Day 3: Jammu & Srinagar

15^th April 2013. 7:15 pm.

 

The whole family had finally managed to finish the packing and we were on our way to the Delhi Railway Station.

We needed two huge cars, for the entire luggage and a total of eight people to fit in.

 

We soon boarded the overnight train to Jammu. After much drama and trouble about most of our seats being in different compartments, we all finally managed to settle down. After eating our packed dinners, without much ado, we made necessary arrangements to sleep.

 

My kid brother declared he wanted to bunk in with me and I didn’t have much of a choice but to agree. It would be uncomfortable, admitted, sleeping in the same bunk. But it isn’t everyday an only child gets to call someone her brother, now is it?

 

It was cold, with the wind blowing in from the entrance doors (our seats were right near the doors and bathroom) and the windows. Initially, I did doze off. But I woke up in the middle of the night when I realized my kid brother had nearly kicked me off. He was heavy but I finally managed to make some place for both of us when I realized this man was standing right in front of our bunk, staring.

 

He was one of those men who hadn’t gotten a confirmed registration and was forced to take to the floor like a lot of other people. Needless to say, it scared me. I had no idea about the man’s intentions and the rest of the night; I sat up straight, unable to sleep.

 

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We reached the Jammu railway station pretty early and from there, we were to travel to the Jammu Airport and catch our flight to Srinagar.

 

The Jammu Airport is small and has an insane number of security checks. Also, you’re expected to walk across the runway to reach the plane for boarding. I honestly have serious concerns about the safety of passengers.

 

The flight was primarily booked as my grandparents would we unable to take a long car journey. However, it lasted for about fifteen minutes. We got pretty good views from on top, valleys filled with snow as Srinagar came to view as a lazy and pretty city.

 

We were greeted by rain and a freezing temperature of eleven degrees as we landed at Srinagar. After getting our luggage back, we got out sweaters and scarves and after wrapping ourselves and huddling together, we finally left the airport in the pouring rain. Coming from the Delhi heat, needless to say, we welcomed the cold. It felt good.

 

It may seem surprising but Dal Lake is not within the city of Srinagar. Instead, it’s on the outskirts and attracts most of the tourists. We were staying at Hotel Pinegrove, which was almost on the Boulevard, the road around Dal Lake.

However, I do not remember the drive to the Hotel, having fallen asleep.

 

After freshening up a bit and having lunch at the hotel, we left by car for a drive around the Lake. And that’s when I fell in love with this place called Kashmir.

 

It was still drizzling, the Lake was misty and we could see a row of houseboats with colorful Shikaras dotting all over the lake and in the background, a range of snow-peaked mountains stood. It was breathtaking, the first bit of actual Kashmir we’d seen. All any of us could do was stare. Little did we know what was in store for us. This was just the beginning.

 

Indira Gandhi Memorial- Tulip Garden. That’s where we were headed. The rain had finally reduced to a faint drizzle, much to everyone’s relief. After buying the entry tickets, we headed inside, trying to be careful about the slippery ground.

 

There were rows and rows of colorful tulips, of various varieties. The surroundings showed snow peaks and mountains.

They claimed the Bollywood movie ‘Silsila’ had been shot here, with the heroine jumping in and out of the rows of the tulips or something, probably singing a romantic song.

 

The whole setting was beautiful. And we’d gone at the perfect time, the only month the Tulip Garden is open. Besides that, the flowers looked extremely fresh due to the rain.

Needless to say, we got into this elaborate photo-taking session, marveling at all the colors and the number of varieties there are. It truly is amazing.

 

After staring at tulips till our heart’s content, we bought cups of hot tea and a Kashmiri bakery item called Bakerwani. The atmosphere was still damp and it had started raining again, much to our dismay. Sightseeing would go for a toss with the current weather conditions.

 

However, the last thing for the day was the Shankaracharya Temple. To reach this temple, one would have to climb 216 steps. Our driver joked that we should probably pray, on reaching the temple so that the rains stopped. That was the thing with all the Kashmiri people we encountered. They were all far too friendly and enthusiastic towards us, tourists. But we also learnt that all these people depended on tourists for their earning. They were basically poor, otherwise. Besides being friendly, they all looked brilliant. Being the direct ancestors of the Aryans, they are blessed with sharp features and fair skin.

 

On the way up, it was raining pretty heavily and we were careful not to slip on the wet stone steps. With Ma clinging on to me for support, we finally did reach. A small temple, surrounded by mist. We were at least a few thousand feet above sea level and the whole city could be viewed from on top.

 

It being a temple, we were to take off our sneakers and socks. The damp cold our bare feet bore through then caused our feet to go numb. Without the slightest exaggeration, that’s exactly what happened.

 

Nonetheless, we started up the last few steep steps that would lead us into the temple compound. It is believed that Sri Shankaracharya had reached the top and had started a powerful penance. The actual temple was small and not more than five people could stand inside at the same time. There was a huge black mound shaped like the Shivalinga, around which people walked around, chanting all sorts of things.

 

I guess we all did pray for the weather for as soon as we got out of the temple, the rain had stopped. By the time we had gone back to the car point, the sky was already clearing. That left us all a little astounded for a while.

 

We returned to the hotel, thereafter. Some of us choosing to snuggle between the sheets of our electrically heated beds and the rest of us, choosing to get some shopping done. 

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Author's Note

Open to all suggestions and criticism. :)