Land of Kashyapa - Page#23 - The boxes you need to tick

Land of Kashyapa - Page#23

The boxes you need to tick

Of the numerous boxes, you may want to tick when you are in Kashmir, the top box should be a visit to the Lal Chowk clock tower. I hadn’t imagined that I would, in my lifetime, be standing at Lal Chowk in peace and taking a picture in front of the Ghanta Ghar ( Clock tower) in my lifetime. The Communists in Srinagar named it Lal Chowk after Lenin seized power in Moscow in 1917. But the tower has been a witness, during the past three decades, to so much bloodshed that makes the name Lal Chowk (Red Square) appropriate. After Dr. Murli Manohar Joshi unfurled the Indian Flag atop the tower in 1992, the Ghanta Ghar has seen many Pakistani flags. At a point in time, the entire tower was wrapped in green. In their quest for political power and grand lifestyles, the “leaders” put thousands of youth on the chopping block. With the Abrogation of 370 in August of 2019, a separate Kashmir flag had become irrelevant.

Srinagar has a vast number of purely vegetarian restaurants around the lake. The smaller places usually have fast and impeccable service. Don't miss the Krishna Vaishno Bhojnalaya, which I would recommend for its tasty, fresh, and affordable fare with lightning-fast service. Nathu's Sweets on the promenade is a must if you have a sweet tooth. Boutique experiences like Chaai Jaai, Cafe Liberty, and top-end eating places like Kashmir Trout, Dar-Es-Salam by the lake, Lhasa, Lazeez while listening to Rubab and Noot while you dine are some experiences that will stay with you long after you leave the land of Kashyapa. The Kahwah tea with Gulkand is a unique experience. The tea goes well with Sheermal, Bakarkhani, or Tchot depending on your palate.

A lazy evening on a Shikara watching the sunset is cathartic. I was perturbed by the absence of life vests or any safety gear on any of the Shikaras. Though everyone may insist that you will need a houseboat experience, I was not too taken up on a static boat with zero views. It is ok for a night’s stay if you must.

The Mughal gardens are good to visit for a couple of hours and a walk along the commercial streets should give you an insight into the Tila gold zari work where the embroidery is done using real silver or gold on traditional Phirans, shawls, stoles, sarees and more. After I tried the fresh and fragrant apples here, I hate the ones I buy in Chennai which taste like soda. The Khanqah-a-Moula masjid built by the iconoclast Sikandar is one of the best examples of Kashmiri wooden architecture and is decorated with papier mache. It is said to be built over a Kali temple. A visit to the museum in Srinagar is necessary, for the bronzes and the stone figures of Vishnu, Shiva, and the Goddesses are excellent. Sri Madhusudhanan Kalaichelvan was not very happy with the dating of some of the pieces on display.

We were here in October and I would recommend you go to Gulmarg when there is snow. Pre Book online for a seat in the cable car. There are two levels and the second level is a good experience. But crowd management is a nightmare. What should have taken two hours for a round trip to the summit and back took nearly a full day. The pony and jeep unions are incorrigible and harass the public. If you want to do Gulmarg cable cars do them first thing in the morning before hell breaks loose. The Highlands Park in Gulmarg is a wonderful place to dine.

Pahalgam is a great place to go. If you had to choose between Aru Valley and Beetab valley - Choose Beetab for the sparkling Lidder waters that flow through it.

If the cosmos is benevolent, I may come back to this land when it is covered in white.

Sriram(Hari)