The Great Himalayan Drive 2/5

Day 3 : Dalhousie - Chamba - Padri - Bhaderwah - Kishtwar

So after being well rested in Dalhousie in the beautiful place which we stayed at once again we started on the Road early morning around 8 AM but it was already starting to get hot as we descended down to the Chamera Lake which to my surprise was full of Wooden Logs and other Wooden debris. It was indeed a bizarre site seeing thousands of wooden logs just floating on the Dam. But there was some work underway to clear the Wooden Logs and slowly they were being removed. It reminded me of the time when precious Timber from the Himalayan forests were sent down the Rivers in much the same way as we saw it happening. But that way of Transportation of the Wooden logs doesnt take place anymore and also apparently much less of the Jungle is being felled nowadays.

We drove along the Lake for some time and then we started gaining elevation. It was a scenic drive the River on one side. We rose up the Valley from the Ravi and and into the higher elevations of the Salooni area. But it was pretty hot and we wanted to get across the Pass into cooler climes. We had a quick lunch at Salooni which offers great views of some of the Peaks but the early afternoon Clouds had already set in and we couldn't really get any outstanding shot.

But after Salooni the scenery starts to change as we enter one of the side Valleys as we start the climb towards Padri. This Part of the Trip is quite pretty as the area is totally green with fast flowing Mountain Rivers and Waterfalls. These smaller hidden Valleys get a lot of local Rain and as a result they have a much more verdant look. And the rich Forest cover makes them much cooler as well. We met a sudden hail-storm at one of the Valleys as we had been stopped by the Road construction crew.

And then there is Bhaderwah !

I have been to many places in the Mountains, personally and through Books and other Media. Read extensively. And I consider myself pretty well versed with the Western Himalayas, at least as its my home turf.

The problem is that when you are born and brought up in Kashmir, which was an act of providence, and I am sure I didnt do anything in my past, you get a certain Complex. Of course I am talking about the time when it was a calm and peaceful place back in the 80s. I call it the "Jannat E Kashmir" Complex and it develops when you constantly hear outsiders say how lucky you are to be born and to be living in Kashmir. Of course hearing it repeatedly it gets to your head. And of course this gets re-enforced when you read the works of various Westerners who happened to be so enamored with Kashmir mostly because it was off limits to most outsiders.

Anyways what this complex does is that you start to think of other places in the Mountains as being somehow lesser than "Glorious Kashmir". I still suffer from this Complex though in the years it has become less acute as I see more of the Mountains. A part of this Complex is that you consider Srinagar the most beautiful City in the Universe. And I never really found a place quite like it. Till I came to Bhaderwah. The only connection I have had with Bhaderwah was that Jagga, my Bakarwali had been brought to me by my friend from his ancestral home in Bhaderwah.

Interestingly the Gazzetter of Kashmir and Ladakh of 1890 talks of this beautiful area as well. It specifically mentions that the fruits grown in Bhaderwah can rival the best grown in the Kashmir Valley. Tobacco grown in Bhaderwah at that time was said to be of a very superior quality. And Bhaderwah Homey was also said to be very good. In today’s age we know that the Bhaderwahi Rajmah is supposed to be one of the best Rajmah carrying on the old Bhaderwah tradition of being one of the finest agricultural areas in the State.

The coincidence is both Srinagar and Bhaderwah are at almost the same altitude of around 1600 m which is puny by Himalayan standards. But i guess its a good altitude at the latitudes they are located at of course with Srinagar being North of Bhaderwah. But Bhadewah gives Srinagar a run for its money when it comes to beauty. The Houses are quite similar though the Bhaderwah Valley is much narrower than the expansive Kashmir Valley. The population also has a large Kashmiri component and the population consists of a Muslim majority with a large Hindu minority.

And the Bhaderwah area which is connected to Jammu via the Chenab Valley and connected to Chamba via the Padri Pass was always quite a bone of contention between the two powerful Dogra Rajput Kingdoms. The Chambyalis usually dominated and held Bhaderwah many times until the power of Jammu grew under Raja Gulab Singh. There is said to be a great engagement fought between the Bhaderwahis lead by General Shagtu Kotwal gave a strong fight to the Chambyalis led by General Nathu Ram were defeated. These Chambayali raids on Bhaderwah was a regular feature and after repulsing the Chambyalis the General went to Raja Gulab Singh who was very pleased with him and gave him a Jagir in Bhaderwah. A sort of truce was arranged between Jammu and Chamba and the deal was that the revenue for the Rabi crop went to Jammu while the revenue from the Kharif crop went to Chamba.

But after some kind of settlement between Jammu and Chamba, Bhaderwah as well as Doda and Kishtwar both areas also claimed by Chamba as its own, were settled and I guess the British had a role to play in that. The British I reckon got Dalhosuie of out this whole deal is the assumption I like to believe. Interestingly it is said that Gurkha soldiers posted in Bakloh used to come over to Bhaderwah to enjoy the salubrious air and the sublime Climate of this area as Bakloh also tends to get very hot in Summers with the temperature soaring to high 30s.

Anyways if you ever get a chance do visit this very pretty area. Words are not enough to do justice to the beauty of Bhaderwah. Its just magical. The Bhaderwah Fort is also a beautiful building and Houses a Temple in the inner courtyard and a small Mosque as well in the outer courtyard. Leaving you with a pic of this dreamy little town. I wish I could Post more pics of this Town but I implore you to discover this little gem for yourself.

Bhaderwah Town as seen from a distance. June, 2019

Day 4 Kishtwar Sinthan Pass Kishtwar

On our recent long foray into the Mountains me and Tahlan Sir decided to go to the Sinthan Pass as it had opened just a day earlier. In the evening we were warned by some people that there was some Militant activity around the Pass and we should avoid.

Of course we had our own sources and being from Kashmir these thing hardly perturb me. Anyways we got our all clear and started our Journey towards Sinthan. Because of the incident which took place one day before the security personnel were on alert and the check points to the Pass were manned by the Army. The Army men were rather amused when they saw a HR registered Fortuner with two not so young men wanting to go to Sinthan Pass. We were asked why we were going there ? I told them well I am missing home and if I feel like I might go to Srinagar from there and if I m not in the mood I will come back. They obviously laughed. :)

And soon we were on our way through this beautiful pristine area which still lives in an era gone by. The Gujjars were also on the move with their livestock, Horses, Families and Dogs. The population in the area is a mixed bag, there are Hindu Kishtawaris who live in the higher Villages, Muslim Kishtawaris (some of Kashmiri) descent in the Villages along the Road and Gujjars on the move and also living in some of the Villages. This mixing gives this area a unique cultural identity and adds to the charm of the place. Mosques and Temples around each other. It almost gave a notion of Paradise but of course this area has had its share of troubles.

Anyways the drive upto the top was just amazing with a lot of Snow walls right till the top of the Pass and some more on the other side. Anyways once on top I told Ramesh Sir that lets go down to Kashmir and have a cup of tea at the first place we find in Kashmir. And it was while going down that we met these guys. And surely they looked dangerous, but they didnt bother us and to me they looked like Tourists going upto their favourite holiday destination. Have a look ;)

And of course we had Tea at a shack set up by a Gujjar boy and served Girdas with Butter and Tea. And then we met a Gentleman there. Well thats a story for another day.

We checked out of our accomodation early in the morning and making enquiries about the status of the Sinthan Pass from the people in the know. They told us to go ahead and there are no issues on the Pass and it had been opened for Civilian traffic the day before. But of course going to Sinthan or any other Road access points into Kashmir involves a lot of checking.

We were stopped after the Bridge on the Marsudar at Bandarkoot and the Security official in-charge was kinda bemused to see a Toyota Fortuner with a HR26 number plate out in these parts. They are quite rare. And then we told him about us and then he asked whether we will go to Srinagar or some back from the Sinthan Pass.

Since we were still not sure I told him that I have a House in Srinagar and was born and brought up there and once we get to the top of the Pass we would decide whether we wanted to descend this way or the other way. Actually the thing was that I had the Margan Pass on my mind, I had walked on it many years ago but hadnt visited the place ever since a rough Motorable Road was built over it. I was mulling the option of going down to the Kashmir Valley and then going up the Margan Pass again and crossing into the beautiful Valley of Wadwan which though a part of Kishtwar was accessible by Road only through Kashmir. But of course the Gentleman wanted a straight answer whether we would come back or not. So we decided to drop any plans for the Valley including the Margan Pass and told the Officer that we would come back from the top of the Margan Pass. There are other Security check-points on the way which have to be informed. And the they made us stand next to the Car and took our Photos as a security routine. And then we were told to get on our way but not before they checked our luggage as well.