Page 69 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - India

INTRODUCING DELHI & THE NOR TH  67

Mustard fields in the fertile plains of Punjab
York, Vancouver or Hong Kong, as offers spectac ular treks, some of
portrayed in Mira Nair’s film, Monsoon which start from Dharamsala, a town
Wedding (2001). with a distinct Tibetan flavour as the
The name “Punjab” refers to the five home of the Dalai Lama (see p126).
(panch) rivers (ab) that traverse this Jammu and Kashmir, which includes
green land. The sixth Ladakh, is India’s northernmost state.
“river”, if one can Tragically, the militant separatist move ment
call it that, is the in the beautiful Kashmir
legendary Grand Valley has effectively
Trunk Road (see had a negative impact
p183). Travelling on tourism there. But
almost anywhere Ladakh remains an
north of Delhi, one oasis of peace. It is often
is bound to use this perceived as having a
route. The kind of A Delhi wedding procession purely Buddhist culture,
traffic may have but its population is, in
changed since Rudyard Kipling’s day fact, almost equally divided between
(see p259) – it now rather prosaically has Buddhists and Muslims, who coexist here
been rechristened National Highway 1, in harmony. Ladakh’s uniquely syncretic
but it still lives up to the author’s culture, together with its astonishing
description: “Such a river of life exists natural beauty and the dramatic
nowhere in the world.” architecture of its monasteries, make
During the Raj-era, the British it one of India’s most fascinating areas.
would escape from the summer
heat of the plains and head for
the hills. Today’s visitors follow
in their footsteps all year round.
Hima chal Pradesh has a number
of delightful hill stations, such as
Shimla, Kasauli and Dalhousie.
The hillsides are covered with
orchards, and apple farming is
an important part of the state’s
economy. Himachal Pradesh also A Kashmiri family gathered around their samovar

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