VISITS TO THE MESMERIZING & CHARISMATIC “KASHMIR”-THE HEAVEN ON EARTH

KASHMIR :

If there is a heaven on this Earth : It is here , it is here. The mesmerising beauty of Kashmir justifies this quote.If you have not visited Kashmir you have missed out on something worthwhile.Once visited,you will yearn to come back here again and again.Popularly known as ‘Paradise on Earth”, Jammu & Kashmir is famous for its scenic splendour, snow-capped mountains,exquisite monuments,Dal lake Shikara ride,gentle & hospitable local people,adventure sports,massive glaciers,verdant meadows,tall pine trees,river rafting ,paragliding.Its famous for Kashmiri art and crafts, Pashmina Shawls, Paper mache,walnut wood carvings,Kashmiri handicrafts and carpets.It is nestled in the Himalayan Pir Panjal and Karakoram ranges.

ABOUT Jammu and Kashmir(State):

It was a region formerly administered by India as a state from 1954 to 2019 ,constituting the southern and southeastern portion of the larger Kashmir region which has been the subject of a dispute between India, Pakistan(since 1947)& China(1962).The region of J&K is separated by the line of control from Pakistan Administered territory of Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan in the west and north respectively. Ladakh is also subject to dispute as a part of Kashmir & administered by India as a Union Territory.J&K is named after the two regions it encompasses-the Jammu region and the Kashmir valley.Govt. of Indian occupied Kashmir while the Govt of India and its sources ,in turn,call the territory under Pak as Pak-occupied-Kashmir.

HISTORY :The State of J&K was accorded special status by Article 370 of the constitution of India,flag & administrative economy.Indian citizens from other states were not allowed to purchasing land or property in J&K .The J&K had 3 distinct areas. Hindu majority-Jammu,muslim majority-Kashmir and Budhist-dominated Ladakh.Unrest and violence persisted in Kashmir valley following a disputed state election in 1987, an insurgency persisted over autonomy and rights.The BJP came to power in 2014 and five years later in 2019 election manifesto the Revocation of the Article 370 of constitution of India in order to bring J&K to equal status with other states of of India.A resolution to repeal Article 370 was passed by both houses of the Parliament of India in Aug. 2019.At he same time a re-organisation Act was passed which would reconstitute the state into two Union Territories- J&K and Ladakh which came into affect from 31/10/2019.The UT of J&K is administered under the provisions of Art.239 and 239A of the constitution of India.The President of India appoints the LG for the UT of J&K. The UT remains under the jurisdiction of the J&K High court which will serve as the highcourt for Ladakh. Police services will be continued to be provided by the J&K Police. J&K (Princely state)entity ended in 1952. J&K was Princely state during the British rule 1846-1947.The princely state was created after the First Anglo-Sikh war when East India Co.annexed the Kashmir valley, Jammu, Ladakh and Gilgit-Baltistan from Sikhs as war indeminity then sold the region to Raja of Jammu, Gulab Singh for Rs 75 Lakhs. At the time of partition and political integration of India, Hari Singh ,the ruler of the state delayed making a descision about the future of the state.However due to an uprising and attack by invaders from NW Frontier province,supported by Pakistan forced his hand. On Oct. 1947,Hari Singh acceded to India in return for the Indian Military being airlifted to Kashmir to engage the Pak supported forces.The western and northern distts. presently known as the Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan passed to the control of Pakistan,while the remaining territory stayed under Indian control later becoming the Indian-administered state of JK .J&K now gets a new identity, Ladakh its wish.Laws passed by parliament are applicable to J&K and Ladakh. Earlier the Art’370 prevented the automatic application of laws in J&K .The two federal entities are UT of J&K and UT of Ladakh-along standing wish fulfilled .It is reverse as in case of Goa.J&K will have its own Legislative Assembly for five years.In Lok Sabha , UT of J&K will have 5 MPs and Ladakh will have 2 MPs. On 31/10/2019, Post Abrogation of Art.370, India have 28 states and 8 UTs.

I have visited Kashmir twice ,once in 1986 with wife Anupama and again in 2012 (after about 25 years) alongwith the entire family -we & our two children.

Our First visit to Kashmir :23/11/1986 to 28/11/1986:

On 23/11/86, We reached Srinagar Airport and reached our hotel Neelam (which was bombed and blown away by the terrorists a few years later to our stay and we came to know about this in our second visit to Kashmir ) on the Lalchowk (the city square named Lalchowk by the leftwing activists inspired by the Russian Revolution as they fought Maharaja Harisinghji).Feeing quite fresh despite the long journey, we went for a visit to The Shankracharya Temple on the top of the hill at an elevation of 1000ft above Srinagar valley dedicated to Lord  Shiva. We offered prayers and then had an amazing view of the Kashmir valley down beneath.

On 24/11/86, We went on a Shikara boat ride on the Dal lake upto and around the Charchinar. It was a very refreshing experience owing to the scenic beauty and the natural landscape of the Kashmir valley .After the boatride we proceeded to the exotic Moghul Gardens(Shalimar bagh & Nishant bagh)and Chashma Shahi and were awed by the huge Chinar trees and the charming colourfulness / fragrance of the lovely flowers blossoming there.

On 25/11/86, We went to Pahalgam, a town 95 KM east of Srinagar in Anantnag distt. of JK Union territory.To the NE is the Amarnath Cave Temple,a hindu shrine and site of Amarnath Yatra Pilgrimage .Overa Aru wildlife sanctuary is home to many animals like the Brown bears & musk deers. NE -the Lidder River runs through scenic Betab valley. SE-Tulian lake is flanked by mountain peaks and is mostly frozen.Worth visiting spots are Sheshnag, Lidder museum ,Pahalgam park,Chandanwari and a 900 yrs old Shivmandir is worth visiting . On the way from Srinagar to Anantnag, we visited the Avantipura ruins of the Awantiswami temple built by King Avantivarman in the 9th century AD on the banks of river Jhelum.It is a significant monument for those interested in Indian history.

On 26/11/86 We set off on a tour of Gulmarg -“the meadow of flowers” and a popular skiing destination at 14000ft above msl, lush green meadows ,deep ravines & valleys, snowboarding & trekking ,Maharani temple, Shiva temple, Khilanmarg and a popular destination for shooting of Bollywood movies .We were taken aback by the splendour of the place. We indulged in some skiing and Snowboarding sports and enjoyed a lot.

On 27/11/86, We set off to katra via Jammu(where we visited Raghunath temple) for our Pilgrimage to Mata Vaishno Devi. Stayed in hotel and got registered for the next days climb to the shrine via Adhakwari.

On 28/11/86, We made our on-foot climb to the matas’s shrine ,offered our prayers after the Darshan and came back to Katra in the evening.At night we took our Delhi-bound train and reached safely marking the end of a very exciting and memorable tour of the Paradise on earth-Kashmir.

My second visit to Kashmir Valley was a family visit from 23/10/2012 to 28/10/2012. On 23/10/12, We reached Srinagar Airport and proceeded to the Vasundhara GH for the accommodation booked by us. Had some glimpses of the distant picturesque views of the valley & took complete rest after the long travel to Srinagar-“the paradise on earth”. On 24/10/2012, We went for a visit to the Shankracharya temple and relished the beauty & fragrance of the Moghul gardens-the Shalimar Bagh & the Nishant Bagh.

On 25/10/12 We took a tour to Pahalgam and Chandanwari and enjoyed it.

On 26/10/12,We went on a trip to Sonamarg (meadows of Gold) at 100 KM from Srinagar in Sindh valley through Ganderbal village 5 KM from Kheerbhawani temple. A shrine with Mata Ragini Kund symbolizing Goddess Ragini devi.Maharagini is the form of Durga Bhagwati.Ragini is a sattavie form of Mother Goddess ,i.e, the form of tranquility and bliss. After offering our prayers, we proceeded to Sonamarg using horses for some part of the journey. Enjoyed the climb to the glaciers.

On 27/10/2012, We went to visit GULMARG popularly called the Meadow of flowers and rightly so as we felt enchanted by the beautiful expanse of the landscape covered with blooming flowers. The Gondola ropeway is about 5 KMs long & is probably the highest ropeway in the world. We went to the second level and felt as if we were on top of the world presenting an amazing view of the breathtaking valley.Enjoyed to the fullest.

On 28/10/2012,We went to local markets for shopping of Kashmiri handicrafts,Pashmina shawls, paper mache ,carpets and numerous wooden carvings, locally-produced Kesar ,etc.We took our flight to Delhi and thus our exciting tour of the Kashmir valley ended with beautiful moments to cherish and with everlasting memories of the place popularly called the “Heaven on the Earth”.