Traveling is good
Doodhpathri is a beautiful place with carpet like meadows. You will find cattle grazing and shepherd boys. It is called the valley of milk because it produces rich milk in large quantity. I truly loved this place and also managed to click some pictures with the shepherd boy and his sheep. Check out the mud huts where the Gujjar live. Lazing around the meadows is a must.
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The Amarnath Yatra was starting on 30th June 2010.We had decided to leave on first week of July and was waiting for opening of online registrations which was due on 5th June. I was preparing but was not sure whether I will be able to go or not because my mother was ill for some period.
Recently she was diagnosed with stones in GB. She was already suffering from heart, asthma and BP. She felt severe pain many times due to stones and her condition was deteriorating day by day.
Situated in a narrow gorge at the farther end of Lidder Valley, Amarnath Shrine stands at 3,888 m, 46 Km from Pahalgam and 14 Kms from Baltal. Though the original pilgrimages subscribes that the Yatra (journey) be undertaken from Srinagar, the more common practice is to begin journey at Chandanwari, and cover the distance to Amarnathji. Pahalgam is 96 Kms from Srinagar. Amarnathji is considered to be one of the major Hindu Dhams. The holy cave is the abode of Lord Shiva. The guardian of the absolute, Lord Shiva, the destroyer, is enshrined in the form of an ice-lingam in this cave. This lingam is formed naturally, which is believed to wax and wane with the moon.
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The meadow of Jesus , yes , as per some oral tradition Jesus lived in Yusmarg for sometime during his visit to Kashmir. Some even believe that Jesus is buried somewhere in Kashmir only. If anyone has read ” Rozabal Line” by Aswin Sanghi, he also has dwelled on this topic in his novel. Yousmarg is a beautiful meadow situated at the height of 2396 m from sea level and Pine and Fir trees are abound at this place. The place is under Yousmarg development authority and lies in Budgam distt. Yousmarg is no doubt, the quietest of all the tourist points of the valley , very suitable who want to enjoy the tourist place away from the tourists. Basically this place is a Trekker’s paradise as we found out after reaching the place.
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After about one and a half hour we were in front of the temple. We had been questioned 2-3 times on the way by paramilitary forces as they thought that we were proceeding towards Sri Amarnath Yatra unofficially as the Yatra had not started till then. As we had no plan as such, it was duly told to them.
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It was 4.30 AM and hot tea was waiting for us. By the time we left Pahalgam it was 5.30 AM. Katra is a good 280 KMs away. We stopped around 8.30 AM for breakfast. A warm welcome was given to the hot paranthas. It is a shame that we did not get to taste the popular local “Rajma Chawal” during our trip.
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We had a fantastic morning in store for us. We assembled at a small pier. At Rs. 300 per head many of us had a go at water surfing. We have to stand atop a small plank which is tied to a pair of ropes. This will be pulled by a motor boat taking us for a spin around the lake. With no safety gear it was a risk… but that’s the fun part.
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Our next stop was Sonamarg, around 83 KMs from Srinanagar. Sonmarg is situated in the Sindh valley at a height of 8950 feet. The snow clad mountains over the horizon that we got used to by now was like the clouds in the sky. Something that you could see but not touch!
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Hello Ghumakkars Thank you people for a wonderful response to the previous post. If you still haven’t read it then click here. It was…
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Hello Everyone! As they say beauty is in the eyes of beholder. And that is so true of the Valley. In Kashmir there is as…
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We passed the first town enroute – Ganderbal, within an hour. It was after Ganderbal that the real beauty of the drive commenced. After Ganderbal, the snow-capped Himalayas greeted us bang on. Every turn gave us panoramic new scenes, which always seemed to better than the previous one. Complimented by the untouched beauty of the Sindh River, the landscape was picture perfect.
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These floating pieces of land are used by the landowners to do some kitchen gardening and are bound to the floor of the lake through a long pole. The boatman informed us that often these floating pieces of land are stolen in the stealth of the night and the police are left with no alternative but to register a case of ‘stolen land’!
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