Kashmir
Local Greeting
As-salamu alaykum (ุงูุณูุงู ุนูููู ) โ standard Muslim greeting; Namaskar for Hindu Pandits
How locals say hello in Kashmir
Best Time to Visit
AprilโJune (tulip gardens, shikara rides on Dal Lake) or DecemberโFebruary (skiing at Gulmarg, snow-covered Mughal gardens)
Must Eat
Local Tip
A shikara boat ride on Dal Lake at dawn โ before the flower sellers, tourists, and vegetable markets emerge โ is one of the most serene experiences in India. The Mughal gardens (Shalimar Bagh, Nishat Bagh, Chashme Shahi) were designed by Mughal emperors as their paradise on earth and are best at sunrise before the coach tours arrive. Gulmarg (2,650m) is 50 km from Srinagar and runs the highest gondola in the world โ in winter, the snow quality rivals the Alps.
Origin Story
AncientThe Kashmir Valley has been inhabited since the Neolithic period. Hindu tradition holds that the valley was a primordial lake (Satisar) drained by the sage Kashyapa to create habitable land. The Karkota dynasty (625โ885 AD) united the valley and produced its first great cultural flowering under King Lalitaditya Muktapida, who built the Sun Temple at Martand. Islam arrived in the 14th century under Shah Mir, who founded the first Muslim sultanate in 1339. The Mughals captured Kashmir in 1586 โ Emperors Akbar, Jahangir, and Shah Jahan all built gardens here, describing the valley as paradise on earth. ('If there is a paradise on earth, it is this, it is this, it is this.') The British Raj passed suzerainty to the Dogra Maharajas. At Indian independence in 1947, the Hindu Maharaja Hari Singh signed the Instrument of Accession to India following a Pakistani-backed invasion โ initiating the Kashmir conflict that has continued in various forms ever since. The valley remains the world's most militarised civilian territory and one of its most achingly beautiful.
Fun Fact
The Dal Lake 'floating gardens' (rad) are man-made islands of vegetation woven together over centuries โ vegetable farmers grow tomatoes, cucumbers, and lotus roots in plots that literally float on the lake and can be poled to market by shikara. Kashmir saffron (Crocus sativus Kashmirianus) grown in the Pampore crocus fields is among the world's most prized โ it takes 150,000 flowers to produce 1 kg of dried saffron, and the harvest window is just two weeks in October.
Cultural Dos
- โDress modestly in Srinagar โ particularly around the Jama Masjid and in the old city
- โStay on a houseboat on Dal Lake โ a Kashmiri tradition since the British Raj when Europeans were not permitted to own land
- โBuy Pashmina wool directly from a certified cooperative โ genuine Kashmiri pashmina (from Changthangi goats) is a completely different material from the Chinese imitations
Cultural Don'ts
- โPhotograph army installations, checkpoints, or security forces
- โDebate the political status of Kashmir with locals โ the geopolitical situation is deeply personal and painful
- โMiss the chance to attend a traditional Wazwan feast if invited โ a multi-course Kashmiri banquet is one of India's greatest culinary experiences
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