Warm welcome on a slushy day
We fly into Srinagar from Delhi. As we approach the city we fly over the awe inspiring Himalayan range and land on a snow covered tarmac. We are dressed in warm clothes and so walking down the flight of steps and into the tiny airport is not uncomfortable. A friend has arranged for a 4 wheel drive vehicle to take us to safe accommodation. The driver has with him a thermos of hot tea and some stuffed chapati rolls that warms us in more ways than one.
Our accommodation comes furnished with a kerosene room heater (to be used only for short periods to reduce air contamination from kerosene fumes) and a copious amount of warm bedding. The coffee table is laid out with freshly baked cookies and momos (steamed dumplings). And there's more hot tea in a thermos. This was just the beginning of our being plied with heaps of speciality food over the next few days. We had to literally beg the kitchen to stop sending us snacks throughout the day. I hope the Chef par excellence, whom we never got to see, was not offended.
On the remains of an arterial road
Our drives in Srinagar seem to take forever for progress is slow.
Traffic?
Guess again.
Check points?
Wrong again.
Unreliable vehicle?
No!
Give up?
Caroming and bumping over ragged rocks! The floods of a few years ago had damaged the roads exposing the large rocks that made up the sub base. Why had it not been repaired? Insurgencies, lack of supplies, lack of funds or just callousness: its anybody's guess.
It's no wonder that most of the vehicles on the road leading out of town were heavy duty. The troops that were supposed to arrive from Jammu a few days before had been held up by avalanches en route and the first army trucks are just arriving. We are in opposite traffic and so we get to see how big the troop movement is.
Driving in the city and along the Esplanade is comparatively a breeze hindered only by a few potholes and huge puddles of slush. The men folk going about their daily chores are clad in thick long overcoats.
A fragile peace
At junctions and at frequent intervals on the arterial roads stand watch towers and sandbanks protecting the armed soldiers who are posted only as a threat. We are told they are not allowed to shoot. They have been trained to remain calm under provocation until they get orders otherwise.
Shikari: gliding on Dal lake
As we drive along the Esplanade we are bowled over by the panorama. Snow clad mountains reflected on a calm mirror-like lake lends an ethereal aura. We itch to touch the water and cause ripples on an otherwise unruffled surface. Of course, since the lake is not so deep and at points contaminated with effluent, it is not a wise thing to do.
We get on a Shikari (akin to the Venetian gondola but propelled with two oars), a tourist flat-bottomed row boat with a canopy and cushioned seats. The boatman takes us along the ubiquitous houseboats with intricately carved wooden railings and embellishments popularised during the British Colonial period, for Srinagar was the summer capital, and the then Maharaja had forbidden building any British style home on the shores. So these house boats, made up of two decks, with ornate trims were built with the British life style in mind. They are mostly anchored in groups forming floating communities.
A 10 minute Kashmiri
Stealthily a boat creeps up alongside ours and the boatman offers to take a photograph of us in traditional Kashmiri costume. Drink likes the idea and so I manoeuvre myself onto the other boat, don the one piece costume, demurely cover my head with a shawl, add the accessories provided, and there I am all transformed. The boatman also has some beaded jewelery to sell. It was easier to move away from him only after a purchase (an insignificant amount).
Boat in distress
We are then rowed towards the many 'boat' stores, some selling souvenirs, others grocery etc. There was even a restaurant. There is much ado around one of the floating stores with water spouting out at great pressure at one end. It is then that we realise the store is tilting. It has been taking in water through a leak. It doesn't seem as though the textile store was emptied, and so probably eas not really in danger of sinking. A flotilla of small boats is a hub of activity trying to keep the store afloat by helping to pump the water out. Other boats carry curious and amused onlookers. But that was the only excitement on the lake then.
Floating Gardens
Even though we saw only a small floating market, since it is still too cold for produce to grow, we did see floating vegetable gardens (farmers grow carrots, greens, radishes, turnips and other vegetables in plots built on embankments in the water or in soil that floats on beds of flora) from a distance.
Hinduism
Srinagar has, to my surprise, a South Indian Temple set up by soldiers from Southern India who served in Kashmir. We are honoured in that we are invited to perform some of the pujas (prayer rituals), all in the cold, under the direction of the residing pandit.
Multiple Faiths, barefoot on the snow
Then we are driven up a hill that offers fantastic birds eye views of the city below. On top of the rock hill, at an altitude of 300 metres, and a climb of about 300 steps, sits a square building on an octagonal base. There are shades of Buddhist architectural influence.This is a Shiva Temple. The temple grounds are covered in snow, and we do our perambulations with our socks on. It is said that the temple was visited by Adi Shankaracharya, a Hindu seer, in the 18th century, and hence is a significant pilgrim centre. He is said to have attained enlightenment in the very spot. An underground cave-like low celinged room marks the spot. Historically the site has been connected with multiple faiths which include Zoarastrianism and Islam.
Related to the Ramayana
Then we drive quite a ways from the city to yet another significant temple, Kheer Bhavani for the goddess Bhavani. Why 'Kheer',which means sweet rice pudding? Because it is the traditional offering to the Goddess.This temple is built over a spring which is known to change into various hues --red, pink, orange, green, blue, white, etc. The phenomenon caught the eye of Swami Vivekananda. We should be happy not to have seen it black for it would have been considered ominous.
Plane trees, like those in Europe, abound in the temple grounds. So you can imagine how the leaves take on glorious shades of yellow, brown and red in autumn.
Guarded Divinity
Military presence was clearly evident in all these temples, either through a checkpoint or being beside a military base.
In fact, we found out later, there had been intensive reconnaissance and some other clandestine operations during our visit.
Crop of gold: saffron
Throughout our drives we passed by numerous stores selling saffron. We also passed by snow covered fields that showed the furrows along which the expensive crocus is cultivated. It is said that all a small family needs is a small plot of land to grow these plants the flavourful stamens of whose flowers will fetch high prices and guarantee a comfortable source of income.
Calm, tranquil, peaceful, serene, paradisical, mirror-like lake, crops of gold -- we hope Srinagar remains so forever.
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