From my childhood I learnt about the “Paradise on earth” which is our very own Kashmir.
Of Kashmir, it is said,
“Gar bar-ru-e-zamin ast; hamin ast, hamin ast, hamin asto!”
(“If there be a paradise on earth, it is here, it is here, it is here!”).
Now to reach this heaven one has to first get to Srinagar, the capital of J&K State. One can either take a direct flight from Delhi or take a train to Jammu and from there a bus to Srinagar. The hill resorts of Kud, Patnitop and Batote fall en route this 293 km long picturesque route. The 2.5 km long Jawahar tunnel allows road access to Srinagar even in the winter..
If one can ignore the soldiers, at once Srinagar is a compilation of images: a son-et-lumiere that tells the tale of the love of the Mughal emperors for this paradise valley, full of green rice fields, gardens in bloom, snow clad mountains, beautiful people and lakes rimmed by houseboats.
The Kashmir state, at the extreme north west of India, is bounded on the west and north by Pakistan, on the northeast by China and on the southeast and south by the Indian states of Himachal Pradesh and Punjab. More than 90 percent of the state is mountainous. From southwest to northeast the region contains the fertile Jammu and Punch plains, the coniferous Himalayan foothills from 2,000 to 7,000 feet, the heavily glaciated Pir Panjal range at 12,500 feet, the valley of Kashmir at 5,300 feet, the Himalayan ranges above 20,000 feet, the upper Indus River valley at 11,000 feet, the barren plateau of Ladakh and the remote Karakorum range. The Indus, Jhelum, Chenab and Tawi are the principal rivers while the Dal and Wular are the major lakes.
Rogan josh (or roghan josh) is one of the signature recipes of Kashmiri multi-course meal (The “Wazwan”)
Rogan josh was brought to Kashmir by the Mughals, whose cuisine was in turn influenced by Persian cuisine. The unrelenting summer heat of the Indian plains took the Mughals frequently to Kashmir, which has a cooler climate because of its altitude.
Imagine yourself in a valley surrounded by snow clad mountains with fresh snow all around you and while looking outside from your window enjoying your Rogan josh with hot rice or Naan Bread !!
We are very passionate about Kashmir and believe it as possibly the most beautiful place on earth. We highly recommend people to visit this mesmerizing state.
Dawn to Dusk 