Kashmir: Changing seasons, Changing times

There are different shades to enjoy the beauty of Kashmir Valley. The snowy white landscape, frozen lakes and throwing snowballs just for fun during winters from Dec to Feb ☃️, but be prepared for the chills🥶, Spring 🌼🌱 April-May is a good time to witness the Tulip festival held here every year. It's also a good time to enjoy greenery and see flowers blooming around. Summers June-July is also a good time for those who can't bear the winters.

QUICK FACTS-

Best time to visit Kashmir

Dec to Feb- for snow average temp -10°, March-April- Springtime for Tulip festival, greenery and flowers blooming. Average temp 17°, May to July- Summers 23° and August to Nov- Autumn.

How to reach Kashmir Valley

The most convenient and budget method is to first reach Jammu (Jammu Tawi railway station 🚉) which is well-connected from most places in India. 

Spend a few days in Jammu; and do check the road conditions before you head onward for Kashmir Valley. Srinagar is the capital city of Kashmir. There are several buses and cab services that ply on the Jammu-Srinagar route.

Train fare- ₹252 Chandigarh to Jammu (sleeper fare) 

Previous blog post- The spirit of a young city called Chandigarh 

Where to stay in Jammu

As a solo traveler, I prefer staying at a women's hostel as I feel safer and it's also cheaper. Although one needs to make sure before hand whether or not they have a bed vacant. Many hostels don't allow daily stays. My stay-

Basera Girls PG

House no.21,Sector 4 Indira Colony,Janipur, Lakarr mandi Landmark:Haiderpura, near Jamia Masjid, Jammu,

📞070061 15765

₹1050 [₹350 x 3 nights]— daily rate, includes all 4 meals

Things to see and do in and around Jammu

14609/Hemkund Express slowly drew into Jammu-Tawi railway station on a cold March morning. The train had arrived unduly 3 hours late. After boarding the rather crowded bus I reached my destination just in time for breakfast. My host's delicious sarso ka saag with roti and chai was more than I could ask for before getting the much needed rest.

💠Jammu is famous for the Shree Mata Vaishno Devi yatra. For this you will need to head onwards to Katra. 

During 1730 AD, the Dogra rulers built the city of Jammu as their capital and adorned it with numerous temples and shrines. One of the most significant temples among these is-

💠Raghunath mandir- The temple complex is large and peaceful. The nearby bazar is a nice place to browse for religious items, food stuff and other such curios. There are also some more smaller temples in the vicinity if you have the time.

💠Bahu fort - It is believed to be 3000 years old. Also visit the Bawey wali mata mandir inside the fort.

💠Amar Mahal palace — built like a French chateau is located on an wyrie overlooking the Tawi. It houses a museum and the city's finest library of antique books and paintings.

💠Mubarak mandi palace complex — 1824 is a blend of Rajasthani, Mughal and baroque architectural elements. It also houses the Dogra Art gallery, where many masterpieces of the Pahari miniature paintings are on display.

Things to see and do in and around Srinagar

Srinagar, the capital city of J&K has consistently captured the headlines for being the hotbed of Islamic militancy for over two decades. It is scarred with painful memories especially for the Kashmiri pandits who suffered genocide and systematic displacement in the 1980s. Even after abrogation of Article 370 there have been sporadic incidents of terrorism.

I was naturally worried before getting here not sure what to expect. It seems the present BJP govt has been investing heavily in infrastructural development in the state; something that most certainly cannot be ignored. The Jammu to Srinagar highway stretch between Ramban to Baniyhal delayed my journey by couple of hours (no kidding) due to ongoing construction 🚧 work, ie new tunnels system to facilitate bypass of landslide prone section on this route. #jkupdates

Usually folks take the buses/ cabs from Jammu to Baniyhal early morning so as to atleast catch the last 6pm Baniyhal - Srinagar train.

₹1100 bus fare [Jammu- Baniyhal ₹550, Baniyhal-Srinagar ₹550]

1) Tulip festival (March-end)

Kashmir valley is nestled amidst the Zabarwan Hills and is touted as a most-favoured tourist destination; the biggest attraction being the Tulip festival that opens March-end.

The festival was initially started in 2007 with 50.000 tulips that were imported from Holland. Since then it has gained popularity among tourists as additional tulip varieties have been added over the years. Ticket ₹75/ adult, ₹200/ foreigner

₹75/ entry ticket 

Location: Indira Gandhi Tulip garden, Dal lake 

Adjoining Tulip garden is the Nehru botanical garden where you can spend a few moments. Ticket ₹24 adult

2) Shikara ride on Dal lake and walk down Boulevard road

Dal lake has a unique life of its own with floating vegetable gardens, fields of Lotus blossoms and communities living in houseboats. The best way to explore Dal is on a Shikara boat. 

Later an evening walk along Boulevard road- ie. the stretch from Dal gate ghat no.1 to roundabout ghat no 14A and beyond has utterly delightful and fantastic vibe.

₹ 300/- Shikara ride

3) Lal chowk, Local Sunday market at Polo grounds 

Lal chowk is the city square of Srinagar. It has been the spot where political rallies have been held ever since India's independence 1947 — No shocker here; pretty much all the rallies since the days of Jawaharlal Nehru and Sheikh Abdullah (1st CM of Kashmir) were either pro-separatism or pro-Pakistan. Chacha Nehru himself promised Kashmiris a chance for referendum of self-determination...

Much water has flowed under the bridge post abrogation of Article370. These days, tourists and locals joyfully bask in comfort and peace. The surrounding market is brimming with activity and good place for some shopping. If you are around here on a Sunday; the stretch from Lal chowk till Polo grounds has a weekly local market with some excellent bargains.

Scenes from Srinagar

4) Hazratbal shrine, Shalimar garden, Nishat garden - Srinagar

Popularly called Dargah Sharif, this shrine was initially built in the 17th ce by Mughal subedar Sadiq Khan during Shahjahan's reign. It is said to house a copy of the Quran written by Mughal Emperor, Aurangzeb.

Spend the rest of the days visiting the gardens of Srinagar. A shared cab from a

Hazratbal will take you onwards—  Nishat garden and Mughal Shalimar gardens.

₹ 250 approx local conveyance and entry tickets 

5) GULMARG day trip

Gulmarg is a hill resorts about 2 hours/ 58kms from Srinagar. It turns into a ski resort in winter. Historically Gulmarg was Emperor Jehangir's favourite haunt. The entire town and shops are settled around the meadow that serves as a golf course in summer and ski ground in winter. So in a total of around 2-3 hours at most, you can just walk around the golf course and see all that there is to see in Gulmarg. 

The first sight of snow and surrounding snow-covered mountains was truly exciting (April)

How to Reach Gulmarg for a Day Trip

Start early morning around 7-8 am and board a shared cab from Batmaloo or from Fruit mandi/Parimpora busstand. (Approx ₹200/)

Incase you miss the cabs, board a bus from Batmaloo —> Fruit mandi ₹12. 

Fruit mandi/Parimpora to Tangmarg busstand ₹50/

Tangmarg to Gulmarg shared cab ₹50/

If you wish to go for a Gondola ride, add a couple of hours for that. So in a total of about 6 hours, your trip to Gulmarg will be completed.

Gulmarg conveyance approx ₹300/- 

6- Old city, Srinagar 

Spare a day to soak in the essence of Srinagar's Old city around Nowhatta chowk. Nowhatta area has 18 sub-communities Mohallas most of which still retain their charming old wooden houses and quiet lanes. There are some historical places too such as; Jama masjid, Ziyarat Naqshband Sahab (a bit down the road from Jama masjid), Khanqah-e-moula (also known as Shah-e-Hamadan Masjid).

Jama masjid (left), a street at Nowhatta chowk, Srinagar 

Khanqah-e-moula, Srinagar

The market area around Khanqah-e-moula is particularly what I found interesting — clothing stores, Kashmiri traditional metal ware plus your regular bazar with fruits & vegetables and grocery shopping.

₹ 50 approx conveyance

7) Pahalgam 

Beautiful scenes of gurgling streams amidst the background of slightly snow-clad mountains

Pahalgam is about 90kms from Srinagar, and an excellent 2 days leisure getaway from Srinagar. The drive to Pahalgam is smooth. First board a shared cab from Taxi stand 2 (ahead of Jehangir chowk, Srinagar) to Anantnag. From Anantnag; board another shared cab to Pahalgam. If you're traveling by a private vehicle — stop by Kesar farms at Pampore to shop for Kashmiri saffron and dry fruits.The stretch is also.dotted with apple orchards. Stop by and savour the fresh apple juice from the stalls along the way.

Where to stay at Pahalgam

Pahalgam has a wide range of stay options, and I see no harm is searching what suits your needs upon reaching your destination. If you're a budget-traveller like me, I know of a quaint place called Royal guesthouse — and if you bargain well, they can offer a decent single room for ₹ 500/.

A guest house in Pahalgam, Kashmir 

Probably the most hyped tourist spot in Pahalgam is 3 points; a 16 kms excursion of - Aru Valley, Betaab Valley and Chandanwari. There are no cheap drops here. You will have to opt for the Union cabs which is worthwhile if you're in a group.

As a solo traveller, I found it somewhat challenging to find a group that would accommodate me, so I skipped this trip. Anyways life goes on, so I decided to stay savor a pleasurable day in Pahalgam itself. The mid-May weather was amazing. Pahalgam is great for leisurely walks, and has stretches of parks and gardens.  

On my return to Srinagar, I stopped by Ashmuqam dargah; famous as a shooting spot for qawwali song scene from Bajrangi bhaijaan. Another valuable gem in Anantnag is the Martand sun temple.

₹150 Srinagar to Anantnag, ₹100 Anantnag to Pahalgam, return Srinagar ₹150, stay ₹500/, food & personal exp ₹ 250- Total approx ₹ 1150/

8) Sonamarg 

My last stop in Kashmir will be Sonamarg, which I shall stop by enroute my next destination— Ladakh. 

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