Kashmir, the northern most state in the country has been regarded as the “Paradise on Earth”. Comprising of 99% of mountains which consists of the Himalayan Range and the Karakoram range and 1 % consisting of the plains. Being one of the most beautiful state in India, Kashmir is often regarded to be known as a place where valleys are formed, one can understand this through the film shootings that have been doing in the region. The rivers of the state that cuts through the valley makes a shape of it and that brings people to visit the place once in their lifetime.
Flower orchards are being grown in the state that makes the place look beautiful and colourful, has made prominent Bollywood film directors like Yash Raj to do the shooting of his films there, such as Silsila and some of the shooting scenes of the film Chandni or you may even say the recent film of Salman Khan, “Bajrangi Bhaijaan” has been the biggest hit of the country has done it’s shooting in the district of Baramullah and Gulmarg.
Why Kashmir?
Kashmir has been a state widely recognised with deep river valley and beautiful scenery. With the blue – clear sky to the green lush meadow of the gardens in the valley. Kashmir valley till now surprises people to take memories of the beautiful pastures of the local farmers and scenes of the high cliffed mountains year after year.
See Gulmarg
Gulmarg is a perennial favourite. Gulmarg means ‘the meadow of flowers’ and is located 56 kilometres south-west of the city centre, Srinagar. The slopes of the Apharwat hills (of the Himalayas) at Gulmarg are one of the highest ski slopes in Asia. Due to its’ unique geographical location, Gulmarg gets some of the heaviest snowfall in the Himalayan region. This hill resort is served by a cable car that goes all the way to the Apharwat peak, on which is claimed to be the highest gondola in the world (4,080 metres).
Pahalgam
Pahalgam or the village of Shepherds is a very popular resort ninety kilometers south of Srinagar. It has some magnificent plains (like Baisaran) where horse-riding can be indulged in. Again, some fantastic angler opportunities as well and a lot of trekking routes (including the one that goes to Amarnath, a hindu pilgrimage shrine deep in the himalayas)
Sonmarg
Located 84 kilometres from the state capital Srinagar and situated at an altitude of 2,900 metres, Sonamarg lies in the valley carved by River Sindh, surrounded by towering snow-capped mountains. Sonamarg literally means “Meadow Of Gold”. The skiing season in Gulmarg, the world famous ski resort in Kashmir, lasts for about four months, but with the Thajiwas Glacier and the upper reaches of the Sonamarg valley covered with snow practically all through the year, skiers can thrill themselves for a longer period. Sonamarg has a certain “raw” unspoiled beauty about it. The mountains look tall and haughty and the vista whichever way looked at consists of meadows, imposing mountains and streams.
Ladakh
Sonamarg is the gateway to Ladakh so if you’re planning to go to Ladakh by road you’ll be enthralled by its’ charms, the Buddhist monastries and the lakes of the region.
How to get there?
Srinagar is situated in the region of Kashmir. Also known as the summer capital of the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir and the largest city in the Kashmir region.
By Plane – Almost all the domestic airlines in India fly from Delhi to Srinagar which is now an international airport also.
By Rail – The nearest railway station is at Jammu. The rest of India is connected by rail with Jammu; however the construction of a rail link from Jammu to Srinagar is still in progress.
By Road – From Jammu, various places in Kashmir are 6-8 hours by road. You can also hire a taxi or take a bus from New Delhi. The travel time by road is about 20 hours from New Delhi. The landscape tends to get very interesting from Jammu and it is mainly because of this reason travellers prefer the road trip (especially from Jammu). Please bear in mind though that the Jammu-Srinagar highway is extremely treacherous in the winters and blocked by landslides for most of the winter. On the way from Jammu to the valley do not forget to relish the famous rajmah chawal in Peerah and pattisa (sweet made in ghee) in Kudd.