In the Lap of Heaven (Kashmir): PART 1

         When we think of the name Kashmir the first thing which comes to our mind are the beautiful snow-clad mountains, picturesque evergreen valleys and the magnificient lakes. The beauty of Kashmir valley is unparallel and often it is called as the “Switzerland of Asia”. Also known as the “Paradise on Earth”, the beautiful Kashmir valley is located between the Himalayas and the Pir Panjal range in the Jammu and Kashmir state of India. However, due to a territorial dispute the region is divided among 3 countries: Pakistan administers the Northwest portion (Northern areas and Azad Kashmir), India controls the Central and the Southern portion and the Ladakh, while China controls the Northeastern region (Aksai Chin).

       

         The road to Srinagar from Jammu through the well paved NH1A offers breathtaking views of the lush green mountains. To name a few major towns which come in the way are Kud, Batote and Patnitop. Patnitop is a well known hill top tourist destination and is located in the Udhampur district. Many tourists come here and stay for a day amidst the beautiful, thick forests of pine, deodhar and cedar trees. Another important attraction of this place is the paragliding facility that is offered from Patnitop to Kud. On the way you need to go through the historical 2.5 km long Jawahar Tunnel(also known as the Banihal Tunnel) to get an access to the Kashmir Valley. This tunnel which was opened to public in the year 1956 connects the Jammu region with the beautiful Kashmir valley. The Titanic View Point which is about 2 km from the tunnel provides sweeping views across the vast mountain-rimmed Kashmir Valley, with its beautiful poplar edged rice terraces.

                       Srinagar

 
       Srinagar, the summer capital of Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir is located at an altitude of 5,200 ft on the banks of the Jhelum river which is a tributary of the river Indus. It is economically the most important city of the Indian administered Kashmir Valley. Srinagar is a house to some huge, beautiful lakes which includes the world famous Dal Lake and Nagin Lake. The city also have few beautiful Mughal Gardens and they attracts a large number of tourists from all corners of the world.

       
            Dal Lake is spread over an area of 18 sq km and is enclosed by the picturesque mountains from all ends. It houses as many as 500 houseboats. These houseboats made of wood are usually stationary and are very well designed and decorated with all sorts of modern amenities. They come in various sizes and even include a living room, bedroom, bathroom, a kitchen and a balcony in the front. Many tourists come to Srinagar to stay in these luxurious hotels. There are also e few numbers of houseboats on the Nagin Lake and the Jhelum River and they are far cheaper as compared to the ones at the Dal Lake. A shikara ride of the Dal Lake should not be missed. A 2 hr ride of the Dal Lake costs somewhere between 400-600 INR. However, if you take a shikara ride in the early morning the fares can be much less. But to feel and enjoy the charming beauty of the lake to the fullest, a ride just an hour before the sunset is highly advisable. The colors after the sun down are simply mesmerizing. A ride of the lake would take you through the floating garden, floating market, Mission Kashmir point and if you pay a 100 INR more you can also see one of the two Charchinar islands of the lake. The name Charchinar is given to the island as because the island has four Chinar trees. You will also witness different shikaras selling their stuffs (ornaments, flowers, eatables etc) to the tourists of the tourist shikaras. There are also many beautiful Mughal Gardens around Dal Lake. 

 





            At night Dal Lake offers a splendid view with the dazzling light of the hundreds of Shikaras lighting up the waters of the lake.

There are a large number of Mughal Gardens in Srinagar. Among them the must visit ones are listed below:

1.   Shalimar Bagh: This Mughal Garden was built by the Mughal Emperor Jahangir for his wife Noor Jehan in the year 1619. The garden has three terraces and is located in the Northeast direction of Dal Lake. It contains florals of varied species. Shalimar Bagh can be accesed through the Dal Lake via Shikara. One can also hire autos and taxis to visit this garden.

Entry Fees: 10 INR (Adults), 5 INR (Children).

2.   Nishat Bagh: Nishat Bagh meaning “Garden of Joy” is located in the Eastern direction of Dal Lake. This is a twelve terrace garden and houses a large number of known and unknown orchids and florals. This is the second largest garden of Srinagar after Shalimar Bagh. It was built my Asif Khan, the elder brother of Noor Jehan in 1633.

Entry Fees: 10 INR (Adults), 5 INR (Children).

3.   Chashmashahi: This garden was set up in the year 1632 by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan. It is the smallest of all the mughal gardens of Srinagar. This is also a three terraced garden.

Entry Fees: 10 INR (Adults), 5 INR (Children).

 




            Another main attraction of the city is the Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Botanical Garden. This garden is very well maintained and offers scintillating views of the Himalayan Ranges in the backdrop. There is also a mini lake inside the garden and boating facilities are also available there.

           
            
            If you are visiting the city in the month of April then don’t forget to visit the Indira Gandhi Tulip Garden. This garden is located just beside the Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Botanical Garden in the foothills of Zabarwan Hills. Every year a Tulip Festival for one month is organized here in April. On that occasion tulips of as many as 68 varieties and colors could be seen. The beauty of the four-terraced rows of tulip gives the impression of a rainbow in bloom and this further enhances the charm of the paradise.

Shankaracharya Temple: The Shankaracharya temple is believed to be built from rocks in the 3^rd century BC. It is situated at an altitude of 1100 ft on the hill known as Takht-e-Suleiman. This temple is dedicated to the lord Shiva. The temple was named after the great Hindu philosopher Shankaracharya who visited this area in the 9^th century to revive the Sanatan Dharma. From the temple premises one get to see the magnificent view of the valley below. On one side the Dal Lake with its houseboats looks splendid. While on the other side the view of the beautiful Jhelum bisecting the city of Srinagar into New Srinagar and Old Srinagar is clearly visible. In simple words, the view looks like a satellite image of Srinagar.

Hazratbal Mosque: The Hazratbal Mosque is located on the Western banks of Dal Lake and is built in the form of a beautiful structure using white marble. This shrine houses the preserved sacred hair of Prophet Mohammad. Public display of the hair takes place only on some sacred religious occasions.

Nehru Park, Burnpur - A possible weekend gateway

Nehru Park, Burnpur

         If you reside somewhere in between the Durgapur-Asansol industrial belt and want to spend some hours of your lazy weekend in a beautiful, lush green isolation with your family and friends then Nehru Park of Burnpur could be a good pick for you. You can also consider this place to be a good picnic spot.

      
      Industrial Township of Burnpur came into existence with the set up of an Iron Plant (which was later named IISCO) in the early 1900s. Currently it is one of the major public sector undertaking steel plant operating under SAIL in the Eastern region of India. Burnpur is located in the Burdwan district of West Bengal in India. It is about 14 km from Asansol railway station. Durgapur is the other city in its vicinity.



          Nehru Park (also known as Riverside Park) is one of the major attraction of Burnpur and is located on the banks of River Damodar. However, this park is popularly known as Lahmeyer Park after the name of F.W.A Lahmeyer, a former German General Manager of IISCO. The park is entirely covered with a carpet of lush, green foliages. The gardens are also very well maintained and colorful flowers of varied species are the major attractions of this park. There are lots of known and unknown species of trees inside this park. So wherever you go you will be greeted with the soothing green. A stream of river Damodar flows through this park and this enhances the charm and beauty of this place. A lake is also there and boating facilities are available. If you come here in a weekend you can also enjoy the musical fountain dancing to the tunes in the evening. I visited this park in the month of November and was spellbound by the appealing charisma of this place. Mother Nature ornamented Herself so beautifully with different colors!!!

Also, don't miss the sunset from the banks of river Damodar. Believe me it is stupendous to behold. It would take a maximum of 5 mins to reach the banks of the river from the park. There is a small mountain on the other side of the river and it is known by the name "Biharinath". You can also enjoy a boat ride on the Damodar during this golden time. Local people of this area takes the country boats and crosses the river to go to the Saltora area of the Bankura District. Also, people from the other side come here in the morning for their livelihood and return in the evening.

Access to this Park:

Buses for Burnpur Riverside are available at an interval of 10-15 minutes from the Asansol Railway Station. It takes around 45 minutes from there to reach the destination. If you wish to come here from Durgapur or Raniganj you have to take a bus for Asansol Railway Station and another one from there to the Nehru Park.

Come, See, Explore India: Kanheri Caves

Kanheri Caves

Kanheri Caves whose period of establishment dates back to anywhere between 1^st Century BC and 11^th Century AD is one of the finest examples of the Indian rock cut architecture. Located in the heart of the beautiful green environs of Sanjay Gandhi National Park of Maharashtra, Kanheri is about 10 km from the Borivali Station and 45 km from main Mumbai. These caves perhaps are the only symbol which depicts the rise and fall of Buddhism in Western India.

The word ‘Kanheri’ comes from the Sanskrit word Krishnagiri which means Black Mountain. It is believed that Buddhist Monks of the Hinayana Faith started the excavation of these caves from the hills in the 1^st Century. Later on, monks of the Mahayana Faith also contributed to this excavation process. By 2^nd Century AD these monks carved out the famous Chaitya Griha (Cave No 3). This cave was used for congregational worship and is huge enough to accommodate large number of devotees. The Chaitya Griha has two huge figures of standing Buddha on each side of the entrance porch and was actually built in the form a gigantic rectangular hall with 34 proportioned pillars and semi circular roof. It contains a Buddhist Shrine called Stupa. On the facade of this cave different Buddhist sculptures can be seen which are beautifully carved out from the rocks. They include the figures of Lord Buddha in different postures or mudras. The Avalokiteswara incarnation is the most distinctive figure among all the figures. There are 109 caves in all in this area and each of them beautifully portrays the rich art and culture of Buddhism and that is enough to make you spellbound. Some of the caves were used by the Buddhist monks of that time for the purpose of their study, living and meditation. They are known as the Viharas and contain a stone plinth for a bed. The majority of such rock-cut cells have a narrow verandah in front. The remains of an ancient water system comprising of many cisterns and huge water tanks can be seen at the top of the hill. This was used to collect the rainwater and then channel it to the different cisterns located alongside the caves at lower altitudes via many small man-made canals. The highest cave is situated at an altitude of 1500 ft and it is always advisable to follow the rock-cut small footsteps to climb up this hilly terrain in order to reach the caves. A large number of inscriptions can be seen inside the caves in Brahmi, Devanagari and Pahlavi scripts. These ancient scripts are quite significant since they shed light on the history of that time. The serenity of these glorious caves are enough to take you to a world of peaceful isolation and needless to say, you will soon start feeling the historical charm and importance of this place.

The cave numbered as 3, 11, 34, 41, 67, 87, 90 are the most historically important caves. In cave number 34, you will find the paintings of Lord Buddha on the walls and the ceiling. Cave 90 is the darkest of all the caves. There are many sculptures inside the caves and very few of them still retain some colors of that time. To see these sculptures you must carry a torch with you. Apart from these Buddhist legacies on stone, the images of Goddess Tara and Bhrukti are the other attractions in the caves. Kanheri was also a flourished university centre of that period and was an important location not only for the Buddhist Monks but also for the traders who very frequently made use of these caves for staying.

Even if you are not a history buff, it is worth the visit for the wonderful views that you get on the way to the top of the hilly terrain and from the top. If you love photography then these caves will give you ample opportunity to capture the rich heritage of Buddhist rock-cut architecture. Apart from photographing the ancient art and culture of Buddhism, you have the scope of doing light and shade photography. So shoot as many pictures as you can.

Important Information:

There are many trains that run between Howrah and Mumbai CST. Gitanjali Express, Jnaneshwari Express and Duronto Express are the best ones. From Mumbai CST take a local train to Dadar and another local train on the Western Line from Dadar to reach Borivali Station. Travelling by local trains is always recommended in Mumbai since doing that you can avoid the horrible road traffic. Take an auto-rickshaw from Borivali Station to the Sanjay Gandhi National Park. Entrance Fees to the park is Rs. 20. From the entrance of the park, you will get small buses for Kanheri at every 1 hour interval. The one way bus fare is around Rs. 20 and it is about a 6km ride through the lush green woods of the park. The entrance fee to the caves is Rs. 5. The main gate of the cave opens at 7:30 AM and closes at 5:30 PM. Lastly, don’t forget to carry drinking water and dry foods along with you since inside the cave premises there are no food stalls.

Places to Stay:

There are many hotels of various budgets in and around Borivali.                    

This article was published in "The Statesman" with four photographs on  April  18th, 2010.  The online version didn't have any photographs though!! Here is a link to the published article:

http://www.thestatesman.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=325409&catid=43

Come, See, Explore India: Elephanta Caves

Elephanta Island

A BRIEF DESCRIPTION

Elephanta Island is a famous tourist destination situated to the East of Mumbai and is about 10 km from the Gateway of India. If you are planning a day’s trip (residing in Mumbai) then Elephanta Island could be a perfect choice for you. The island has an area of 16 km² with a population of about 1200. There are three villages in the island: Shentbandar, Morabandar, and Rajbandar. Local people of this area call this island Gharapuri which means Place of Caves. The Portuguese explorers gave it a name of Elephanta in the 17^th Century.

This lush green island is a mix of hills, sea, jungles and rock cut caves that date back to the 9^th century. This island is a photographer’s paradise. Apart from photographing the ancient art works inside the caves, you also get the chance to snap out some beautiful landscapes of the island. I love light and shadow photography and I got immense opportunities to implement this art inside the caves. You would also find many monkeys on your way to the caves and yes, they can also become your good photography subject.

HISTORY

There are five caves in this island. These caves are believed to be created during the Gupta Dynasty around the 9^th Century. It is during this time Shaivism flourished in India and several leading Shaivites of that time initiated this activity of building caves from the hills to stay there and worship the Hindu God Shiva. Among the 5 caves, Cave 1 is the finest and biggest of all. You would be thrilled to see the rock cut architectures of this cave. There are numerous sculptures on the walls of this cave which perfectly depicts the rich, old heritage of India. The sculptures are mostly of the Hindu deities Shiva, Parvati, Brahma, Vishnu to name a few. You will also get to see lots of temples inside these magnificient rock cut caves dedicated to the Hindu God Shiva. To preserve these rich and precious art works UNESCO, in the year 1987 declared this as a World Heritage Site.

PLAN FOR TRAVEL (From Mumbai)

Reach the Gateway of India as early as possible preferably by 9 in the morning. There you will get luxury boats for the elephant caves and these boats usually leave at every 10 to 15 minutes interval. The fares of the two way journey for these boats are 120 Rs and 130 Rs respectively for the lower deck and the upper deck. It will take around one hour to reach the Elephanta Island and believe me you will surely enjoy the boat ride.

From the landing station of the Elephanta Caves you can either take a toy train run by the Maharashtra Tourism to reach the main island or else you can take a 1km walk. The fare of the toy train is 10 Rs for the 2 way journey.

You can take any boat from the Elephanta Island to get back to the Gateway of India and yes don’t forget to capture the beautiful Taj hotel and the Gateway of India from the boat.

FOODING AND LODGING

There is a MTDC resort in this island where you can stay leaving behind all the daily stresses of your routine, monotonous life. Apart from availing food of the resort you can also try food in the nearby numerous stalls. These stalls usually closes in the evening . 

This Travel article along with few photos was published in The Statesman on July 23rd, 2010. The online version don't have any photos!!! Here is a link to the published article :http://thestatesman.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=335659&catid=43