kashmir the heaven of india

The lure of lush landscapes, the
exhilaration of having seen Leh – the
high-altitude desert, and the holy
of Vaishno Devi – if there is a
heaven on earth, it is here, in Jammu &
Kashmir.Aparadise trying to regain its
rightful place on the tourism map after
the clouds of militancy slowly
disperse. Jammu, Kashmir and
Ladakh are the three parts that together
form the state, each so distinct from
the other. Let us begin with the capital
city of Srinagar…
SRINAGAR
Srinagar is a unique city, known for its
lakes – the Dal, Nagin and Anchar; for
its fabulous gardens – Shalimar and
Nishat; for the Shankaracharya temple
and for its mosques all awash in the
glorious splendour of nature that was
almost as if reserved for Srinagar
alone. The river Jhelum also flows
through a part of the city

SHOPPING
Kashmir is a handicraft lover's delight.
Pick up carpets, shawls, papier mache
goods painted by expert craftsmen,
baskets, cricket bats, walnut wood
artefacts etc. Food products include
saffron, walnuts, almonds,
Kashmiri chillies and honey. Silks and
woollen embroidered shawls, can be
bought from the bazaars of Srinagar
which are dotted with handicraft stores

MUST DO
STAY IN HOUSEBOATS-These
floating homes on the Dal Lake and
Nagin Lake, are poetically
picturesque, and come with all modern
amenities. The Dal, Srinagar's largest
lake, has many of them in long rows,
some facing the Boulevard while
others are situated singly or in groups
of two or three. The houseboats here
require to go to and from
them