Like a lotus emerging from the mud, the exotic land of Kashmir is emerging from two decades of tourist hibernation. Cradled by three soaring peaks of the Himalayas, the Kashmir valley is a stunning landscape of lakes and gushing mountain rivers along the Indian and Pakistan border. Patricia Hamilton was invited by India Tourism to visit Kashmir. Here is her story of a wondrous and magical destination!
I arrived in Srinagar on a Sunday afternoon just in time to enjoy a stroll through the famous Nishat and Shalimar Gardens, which were built by the Mogul Emperors. In early spring these beautifully terraced Persian gardens were just beginning to display their bounty of flowers. I saw families enjoying picnics on the lawn and husbands and wives were dressed up in colourful traditional Kashmiri Wedding clothes and getting their pictures taken.
In the days of the British Raj in India, Kashmir was a favoured holiday destination for fishing and hunting and a welcome relief from the heat of the Indian plains. Families like the Wangnoos hosted members of the British army and their families in their exotic houseboats on the Dal Lake as far back as the l890’s. The houseboats had originally been constructed from traditional doonga trading boats in order to accommodate the British because they were not permitted to purchase land in Kashmir.
These houseboats are more like luxury floating palaces with their hand-carved cedar walls and ceilings. Each houseboat has three or four bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms, a dining room, and a spacious sitting room – all furnished with elaborately carved and polished walnut furniture made by skilled Kashmiri carpenters.
Now, hundreds of these houseboats are moored on the banks of the Dal Lake in Srinagar to host foreign tourists. Some are moored in crowded stretches of the lake while others overlook lotus gardens and the mountains beyond.
During the outbreak of political conflict and violence in Kashmir in the 1980s, Kashmir was off-limits to foreign visitors. This created extreme financial hardship for the houseboat owners in Srinagar who relied upon tourism to support their families. Even so, many enterprising Kashmiris turned this disaster into a thriving export trade in Kashmiri Handicrafts. They have been so successful in marketing their fine Kashmiri woolen and silk carpets, embroidered Pashmina shawls, and finely hand-painted paper mache decorative objects that the brand name of Kashmir is synonymous with quality and longevity.
Since 2003, peace has prevailed along the disputed border between India and Pakistan, and Kashmir is now regarded as a safe destination for tourists to come and enjoy its natural and cultural attractions.
In the company of my driver and guide, Yaseen, I set out to explore the markets in the Old City, where I saw a fascinating array of goods on display. Old men wearing the traditional grey woolen cloak puffed on their tobacco hookahs as they sat in their shops. The sight of some enormous circles of flaky bread next to a huge container of a bright orange-coloured mixture stopped me in my tracks. Accepting Yaseen’s recommendation that it would be safe to eat, I savoured the delicious sweetness of carrot halva sandwiched between layers of flaky Kashmiri bread.
Back at my houseboat, The Warrior, I was invited to take some fragrant Kashmiri tea, accompanied by several delicious English-style chocolate and vanilla macaroons.
Sitting on the prow of my houseboat, I reveled in the peace and glassy stillness of the lake. Out of the corner of my eye, an iridescent flash revealed a bright blue-and-turquoise kingfisher diving among the water lilies alongside my houseboat. Suddenly, I became aware of the harmonic sound of evening prayers reverberating from all the mosques around the lake. I could feel the resonance touching my heart and welcoming me home.
Dinner of Kashmiri lamb curry was served in my private dining room by my butler, Hamid. Elegantly dressed in his braided whites and cap, he portrayed the perfect picture of an English sea captain.
Kashmir has four distinct seasons and it was much colder than I had anticipated. Having just come from 38-degree heat in Delhi, I was eternally grateful for the two hot water bottles that Hamid had thoughtfully placed under my bed covers.
The next morning, I woke after a deep and relaxing sleep and was awed by the sight of the Himalayas, which greeted me. Fresh snow had fallen on the mountaintops where clouds swathed the peaks and eagles circled overhead. I looked down and a twin image of clouds and mountains rose to greet my vision in the lake’s glassy mirror.
Out of the cloudy mist, I could see a Shikara laden with brilliant yellow, pink, and purple flowers, coming to rest alongside my houseboat. I was invited to make a selection from the array of fresh flowers to decorate my home away from home.
Rowed by a single oarsman, these long, narrowboats are the main source of transportation on the Dal Lake. Where I stayed, on the more peaceful Nageen side of the lake, we had access to transport by car; whereas, on the main Dal Lake, the only way to get across to downtown Srinagar is on one of these colourful gondola-like Shikaras. I was grateful that fate had led me to stay with the Wangnoo’s in the peace and tranquility of Nageen Lake, compared to the main area on Dal Lake, where the houseboats are more crowded together and the traffic noise from the main road carries across the water.
The next morning, we drove about 84 kilometers out of Srinagar to Pahalgam, through open fields of bright yellow mustard flowers. We travelled along a road lined by willow and poplar trees and enormous ancient Chinnars or maple trees, which were planted in the 16th century by the Moguls and are illegal to cut down. In autumn, the leaves are collected and burnt to make charcoal, which is used to heat the houses, and in the portable charcoal burners that people carry inside their cloaks to keep warm in the freezing winters. When I asked my houseboat host, Mohammed Wangnoo, if people get burned by these, he answered, “yes they do…but they are incredibly effective.In one small town along the road, we came across several roadside stalls with cricket bats hanging from all sides. This is an area famous for making willow wood cricket bats, so I purchased a small-sized bat for my nephew for just $5.00.
At Pahalgam, the river surges along a wide valley. Trout fishing and trekking are popular in the spring and summer and ponies take visitors up the steep mountain sides. There is a nine-hole golf course and every July and August tens of thousands of pilgrims trek up to the cave of Amarnath to pay homage to the Shivling that forms naturally. Eating our picnic lunch of cold chicken and sandwiches on the side of the gushing river, I was embraced by the utter peace and silence of the mountains and flowing water. I vowed to return in the summer to camp out and do some trekking and fishing.
My final day in Srinagar was spent walking through the Old City and visiting the Shah Hammadan Mosque. This beautiful green wooden building with its Buddhist stupa-style roof was built in honour of the Sufi who brought Islam to Kashmir in the 14th century, Sheik Hamadan. An old woman appeared at the women’s entrance in the back of the Mosque and beckoned me to come inside the simple green prayer room. As I was leaving, she kissed my hand and I was suddenly touched by such a heartfelt blessing of love that the feeling stayed with me for hours afterward.
As I walked away from the Mosque, a flock of pigeons rose into the air as if to re-iterate: May the peace and blessing of God’s love go with you. Kashmir is a truly timeless place of great natural beauty and peace. Mohammed Wangnoo’s family operates Hill Tours and they provide a diverse range of tours in and around Srinagar, as well as to outlying areas such as Leh. I guarantee they will look after you like their own family.
For more information contact Hill Tours email [email protected]
Getting There: Flights leave daily from Delhi to Kashmir or you can travel by train to Jammu and then go by bus or shared taxi to Srinagar. It takes around eight hours over one of the most picturesque roads in the country.
First published in Issue 70, 2004.
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