

GULMARG

G ul ma rg 's l eg en da ry b ea ut y, p ri me l oc at io n a nd p ro xi mi ty t o

S r in a ga r n a tu r al l y m a k e i t o n e o f t h e p r e m ie r h i ll r e so r ts i n t h e

c o u nt r y. O r ig i na l ly c a ll e d G aur i m arg b y s h ep h e rd s , i t s p r es e nt

n a m e w a s g i v e n i n t h e 1 6 t h c e n t u r y b y S u l t an Y u s u f S h a h , w h o w a s

i ns pi re d b y t he s ig h t o f i ts g ra ss y s lo p es e mb la zo n ed w it h w il d

f l o w e r s . G u l m a r g w a s a f a v o u r i t e h a u n t o f E m p e r o r J e h a n g i r w h o

o n c e c o l l e c t e d 2 1 d i f f e r e n t v a r i e t i e s o f f l o w e r s f r o m h e r e . T o d a y

G u l m a r g i s n o t m e r e l y a m o u n t a i n r e s o r t o f e x c e p t i o n a l b e a u t y - i t

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P a h a l g a m h a s w i t h i n i t n o f e w e r t h a n e i g h t t i n y v i l l a g e s , o n e o f

w h i c h i s Mamal . T h e r e i s a Sh i va t empl e he r e , gene r a l l y cons i de r ed

t o be Kas hmi r ' s o l des t ex i s t i ng t empl e , da t i ng t o t he 5 t h cen t u r y .

P ah al ga m i s a ls o a ss oc ia te d w it h t he a nn ua l A m a r n a th Y a t r a.

Chandanwar i ( 2 ,895 m) , 16 kms f r om P aha l gam, i s t he s t a r t i ng po i n t

o f t he y a t r a t h a t t a k e s p l a c e e v e r y y e a r i n t h e m o n t h o f Sawan ( J u l y

t o Augus t ) . The r oad f r om P aha l gam t o Chandanwar i i s on f a i r l y f l a t

t e r r a i n a n d c a n b e u n d e r t a k e n b y c a r . F r o m C h a n d a n w a r i onwar ds

t h e t r a c k b e c o m e s m u c h s t e e p e r , a n d i s a c c e s s i b l e o n f o o t o r b y

p o n y. A b ou t 1 1 k m s f r om C h an d a nw a ri i s t he m ou nt ai n l ak e o f

Sheshnag ( 3 ,5 7 4 m ), a ft er w hi ch , 1 3 k ms a wa y i s t he l as t s to p ,Panchtarni . Th e Amarnath c a v e i s 6 k m s a w a y f r o m t h e r e . D u r i n g

t he mont h o f Sawan , an i ce s t a l agmi t e f o r ms a na t u r a l sh iv l ing i n t he

Amar na t h cave , wh i ch waxes and wanes wi t h t he moon .

F or d et ai le d i nf or ma ti on o n t he A ma ra n at h Y a tr a, r ef er t o t he

Amarna t h j i Ya t ra L i nk , w h i c h c o n t a in s d e t a i l e d i n f o r m a t io n o n t h e

b a c k g r o u n d o f t h e yatra , t h e f a c i l i t i e s p r o v i d e d a n d a r r a n g e m e n t s

m ad e, t he r ou te s o f yatra , r e gi s tr a ti o n r e qu i re m en t s, " d o 's a n d

don t s " , e t c .

SONAMARG - The Meadow of Gold .

T h e d r i v e t o S o n a m a r g i s t h r o u g h t h e S i n d h V a l l e y w h i c h p r e s e n t s

y e t a n o t h e r s p e c ta c u l a r f a c e t o f c o u n t ry s i d e i n K a s h mi r . S i t u a t e d a t

a n a l t i t u d e o f 2 7 3 0 m , S o n a ma r g ( T h e m e a d o w o f g o l d ) h a s , a s i t s

backdr op , s nowy moun t a i ns aga i ns t a ce r u l ean s ky . The S indh River

t h a t m e a n d e r s t h r o u g h t h e v a l l e y a b o u n d s w i t h t rou t and mahaseer .

P o n i e s c a n b e h i r e d f o r t h e t r i p u p t o Thaj i was g lacier, w h i c h i s a

maj o r l oca l a t t r ac t i on dur i ng t he s ummer mont hs .

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S on a ma rg i s t he b as e o f a m aj or t re k t ha t p a ss es a lo n g s ev er al

mou nta i n l akes Vi sh an sa r, K is ha ns ar , G ad sa r, S at sar a nd

G angaba l . S o n a m a r g i s a l s o t h e t a k e o f f s t a t i o n f o r t h e d r i v e t o

L a d ak h a c ro s s t h e Zoj i la , a m aj or p a ss i n t he G re at H im al ay an

Range , t h r ough whi ch t he S r i naga r - Leh Road pas s es .

S on a ma rg i s a ls o a b as e f or u nd e rt ak in g t he yatra t o t he h ol y

Amarnath cave , du r i ng S awan P ur n i ma

Amarnathj i Yatra - a journey into fa i th

" T he H im al ay a n p i lg ri m ag es a r e t he o l de s t o r ga n is e d t r av el

s y st e m, e v ol ve d o v er t i me b y H in du s a ge s a nd e mb o dy i ng t he

spir i t o f wander , adventure and sp ir i tua l i ty"

O n e o f t h e h o l y t r i n i ty , S h i v a i s a l i v i ng g o d . T h e m o s t a n c i e n t a n d

s ac r ed book o f I nd i a , t he R i g Veda evokes h i s p r es ence i n i t s hy mns .

Ved i c my t hs , r i t ua l and even as t r onomy t e s t i f y t o h i s ex i s t ence f r om

t he dawn o f t i me .

S h i va i s known t o have made h i s home i n t he Hi mal ay as . He bu i l t no

h o u s e n o r s h e l t e r , n o t f o r h i m s e l f o r h i s b r i d e . H e w a s a n a s c e t i c ,

a n d y e t m a r r i e d ; h e c o u l d b e b o t h f o r " h e w a s t h e w i l d g o d s p o r t i n g

i n t he f o r es t o r t ak i ng h i s eas e on a c l oud . "

L e g e n d h a s i t t h a t S h i v a r e c o u n t ed t o P a r v a t i t h e s e c r e t o f c r e a t io n

i n t h e A m a r n a t h j i c a v e . U n k n o w n t o t h e m , a p a i r o f m a t i ng p i g e o n s

eaves dr opped on t h i s conver s a t i on and hav i ng l ea r ned t he s ec r e t , a r e

r e b o r n a g a i n a n d a g a i n , a n d h a v e m a d e t h e c a v e t h e i r e t e r n a l a b o d e .

M a n y p i l g ri m s r e po r t s e ei n g t h e p i ge o n s- p a ir w h en t h ey t r ek t h e

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a r d u o u s r o u t e t o p a y o b e i s a n c e b e f o r e t h e i c e - l i n g a m ( t h e p h a l l i c

s y mbol o f S h i va ) .

The t r ek t o Amar na t h j i , i n t he mont h o f S hr avan ( J u l y - Augus t ) has

t he devou t f l ock t o t h i s i nc r ed i b l e s h r i ne , wher e t he i mage o f S h i va ,

i n t h e f o r m o f a l i n g am , i s f o r m ed n a t u r a l l y o f a n i c e - s t a la g m i te ,

a nd w hic h w ax es a nd w an es w ith th e m oo n. B y i t s s id e a re ,

f a s c i n a t i n g l y , t w o m o r e i c e - l i n g a m s , t h a t o f P a r v a t i a n d o f t h e i r

s on ,Ganes ha .

A c c or d in g t o a n a n c ie n t t a le , t h er e w a s o n c e a M u sl i m s h e p he r d

n a me d B u ta M a li k w h o w a s g i ve n a s a ck o f c o a l b y a s a dh u . U p o n

r e a c h i n g h o m e h e d i s c o v e r e d t h a t t h e s a c k , i n f a c t , c o n t a i n e d g o l d .

O v e r j o y e d a n d o v e r c o m e , B u t a M a l i k r u s h e d b a c k t o l o o k f o r t h e

s a d h u a n d t h a n k h i m , b u t o n t h e s p o t o f t h e i r m e e t i n g d i s c o v e r e d a

c a ve , a n d e v en tu a ll y t hi s b e ca me a p la c e o f p il gr im ag e f or a l l

b e l i e ve r s . T o d a t e , a p e r c e n ta g e o f t h e d o n a t i o n s m a d e b y p i l g r i m s

ar e g i ven t o t he des cendan t s o f Mal i k , and t he r emai n i ng t o t he t r us t

whi ch manages t he s h r i ne .

Y et a no th er l eg en d h as i t t ha t w he n K as ha p R es hi d ra in ed t he

K a s h m ir v a l l e y o f w a t e r ( i t w a s b e l i e v e d t o h a v e b e e n a v a s t l a k e ) ,

t h e c a v e a n d t h e l i n g a m w e r e d i s c o v er e d b y B r e g i s h R e s h i w h o w a s

t ra ve ll in g t he H im al ay as . W he n p eo pl e h ea rd o f t he l in ga m,

A mar na t h j i f o r the m be came S h i va ' s abo de an d a ce nt r e o f

p i lgr image.

Wha t eve r t he l egends and t he h i s t o r y o f Amar na t h j i ' s d i s cover y , i t i s

t o d a y a v e r y i m p o rt a n t c e n t r e o f p i l g r i m ag e a n d t h o u g h t h e r o u t e i s

a s d i f f i c u l t t o n e g o t i a t e a s i t i s e x c i t i n g , e v e r y y e a r , t h o u s a n d s o f

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d e v o t e e s c o m e t o p a y h o m a g e b e f o r e S h i v a i n o n e o f h i s f a m o u s

Hi mal ay an abodes .

S it ua te d i n a n a rr ow g o rg e a t t he f ar th e r e nd o f L id de r v al le y,

A m a r n a t h j i s t a n d s a t 3 , 8 8 8 m a n d i s 4 5 k m f r o m P a h a l g a m a n d 1 4 1

k m f r o m S r i n a g a r . T h o u g h t h e o r i g i n a l p i l g r i m a g e s u b s c r i b e s t h a t

t he y a t r a be under t aken f r om S r i naga r , t he mor e common p r ac t i ce i s

t o b eg in t he j ou rn e y f ro m P ah a lg a m, a nd c ov e r t he d is ta nc e t o

A m a r n a t h j i a n d b a c k i n f o u r o r f i v e d a y s . P a h a l g a m i s 9 6 k m f r o m

S r i n a g a r . S i n c e t h e b a s e p o i n t f o r t h e p i l g r i m ' s t r e k i s p i c t u r e s q u e

P a h a l g a m , a l a r g e t e n t e d t o w n s h i p s p r i n g s u p t o a c c o m m o d a t e t h e

p i lg r im s . T h e c o n du c t o f t h e y a t ra i s a g i ga n ti c t a sk i n w h ic h t h eS t a t e G o v e r n m e n t t a k e s t h e a s s i s t a n c e o f t h e s e c u r i t y d e p a r t m e n t s

f or p ro vi di ng s ec ur it y a nd h el pi ng t o k e ep t he r ou te o pe n . A ll

i n t e r m e d i a t e h a l t i n g p l a c e s h a v e t h e s a m e k i n d o f f a c i l i t i e s a s a r e

p r o v i de d a t P a h a l g a m , a n d a Y a t r a O f f i c er i s a p p o i n t e d t o c o n d u c t

t he p i l g r i mage .

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CHAPTER-2

HISTORY

History of Kashmir After 1947

After Indian Independence in 1947, the ruler of the princely state of Kashmir, Maharaja

Hari Singh, refused to accede to either India or Pakistan. When Pakistan invadedKashmir in the following year, the ruler of Kashmir sought help from the Indian

government and agreed to place Kashmir under the dominion of India. As a resultIndia sent its troops to Kashmir to help the Maharaja. A UN cease-fire in 1949 saw theend of fighting and created the first Line-of-Control.

In 1956 Kashmir was, in effect, integrated into the Indian Union under a new

Constitution. However, Azad Kashmir, the area which Pakistan gained during its

campaign in 1948, continues to remain with Pakistan. The volatile situation wasaggravated by the Chinese occupation of the Aksai Chin region, in Ladakh, in 1959.

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The situation came to head in 1963 when a Sino-Pak agreement defined the Chinese

border with Pakistani Kashmirand ceded Indian-claimed territory to China.

India and Pakistan fought over Kashmir again in 1965. A UN cease-fire took effect in

September, 1965. Prime Minister Lal Bhadur Shastri of India and President Ayub Khanof Pakistan signed the Tashkent agreement on 1st January 1966. They resolved to try to

end the dispute by peaceful means.

Fighting erupted between India and Pakistan once again in the month of December

1971, after the leaders of the independence movement in East Pakistan sought India'shelp. Its leaders were aided by India in their struggle for independence. After the war,

the province of East Pakistan emerged as an independent country called Bangladesh. A

new cease-fire took effect and the Shimla Agreement was signed between the IndianPrime Minister Indira Gandhi and the Pakistani President Z. A. Bhutto. Both the

countries agreed to sort out all issues bilaterally.

Kashmir was a tourist's paradise during the 1970's and early 1980's. However tourism

in Kashmir declined during the late 1980's and 1990's, due to the terror perpetrated byseparatist militants and self-styled freedom fighters. Victimized by Islamic

fundamentalists and mercenaries, thousands of innocent Kashmiri lives have been lost

due to terrorism. Today the situation has somewhat improved with both countriesagreeing to come to the negotiating table and discuss all outstanding issues with an

open mind. All this augurs well for the state of Jammu and Kashmir and hopefully,

peace will return to Kashmir - followed by tourists, who remember its beautiful parks,

rolling meadows, spectacular mountains and scenic destinations with nostalgia.

History of Kashmir Before 1947

Kashmir, if literally translated, means land desiccated from water: "ka" (the water) andshimeera (to desiccate). Tradition says that Kashmir was originally a lake that was

drained by the great saint of ancient India Kashyap. It was included in the empire of

Ashoka Maurya who is credited with the foundation of the city of Srinagar around the

year 250 BC.

During this period Buddhism spread in Kashmir and flourished under the Kushans.

During the reign of Kanishka, the third Buddhist council took place in Kashmir which

has been attested by the 7th century Chinese traveler Hien Tsang. But Hinduism held its

sway in the region. The 7th Century AD witnessed the establishment of a dynasty calledthe Karkota whose foundation stone was laid by Durlabhavarrdhana. The most famous

ruler of this dynasty was Lalitaditya Muktapid who built the world famous sun temple

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(Martand) in Kashmir. The Karkotas were supplanted by the Utpalas in 855 AD. The

most important ruler of this dynasty was Avanti-verman. He recovered Kashmir from

utter political and economic disorder into which Kashmir had fallen during the rule of hispredecessors. Didda, a Gupta widowed queen, ruled Kashmir until 1003 AD when the

Lohara dynasty took over. Didda was a very unscrupulous and willful lady and led a veryimmoral life. But in spite of these drawbacks, she ruled the valley with firm hands.

The last Hindu ruler of Kashmir was Udyan Dev. His chief Queen Kota Rani was the defacto ruler of the kingdom. She was a very brave lady, shrewd and an able ruler. With her

death in 1339 the Hindu rule in Kashmir came to an end and thus was established the

Muslim rule in Kashmir under Sultan Shamas-ud-din whose dynasty ruled the valley for

222 years. The greatest ruler of this dynasty was undoubtedly Sultan Zain-ul-Abdin.Under his rule Kashmir was culturally and politically at its zenith. The kingdom was

annexed into the Mughal Empire in 1586 and thus was extinguished the freedom of

Kashmir.

In 1757 Kashmir came under the control of Ahmed Shah Durrani, the Afghan who

invaded India many times. In 1819 Kashmir was annexed by Ranjit Singh and made a

part of his Sikh empire. The two Anglo-Sikh wars fought between the Sikhs and Ranjit

Singh resulted in the complete extinction of the Sikh sovereignty in Kashmir. The Britishgave away Kashmir to Ghulab Singh for the sum of 75 lakhs of rupees under the Treaty

of Amritsar. This entitled Ghulab Singh to have his complete sway over the dominion. He

extended his territory by annexing Ladakh. Ghulab Singh died in 1857 and was replacedby Rambir Singh (1857-1885). Two other Marajahs, Partab Singh (1885-1925) and Hari

Singh ruled in succession. Maharaja Sir Hari Singh ascended the throne in 1925. He

continued to govern the state till 1950. In 1932 Kashmir's first political party - All Jammu

& Kashmir Muslim Conference was formed by Sheik Abdullah The party was laterrenamed the National Conference in 1939 and continues to be a major political party in

Kashmir today.

HISTORY

According to a legend, the great sage Kashyap drained a lake and the Brahmins theninhabited it. The place came to be known as Kashmir. A land of turbulent past and

present, the missionaries of Emperor Ashoka introduced the Buddhism in the region. The

religion flourished under the rule of Kushan in 2nd Century. However, Hinduismcontinued to be the dominant religion of the region for many centuries. In the 7th

Century, Durlabhavarrdhana founded the Karkota dynasty, which was replaced by

Utpalas in 855 AD, which were succeeded by the Tantrins, Yaskaras, Guptas abd Loharas

ruled respectively. The first Muslim who reigned Kashmir was Shams-ud-Din whoreplaced the last Hindu king, Udiana Deva in 1346. Moghul emperor Akbar conquered it

in 1586 and thus Kashmir became a part of his vast empire.

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1757 saw the victory of Ahmed Shah Durrani and Kashmir went out to Pakistan until

1819, when Ranjit Singh won it again to annex it to his Sikh empire. In 1846, the Britishdefeated the Sikhs and sold it to Ghulab Singh of Jammu for Rs 7.5 million under the

Treaty of Amritsar and gave him the status of an independent princely ruler of Kashmir.

He conquered Ladakh and added it to his dominion. Maharaja Ghulab Singh died in 1857and was succeeded by Maharaja Rambir Singh. Maharaja Partab Singh and Maharaja

Hari Singh ruled over Kashmir in succession.

The India-Pakistan partition took place during the reign of Hari Singh in 1947 and the

rulers of princely states were given the choice to freely accede to either India or Pakistan

or to remain independent. However, since the Maharaja of Kashmir was a Hindu, he

chose to join India despite the majority of the Muslim population in his dominion.However, since then there have been controversies over the decision and Pakistan claims

that the decision was partial and the region should be a part of its dominion.

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CHAPTER-3

STATISTICS

(a) Domestic/Foreign tourist arrivals in the Valley in2002-2003

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(b) Year wise Number of Tourists who visited the Valley from 1975

Onwards

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T h e a b o v e t a b l e s h o w s t h e y e a r n o . o f t o u r i s t s v i s i t i n g t h e v a l l e y

s i n c e 1 9 7 5 . T h i s a n a l y s i s t e l l s u s t h a t d o m e s t i c a n d f o r e i g n t o u r i s t

b o t h h a v e i n c r ea s e d t i l l 1 9 9 0 . B u t a f t e r 1 9 9 0 t h e a m o u n t o f f o r e ig n

t o u r i s t s h a s d e c r e a s e d a t a m u c h f a s t e r r a t e t h a n h o m e t o u r i s t s d u et o t e r r o r i s m.

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( c ) Yatris to Holy Cave of Sh. Amaranath Ji ( Pahalgam)

Thi s t ab l e s hows t he i nc r eas i ng y a t r i s t o amar ana t h i n Kas hmi r s i nce1 98 0. Th e l as t d ec ad e h as w it ne ss ed a n e no rm ou s i nc re as e o f

t ou ri st s. T hi s i mp li es t ha t m or e a nd m or e p e op le h av e s ta rt ed

b e l i e v i n g i n r e l i g i o u s t o u r i s m w h i c h h a s h e l p e d i n i n c r e a s i n g t h eover a l l t ou r i s m i n Kas hmi r a s s hown i n t he above t ab l e .

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CHAPTER-4

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RECO M M EN D ATIO N S AN D CO N CLU SIO N

The Tourism sector is the major employment multiplier with

tremendous potential for economic activities. The Tourism activities in the

State received a set back due to disturbed conditions. The average flow oftourists between 1990 and 1996 was just around 10,000 per annum. The flow

of tourists has registered a significant increase over the last few years. The

existing tourism infrastructure needs upgradation to meet the new demands ofthe increasingly affluent high-end tourist.

State Govt. is committed to revival of tourism as a service industry.

With this aim, a slew of measures for upgradation of tourism infrastructure has

been announced in Budget speech of 2007-08. The measures are:-A) Extension of loan facilities to Travel & Tourist Taxi Operators

B) Development of Paying Guest type accommodation by unemployed

educated youth.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

www.kas hmi r t our i s m.com

www.kas hmi r .gov . i n / t ou r i s m

www. t our i s mkas hmi r . com

www. i nc r ed i b l e i nd i a . com

BOOKS

Bhasin Reena, Urban Poverty and Urbanization, Deep & Deep Publications Pvt. Ltd,

New Delhi, 2001.

Bhat, M.S, A study on Agricultural Taxation in Jammu and Kashmir with special

reference to post-1947, New Delhi.

Bose Ashish, Indias Population Policy Changing Paradigm, B.R. Publishing

Corporation, Delhi, 1996.

Ed. Richard G.A. Feachem, Tord Kjellstorm, Christopher J.L, Murray, Mead Over,

Margaret A.Phillip, The health of Adults in the Developing World.
http://www.kashmirtourism.com/http://www.kashmir.gov.in/tourismhttp://www.tourismkashmir.com/http://www.incredibleindia.com/http://www.kashmirtourism.com/http://www.kashmir.gov.in/tourismhttp://www.tourismkashmir.com/http://www.incredibleindia.com/

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