Page 161 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - India

LAD AKH , JA MMU & K ASHMIR  159

u Pahalgam
Srinagar district. 96 km (60 miles)
E of Srinagar. @ n J&K Tourism,
Pahalgam Tourist Office,
(01936) 243 224.
In the valley of the Lidder river,
Pahalgam is on the southern
slope of the Great Himalayas.
It is the base for several treks to
Kishtwar and the Suru Valley (see
p151), and for the pilgrimage to
the holy cave of Amarnath, the
destination of several thousand
Hindu pilgrims, every August.
A house in Gulmarg, one of India’s few ski resorts Pahalgam, dotted with mustard
fields, also offers trout fishing,
17th-century religious college. y Gulmarg golf and short expeditions into
Built by a Mughal prince for the nearby mountains. The road
his teacher, it is somewhat Srinagar district. 58 km (36 miles) from Srinagar to Pahalgam passes
W of Srinagar. @ n J&K Tourism,
incongruously known as Pari Gulmarg Tourist Office, (01954) by Pampore, famous for its fields
Mahal or “Palace of the Fairies”. 254 439. of saffron (Crocus sativus), which
From this vantage point, there has been cultivated in Kashmir
are heart-stopping views of Dal Gulmarg, or the “Meadow of since the 10th century. The
Lake and the snowy ridge of Flowers”, at an altitude of 2,730 m saffron flower blooms in
0the Pir Panjal Range. (8,957 ft), was developed by late autumn.
the British around a meadow
Environs on the northern flank of the
Vestiges of Kashmir’s pre-Islamic Pir Panjal Range. The central
past can be seen in the ruins bowl has been laid out as a
of magnificent Hindu temples golf course, one of the highest
at Avantipora, 28 km (17 miles) in the world. Around it are fairy-
southeast of the capital, and tale cottages with pine forests
Martand, 60 km (37 miles) behind them. Gulmarg, together
southeast of Srinagar. The Sun with Khilanmarg, some 300 m
Temple at Martand is believed (984 ft) higher up in the
to date from the 8th century, mountains, is among India’s few
while the two Avantipora ski resorts. Its facilities, catering
temples are probably from the to all levels of proficiency, also
9th century. Built with great include beginner courses.
limestone blocks fitted together
without mortar, these temples Y Chashmashahi Garden
bear witness to the astonishing Open daily. ^
degree of technical expertise Y Nishat and Shalimar
that prevailed in the early Gardens Mustard fields surrounding a
medieval period. Open daily. farmhouse in Pahalgam
Houseboats and Shikaras
In the 19th century, some of Srinagar’s boat-dwelling community started building luxury versions of their own
homes to cater to visitors. These houseboats, which remain moored in one place, have become the favoured
accommodation for most visitors. The boats in the deluxe
class are astonishingly elaborate, their plush living rooms
and bedrooms a showcase for the celebrated Kashmiri
handicrafts – exquisite woodcarving, embroidery, carpets
and papier-mâché. Mobility between houseboat and shore
is ensured by a shikara, a skiff propelled by a boatman
with a heart-shaped paddle. Whether you are luxuriating
in the comfort of a houseboat, or accommodated more
prosaically in a hotel on dry land, there can be no more
idyllic way to spend a day in Srinagar than reclining on
the cushions of a shikara in the shade of its awning,
Houseboats and shikaras on Dal Lake cruising the city’s lakes and backwaters.

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