Carved tectonically, the valley of Kashmir is a longitudinal depression in the great north-western Himalayan range, situated at an altitude of 1590 mtrs (5209) feet having latitude between 23-4' and 37-6 'North and longitude between 72-31' and 77-30' East. A typical oval shaped valley, its length has a parallel axis to the general direction of the bordering mountains – The Shivaliks, The Middle Mountains, The Pir Panjal, The Himalayas, The Zanaskar, The Ladakh and The Korakaram.
Kalhana, the author of 'Rajtarangini’, states that
Shalimar Gardens
Initially, the valley of Kashmir used to be vast Lake, mythologically called Satt e Sar, which in course of time got drained by deepening of the Baramulla - Khadiniyar gorge. The valley is distinctively marked by breath-taking lakes, fresh water streams, luscious fruits, magnificent forests, mighty mountains and lush meadows which makes it a paradise on Earth. The mountain-downs or “margs” are numerous on the tops of the hill ranges prominent being Gulmarg, Sonamarg, Yousmarg etc.
Famous valleys of Kashmir include: Lidder Valley, Sindh Valley, Lolab Valley, Bangus Valley, Dachigam Valley, Gulmarg Valley, Gurez Valley, Yousmarg Valley etc.
Situated at the western edge of the Tibetan plateau, Ladakh is bound by the mighty Karokaram mountain range in the north and the Great Himalayas in the South. Landscape of Ladakh has been modified and sculpted into the spectacular shape by the wind and the erosion over the centuries. Its altitude ranges from 9000 to 25000 feet. And is traversed by other mountain chains, the Ladakh range and Zanaskar range. It is rightly called “the broken moonland” and “land of endless discovery”.
Today a high-altitude desert, shelter ed from the rain-bearing clouds of the Indian monsoon by the barrier of the Great Himalaya, Ladakh was once covered by an extensive lake system, the vestiges of which still exist on its south-east plateaux of Rupshu and Chushul, in the drainage basins or lakes of Tso-moriri, Tso-kar and Pangong-tso. But the main source of water is winter snowfall.
Shey Monastery - Leh, Ladakh
Dras, Zanskar and the Suru Valley on the Himalaya's northern flanks receive heavy snow in winter, this feeds the glaciers from which melt water, carried down by streams, irrigates the fields in summer. For the rest of the region, the snow on the peaks is virtually the only source of water. As the crops grow, the villagers pray not for rain, but for sun to melt the glaciers and liberate their water.
Set against the backdrop of the snow-capped Pir Panjal range, Jammu marks the transition between the Himalayas in the north and the dusty plains of the Punjab in the south, bridging these two extremities by a series of scrub covered hills, forested mountain ranges and deep river valleys. The southernmost unit of the state of Jammu & Kashmir, Jammu region is traversed by the Shivalik hills and quenched by the rivers Ravi, Tawi and Chenab.
Today
Dal Lake
Dal Lake is one of the most beautiful lakes of
Nagin Lake is located just a small distance away from
It is difficult to describe in mere words the beguiling beauty of
Manasbal
Manasbal Lake
LADAKH
Pangong Lake
Pangong Lake
(150 KM/4267 M), is about 130 km long, 5-6 km wide, straddling across the border between India & China. The ochre hills of the Change-chenmo range surrounding it from the north provide a spectacular backdrop to the blue and green expanse of its brackish water.
Tsomo-riri lake
JAMMU
Mansar Lake
Mansar Lake
Situated 62 kms from Jammu, Mansar is a beautiful lake fringed by forest-covered hills, over a mile in length by half-a-mile in width. Besides being a popular excursion destination in Jammu, it is also a holy site, sharing the legend and sanctity of Lake Mansarovar. Newly weds consider it auspicious to perform three circumambulations (‘Parikarma’) around the lake to seek the blessings of Sheshnag, the lord of serpents, whose shrine is located on its eastern bank. There are also some ancient temples on the lake’s shores, which are visited by devotees in large numbers. Mansar is also ideal for boating.
Surinsar Lake
Surinsar, at a distance of 9 kms from Mansar is a smaller lake but as picturesque with an island situated in the middle. Religious taboos do not permit swimming or boating in the lake. It is a wetland and a bird sanctuary rich in flora and fauna. Water birds of all variety make this lake a bird watcher’s haven.
Kashmir
Mughal Garden, Shalimar
Shalimar garden was built by Mughal Emperor Jehangir in the year 1619 AD and called it "Farah Baksh" (the delightful). Eleven years later Zaffer Khan the Governor of Kashmir during Emperor Shah Jahan's reign extended the garden and called it "Faiz Baksh" (the Bountiful). The garden was graded in three sections. The outer garden known as the Diwan-i-Aam, the central porrion the Emperor's garden called as the "Diwan-iKhas" and the uppermost by far the best garden was meanc for the Empress and her ladies. The romantic effect of numerous fountains in large tanks and central water channel, cascades, and monumental pavilions, mighty chinars, lush lawns laden with colour and fragrance speak volumes for the taste of Great Mughal. The garden covers an area of 12.40 ha.15 kms from the TRC
Nishat Garden
Nishat Garden
Nishat garden, the garden of Delight, the largest Mughal Garden on Dal-Lake was laid out by Asaf Khan, brother of Nur Jahan, wife of Jahangir, in the year 1632 A.D. It is located on Dal-Lake about 2.5 Kilometers to the south of Shalimar and commands a magnificent view in the west and has a panoramic back drop of mountains in the East. The garden had originally 12 terraces. Enchanting central water channel, rippling fountains in large tanks and channels and sparkling cascades amidst bountiful colours, lush lawns and mighty chinars are principal features of this pleasure garden. The garden is spread over an area of about 20 ha.
This garden of the royal spring was built in 1642 A.D. by Ali Mardan Khan, the Governor of Kashmir during the reign of Emperor Shah ]ahan. It is a terraced garden situated 9 Km away from Srinagar and about 2 Km up from the main road in a mOllntain side over-looking Dal-Lake. Fountains play in the central water channel starting from the famed spring located in the upper most terrace. It is famous for its pure, sparkling and cool mineral water. To cope up with the ever-increasing tourist traffic the garden has been extended in recent years. It has also been lit recently with multicoloured garden lights. This has proved an added attraction for tourists as well as 10cals.The garden extends over an area of 6.20 ha.
Pari Mahal
Pari Mahal
The name Pari Mahal appears to be a distorted version of "Peer Mahal" built by Prince Dara Shikoh, eldest son of Emperor Shah ]ahan in the year 1640 A.D. for his tutor Peer Mullah Shah. Once the royal observatory, it is a seven terraced garden located on the base of Zabarvan mountain range over-looking city of Srinagar and Dal-Lake.
The Mahal Built for the meditation and summer residence of Peer Mullah Shah is a replica of typical Mughal architecture in garden layout, water now been restored to its glory with captivating terraced gardens, motorable road up to the garden and wonderful lighring effects which look marvelous and captivating at night. It covers an area of about 3.20 ha.
Harwan
Cheshmashahi, Srinagar
The little known Jarogabal garden is located on the steep North Eastern Bank of loveliest and loneliest Manasbal Lake. The name in all probability is the distorted version of "Daroga Bagh" also known as "Lalla Rookh's Garden". This royal palace was built for the Empress Noar Jahan. The garden which was in ruins till recently, commands a captivating view of the lake and its environs-serene and calm. It covers an area of about 3.50 ha.
Achabal Garden
Resting at the foot of a hill with a row of majestic chinars framing it, the garden of Achabal is a visual delight. They embody all that goes to make a Mughal Garden- stepped terraces, formal elegance , ornamental shrubs, sparkling fountains and falling water.
Darashikoh Bagh, Bijbehara, Anantnag
This garden is situated on the national highway about 45 Km from Srinagar on the bank of River ]ehlum.This garden was built by Dara Shikoh eldest son of emperor Shah ]ahan in the year 1640 A.D. It served as camping round for Mughal journey. Majestic Chinars add to the beauty of this garden.This garden is spread over an area of 17.15 ha.
Botanical Garden Kokernag, Anantnag
The pleasure garden of serene beauty against the backdrop of high and thick pine forests existed earlier on about 0.8 ha. in front of the famous springs of pure, cool mineral water.In 1969 the garden was extended to an area of about 26 ha. and converted into a' Botanical Garden besides being a pleasure garden. New lawns have been laid and about One Lakh ornamental plants, trees, bushes, roses, as well as flora from the wild niches of higher range has been planted. A separate section comprising of wild flora of the valley is mainrained in this garden.Modern effects like rosary, Japanese bridges over the gushing water stream, water ponds, live garden seats, topiary work etc. are points of attraction in the garden.
Kashmir Events & Festivals
Tulip Festival
Tulips bloom
Kashmir has Asia's largest tulip garden called Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip Garden, Siraj Bagh Cheshmashahi Srinagar, in the foothills of Zabarwan range with an overview of the Dal Lake.The festival is held annualy in the month of April when tulips are in full bloom. The sprawling tulips of varied colours make the garden look like a silken carpet with intricate designs. The scene is simply captivating with floral charm and is a memorable delight for a visitor.
Baisakhi Festival
This festival also known as "harvest festival' is celebrated in mid April every year welcoming the onsent of Spring season.The festival is considered auspicious for marriages. The occasion is marke by different fairs.Bangra Punjabi dance dominates the festivity.
Khir Bhawani Festival
This festival is annually held in June at Khir Bhawani Shrine, Tulmulla, Ganderbal, in which Hindu devotees participate in scores with reverence to participate in "Maha Yagna", a traditional offering.
Gurez Festival
The festival is held in July every year and showcases the traditional folk dances and songs by the Gurez locals besides white water rafting is held in the Kishenganga river and a camp site is set-up in the scenic Dawar valley of Gurez.The charm of Gurez in its traditional form is irresistible.
Amarnath Yatra
Amarnathji Yatra
Every year, from 1st July to 24th August, this yatra is held from Pahalgam and Sonmarg right upto the Holy Amarnathji Cave, crossing glaciers and mountains. Devotees from all over the country participate in the Yatra. The Yatra is conducted by the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board while a host of State Government Departments (Tourism, Revenue, Police, Health) also play their part to ensure that the Yatries have the best of facilities and security while undertaking their journey of faith.
Snow Festival
Snow Festival
This festival is held around Christmas time at Gulmarg, the winter Games capital of India, during which alpine, snow boarding, ice hockey and cross country events are held. Local artists also perform cultural shows and the whole resort wears a festive look and local hotels offer discounts on boarding and lodging during the festival. one can also witness snow scooter and sledge races. A mass is also held at the St Mary's Church.
Urs or annual festivals are held at various shrines mostly in honour of the birth annivarsaries of saints and seers. The prominet ones include: Urs Milad Hazratbal, Urs Peer Dastigeer, Urs Makhdoom Sahib, Urs Naqashband Sahib, Urs Nooruddin Noorani Chrari-sharif, Urs Ashmuquam, Urs Shah-i-Hamdan Khanqah Moulla etc.in which devotees throng in scores for spiritual fulfilment.
Ladakh Events & Festivals
Many of the annual festivals of the Gom pas take place in winter, which is a relatively idle time for majority of the people. These take the form of dance-dramas in the gompa courtyards. Lamas, attired in colourful robes and wearing masks, perform mimes symbolising various aspects of the religion such as the progress of the individual soul and its purification or the triumph of good over evil. Local people flock from near and far to these events.
Festival of Hemis Monastery
The biggest and most famous of the monastic festivals is that of Hemis, which falls in late June or early July, and is dedicated to Padmasambhava. Every 12 years, the gompa's greatest treasures, a huge Thangka, is ritually exhibited. Its next unveiling is due to take place in A.D 2004. Other monasteries, which have summer festivals, are Lam (late July/ early August), Tak-thok (after Phyang) and Karsha in Zanskar (after Phyang). Like Hemis, the Phyang festival too involves the unveiling of a gigantic thangka, though here it is done every third year.
Mask dancers performing in a festival
Spituk, Stok, Thikse, Chemrey and Matho have their festivals in winter between November and March. Likir and Deskit (Nubra) time their festivals to coincide with Dosmochhe, the festival of the scapegoat, which is celebrated at Leh in late February. Dosmochhe is one of two New Year festivals, the other being Losar, which falls around the time of the winter solstice.
The Monastic Festivals
The monastic festivals are annual events of the major monasteries which the local people eagerly look forward to attending, both for attaining religious merit and as a means of social entertainment. These are generally held to commemorate the establishment of a particular monastery, the birth anniversary of its patron saint or some major events in the history and evolution of Tibetan Buddhism. People turn out in the thousands to attend these festivals in their colourful best, making every event a carnival of colours.
A monastic festival in progress
Chhams – The Ritual Dances
The core event of the monastic festival is a highly choreographed ritual dance-drama known as ‘Chhams’, which is directed by the ‘Chham-spon’, the mystic dance master of the monastery. The dances are performed not only to dramatise the esoteric philosophy of the event for the benefit of the lay devotees, but also by way of ritual offerings to the tutelary deities of the monastery and the guardians of the faith. A select group of resident lamas of the monastery, dressed in brightly patterned brocade, robes, perform these dances in the courtyard of the monastery. They also wear masks representing various divinities, which are mostly found in the form of statues in the "Gon Khang", the room dedicated to the guardian divinities. Some of the dances also feature masks representing famous characters from historical episodes or Tibetan fables. The more fearsome ones represent powerful divinities in their various manifestations, mostly representing the Dharmapalas or protectors of the faith. The dancers, holding ritual instruments in hands, step around the central flagpole in the monastic courtyard in solemn dance and mime, in tune with the music of the monastic orchestra. The ritual instruments and the hand gestures or mudras of the dancers symbolise different aspects of the dance-drama. In between the more sombre sequences, relief is provided by a group of comic performers who jump into the scene in the guise of skeletons and other characters, performing comic and acrobatic feats. These also wear masks representing various divinities and religious or historical characters.
KASHMIR
Click here for List of Hotels / Guest Houses / Eating Centres in Kashmir
Contacts:
A) Kashmir Hotel & Restaurant Owner’s Federation (KHAROF)
Naik Building, 3rd Floor, Munawarabad M.A. Link Road ,
Srinagar, Kashmir ,190001
Tele: + 91 194 2482695
Fax: + 91 194 2453732, 2455251
Email: kharof@mail.com; kharofsrinagar@rediffmail.com
For more information visit: www.kharof.in
B) Kashmir Hotel & Restaurant Association (KHARA)
Nawa-i-Subh Complex,
Srinagar, Kashmir, 190001
Tele: + 91 194 2472249
Fax: + 91 194 2453209
C) Travel Agents Society of
Baba
Tele/Fax: + 91 194 2459568
Email: task_srinagar@rediffmail.com
D) Travel Agents Association of Kashmir (TAAK)
Dar Complex, Khayam Road, Srinagar
Tele: + 91 194 250 1490; Fax: + 91 194 2501491
Email: taakashmir@yahoo.com
For more information visit: www.kashmirtravelagents.com
E) J&K Tourism Development Corporation (J&K TDC) Accommodation:
J&KTDC has hotel blocks at the Tourist Reception Centres; it is necessary to book well in advance, as these rooms are almost always crowded due to their central location. The Corporation has also commissioned its 80-roomed Heemal Hotel, which is conveniently located on the Boulevard.
For more information & bookings, visit: www.jktdc.co.in
LADAKH
Click here for List of Hotels / Guest Houses in Leh
Leh offers many kinds of accommodation to suit almost every pocket and preference. Most of the hotels are family-run establishments and, therefore, service is more personalized than professional. Hotels are classified into A, B,C and D/economy categories while guest houses are divided into upper, medium and economy class. Tariff for A category hotels generally include all meals, offering a choice or combination of Continental, Chinese and Indian cuisine, with one or two local fares thrown in for variety.
The guest house is a less formal accommodation, offering rooms in a part of the residential house or its annexe, where the guests can share the host family’s kitchen and living room for meals. Apart from the reasonably low tariff offered for accommodation ranging from very good to merely basic, the guest house system also provides an opportunity for the tourists to see and experience Ladakhi life from the inside.
In the newly opened areas of the region –
During the peak tourist season i.e. early June to mid-September, it is advisable to book hotel rooms in advance. By late September, hotel rooms are easily available as the tourist rush declines. However, tourists planning winter trips may have to book accommodation in advance so as to ensure provision of heating arrangements during the period of their intended stay.
JAMMU
LIST AND TARIFF OF HOTELS IN JAMMU
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Rooms
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LIST AND TARIFF OF HOTELS IN KATRA, VAISHNO DEVI
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LIST AND TARIFF OF HOTELS IN PATNITOP | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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LIST OF SHRINE BOARDS AND THEIR ADDRESS WITH CONTACT NO.
Shahdara Sharief
Rajouri.
Ph. No. 01962 – 250006
Mob. 94191 71697
Shri Amarnath Shrine Board
Raj Bhawan. Srinagar (May – Oct.)
Ph. No. 0194 – 2501616, 2501819,2501313
Tele Fax. 0194 – 2501414
Raj Bhawan. Jammu (Nov – Apr.)
Ph. No. 0191 – 2542980, 2542902
Tele Fax. 0191 – 2544870
Website: www.shriamarnathjishrine.com
E mail: ceo@shriamarnathjishrine.com
Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board
Katra, J&K – 182301
Ph. No. 01991 – 232820, 232238,232376
Fax. 01991 – 2322089,234570
Website:www.maavaishnodevi.org
E mail: helpdesk@ maavaishnodevi.org & admin@maavaishnodevi.org
Office of Dy. Manager , (Enquires and Reservations)
Ph. No. 01991 – 232887, 232025,234053.
Office of Dy. Divisional Manager , (Vaishnovi Dham, Jammu)
Ph. No. 0191 – 2473270, 2473275.
Office of Senior Manager , Bhawan
Ph. No. 01991 – 232223
Office of Incharge , Sanjichatt
Ph. No. 01991 – 232237
Kashmir
Indian Airlines and Jet Airways operate regular flights to Leh from Delhi and weekly services to Srinagar & Jammu and also to Chandigarh (twice weekly). Leh airport is 6 kms. away from the city centre.
Jammu
Jammu airport is 8 kms from the city centre. Indian Airlines, Jet Airways, Kingfishers and other major airlines operate scheduled services between Jammu & Delhi and Jammu & Srinagar/Leh.
Travel Reservation
Indian Airlines; Tourist Reception Centre, Vir Marg, Tel: 531582, 542735, Airport Office: Tel: 431433, 430449
Jet Airways: Hotel K.C. Residency, Tel: 574312, 574315, Fax 573399 Airport Office, Tel: 453666, 453999 and 453888
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