The Wheel: S2L77: Srinigar, Kashmir Valley

Srinigar, Kashmir
March 12, 1977

Staying on the houseboat Babar -- living in luxury, lounge room, dining room, bedrooms with private baths, roof deck, servants. Evening boat ride on Dal Lake!

The next afternoon a three and a half hour shikara boat ride to the Mughal gardens.

Trip to Gulmarg. Horse ride up to snow fields.

Source: Personal travel notes.

From 1977 03 02 India

The Vale of Kashmir is sometimes called Heaven on Earth for its natural beauty. Kashmir has lakes and snow-capped mountains, making it a prime vacation spot and a welcome break after my travels through the hot, dusty plains of northern India. We stayed on luxurious houseboats on Dal Lake.

More after the jump.

Kashmir is home to Shalimar Garden, built by Mughal Emperor Jahangir for his wife in 1619. Also in Kashmir is Gulmarg, a hill resort at 9,000 ft in the Himalayas, featuring skiing in winter, golfing in summer and horse rides to the snow fields.

In the evening, we reclined in a gondola-type boat called a shikara, enjoying a relaxing moonlight ride for two on Dal Lake while listening to the quiet sound of paddling alternating with the bubbling of the boatman's water pipe. Heaven on earth, indeed.

In Kashmir, Buddhism, Hinduism and Islam come together. So, too, do the contested borders of India, Pakistan and China. Kashmir was the site of Indo-Pakistani wars in 1947 and 1971. The presence of the Indian military here was still heavy in 1977. Travel on narrow mountain highways was often delayed to allow passage for military convoys. All this was a reminder of troubles past and a hint of troubles to come. The peace was uneasy, but held in 1977.