No words are enough to describe the beauty of Kashmir. This northern most state of India is known for its picturesque landscape and attractive natural phenomena. Therefore, it has been an object of interest for numerous travel enthusiasts. The whole of Kashmir is worth watching. So Let’s know 10 most popular places to see in Kashmir.
Srinagar:
Srinagar is the summer capital of the state, Jammu and Kashmir, reflecting the authentic Jammu and Kashmir. The city is located on the banks of Jhelum river, surrounded by snow-capped mountain valleys. Srinagar is blessed with numerous tourist attractions including Mughal gardens, mosques, temples and the most renowned Dal Lake. Dal lake gives you an opportunity ride on Shikara boats and houseboats. While riding you can observe numerous beautiful birds such as breasted Kingfishers and large striking birds.
Gulmarg:
Gulmarg is one of the prominent places to visit in Jammu and Kashmir, noted as a popular skiing destination in the world. It comes under the Baramula district and is surrounded by Pirpanjal ranges in the western Himalayas. It is approximately 52 km from Srinagar having numerous points of interests such as a Baba Reshi Shrine, Gulmarg Biosphere Reserve, Strawberry Vallery, etc. Along with skiing, Gulmarg is also very popular for mount biking, trekking, snowboarding, etc.
Leh and Ladakh:
Leh and Ladakh are two of the most prominent tourist destinations in Jammu and Kashmir. The culture of these reasons is closely related to that of Tibet. Ladakh is often considered as the Land of high passes. There are numerous beautiful monasteries in Ladakh, which are the main attraction of the region, drawing tourists from all across the world. Some of the popular Buddhist monuments in Ladakh are Sankar Gompa, Spituk Gompa, Hemis Monastery, Shey Gompa, Thiksey Gompa, etc.
Sonmarg:
Sonmarg is a beautiful hill station in the Ganderbal district of Jammu Kashmir. It is said that it was a gateway on the ancient Silk Road that used to lead to China. Sonmarg, which means ‘meadow of gold’ has magnificent snowy mountains in its backdrop also attract tourists all around the country. Sonmarg is also very popular for its trekking routes that lead to some of the beautiful lakes of Himalayas’ such as Vishansar Lake, Krishansar Lake, Gangabal Lake and Gadsar Lake.
Kupwara:
Often credited to as ‘The Crown of Kashmir’ is a prominent tourist destination in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Lolab Valley and Bugas Valley are the two prominent tourist destination in this region comprising of beautiful meadows, mountains and waterfalls.
Pahalgam:
Pahalgam is usually known as the Valley of Shepherds is approximately 3 hours drive from Srinagar. It is also the departure point for pilgrims going on the Amarnath Yatra that takes place annually in the months of July-August. There are also some must visit places in Pahalgam that will leave you into another world like Kolhoi Glacier, Betaab Valley.
Kargil:
Kargli is an another point of interests in Kashmir, which is the witness of Kargil War of 1999. Today, it is a flourishing town in Ladakh district, located approximately 204 km from Srinagar.There are lots of tourist attractions in Kargil sector that can be explored such as Pashkum, Mulbek, Shargole, Fokar Urgiyan Rzong and Royal Wakha, Drass War Memorial, Karste Valley, etc.
Kathua:
If you want to have a glimpse of Kashmir's history, you must head to this beautiful place in Kashmir. Kathua is also called as the city of Sufis, as there are many Sufi shrines of peers in the region. The beautiful place is situated on the banks of a river offering scintillating views and calm atmosphere.
Pulwama:
Pulwama is an alluring town in Pulwama district, approximately 40 km from the summer capital of Srinagar. It is also known as ‘Dudha Kul of Kashmir’ because of its high milk production. The morality of the people of Pulwama is associated with agriculture and grow saffron, apple, almonds, walnut and cherry.
Anantnag:
Anantnag is one of the picturesque places to visit in Kashmir. It is located an elevation of approximately 5253 ft. The whole of the area has beautiful lush green gardens and fresh water springs. Anantnag is also very popular for its Martand temple, which now in ruins. Martand was a Kashmiri Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Sun, which was demolished by Muslim ruler Sikandar Butshikan in the early 15th century.
Poonch:
Poonch is located adjacent to Indo-Pak Border, but instead of that, it draws travel enthusiasts from all over the globe. The place is surrounded by beautiful alpine mountains, stunning lakes and green meadows. In addition to this, there are many shrines and temples in the region such as Budha Amarnath, Gurudwara Nangali, Gurudwara Deri Sahib, Ziarat Sain, Illahi, Bakhsh Sahib, Battalkote, etc.
Weather in Kashmir:
Kashmir is an abode of many valleys and is surrounded by the Himalayas and Pir Panjal ranges. In addition to this, the Kashmir has forests such as Himalayan subtropical pine forests, Karakoram forest plays an important role in the weather of the Kashmir. Winter all quite cool in Kashmir, sometimes temperature goes up to - 20° C. From moderate to heavy snowfall is normal in Kashmir in Winters. Even the only road that connects with Srinagar with the rest of India gets blocked. Summers are pleasant in Kashmir and is the best time to visit from a tourism point of view. In July day time to 24.1° C. The highest temperature recorded in Kashmir is 38.3° C. The average rainfall is around 720 millimetres.
Languages Spoken in Kashmir
Kashmir is the Muslim majority area in India and Urdu is the official language of the state Jammu and Kashmir. However, the local language of Jammu and Kashmir is Kashmiri. It is said the Kashmiri was originated from Indo-Aryan people and is used to be called as kosher. Ladakhi is the second most spoken language in the state, spoken, especially in the Ladakh region while in Jammu region Dogri is largely spoken a language. Kashmiri Pandits and Gujjar people within the state mostly speak Hindi.
What to Eat in Kashmir
Kashmiri Cuisine is generally based on an ancient tradition of Kashmir. It is not only popular in India Kashmir but among the Kashmiri diaspora spread in Pakistan and Bangladesh.
Wazwan is one of the prominent meals in Kashmiri cuisine, which is a multi-course meal. It is usually seen as identity and culture of Kashmir. All the dishes included in Wazwan are meat-based using lamb or chicken. Wazwan is famous meal throughout the state and in many hotels and restaurants in India. The interesting thing about this meal is that this meal is shared by groups of four people and the meal is taken out of a large copper platter called the team. Some of the popular Kashmiri cuisine dishes are given below.
· Dum Olav
· Gogji Raazma
· Goshtaba
· Lyodur Tschaman
· Matschgand, lamb meatballs in a gravy tempered with red chillies
· Modur Pulaav
· Monji Haak/Gogji Haak
· Mujh Gaad, a dish of radishes with a choice of fish.
· Nadir Yakhin
· "Shaem", which is similar to Goshtaba
How to Get Around in Kashmir
Roads are the best and only medium to visit different tourist destinations in the state, Jammu and Kashmir. In the state, you will find a good roads connection the prominent destinations like Gulmarg, Sonamarg, Pahalgam, Kargil, etc with each other. From Srinagar Bus Stand, which is located at Lal Chowk, buses are available for all the major destinations in Jammu and Kashmir. The Leh-Srinagar National opens only from 15th May to 15th November depending on the weather conditions. The Jammu Kashmir Road Transport Corporated operates buses continuously between Jammu, Srinagar and Leh. In addition to this, mini buses, coaches and tourist taxis are widely available for various tourist destinations in Jammu and Kashmir.
