Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Pahalgam trip

I love to go on Pahalgam tour, It is a great place to see the natural beauty when i am in Kashmir, i usually visit there with my friends.below is the account of a tour of pahalgam when i was there with my group of friends.before going further i recommend this place for people coming for their honeymoon in Kashmir.

The rain slides on the window panes of our hotel room i can see the fog and rainbow near the mountains.After finishing my  tea i could see the clouds sandwiched between the mountains and blue sky. the water level of the river has increased since last night.when we reached pahalgam yesterday it was a bright and sunny beautiful day the cool wind raising from the gushing cold  river water  welcomed us.when we started from Srinagar via pampore we could see the vast saffron fields on our both sides.the men and women were picking saffron flowers in their small woven baskets.they were singing kashmiri folk songs and talking merrily.their faces were bright and laughing in the sun with pink shades on their cheeks.later we stopped in avantipora where we saw a temple built of huge blocks of stones local people say it was built by the pandawa's but it seems a ancient sun temple same as i had seen in naranag.it has a small flower garden attached to it. later as we drove from this place we stopped at bat factories were bats are manufactured a shop owner told me they export their bats to England and Australia.kashmiri willow makes finest cricket bats they have good demand in Indian markets.we purchased some bats from them and we proceeded further to pahalgam just  few kms before pahalgam there is a ancient shrine of  ashmukam it has a small cave in it.lot of devotees visit there.we offered prayers in the shrine and we made our way to pahalgam.

Our hotel which is more like a bunch of cottages is located right above the beetab valley a famous spot for many retro Bollywood movies.right across the hotel are huge green mountains shining in the rain.the park below is empty except for few people who work there.pahalgam is a famous tourist place in Kashmir.some nearby places to see here are aru,chandanwari,baisarn,shikargah,beetab valley,there are lot of good hotels to stay in pahalgam.it is a huge valley covered by mountains and forests i could see the pine and few chestnut trees along the river bed and horses and sheep grazing in green fields.
pahalgam
lot of people come here for  trout fishing.river rafting has been also introduced in lidder river few kms before pahalgam starts.the rapids are good for river rafting sport.pahalgam is a serene place good for families and honeymoon couples traveling to Kashmir.the government has built very good amusement park  with good rides and lot of flower beds.the greenery of pahalgam is soothing for body and soul.a car can be hired from taxi stand if you want to go to these three places aru,chandanwari,beetab valley.the sightseeing to these places can be a lot of fun.you should also try horse riding to some of these places it can be tiring but you will feel the pleasure.there is also a good golf course this was built long time ago but it has been renovated recently.here you can play golf among the lofty pines.

lidder river
aru valley
pahalgam river near aru
river of chandanwari
 the flowing water makes a soothing sound when it runs against the stones.the beauty of pahalgam is vast i enjoyed walking along the banks of river.i could see the people fishing for trout and tourists enjoying and playing with cool water.

the village of aru is a drive along the river it is a small village consisting of few houses which are dependent on farming.aru is also used as base for many trekking's.chandanwari is also another beautiful valley it is a second way to amaranth yatra.few miles from chandanwari there is a beautiful lake called seshnag.pahalgam is a true shepherd's land always showering it's beauty on the people who visit there,it is a landmark for tourists who come for Kashmir valley tour and a cool retreat for people who come from hot cities in India.they love the cool weather of pahalgam and take happy memories with them so during your Kashmir trip make pahalgam a must see place.