An untouched yet a grand picturesque place of Kashmir – ‘Bota Pathri’

The snow mountains, lush green valleys, and riverfronts with natural beauty all around make Kashmir simply a land of paradise on earth.  Through the removal of article 370, people living in Jammu and Kashmir can now avail all those benefits and rights that were treasured by the constitution of India and made by Dr. B.R.Ambedkar. I visited this paradise land in May 2022 and talked with locals there, they were quite contented with the decision taken by the Government of India. They felt that now new industries will arrive and people will not only get better job opportunities but also the economy of J&K will improve. In Srinagar and many areas in J&K, after every half km. distance I was shocked to see bunkers, army checkpoints, and army men with loaded guns in their hands. Still, an unseen terror always hovers in the state. I believe with more business activities, a halt to terrorism can be seen very soon in this beautiful place.

My driver Basheer took me to an untouched place in Kashmir, i.e., ‘Bota Pathri’, 5km. away from the Line of Control. It is situated in the lap of Nagin valley at Gulmarg in Kashmir’s Baramullah district. Bota Pathri is completely under the army’s control and was opened to the general public in 2012 by the J&K Tourism Department. As it’s a border area so with special permission from the army one can visit the place. By showing my identity card at this army checkpoint I was permitted to enter the premises of Bota Pathri. At a certain point, tourists are allowed to enter but after that point, no visitor is allowed except the army. The road through which I reached the second checkpoint eventually leads to the Apharwat Peak and the Alpather Lake although no civilian movement is allowed beyond the second checkpoint. After reaching a specific point, my car driver told me that now by horse I could go to the second checkpoint. Though I felt a bit scared taking a horse ride but a comfortable ride on my horse Badal I witnessed the picturesque natural beauty, deep dense forest with long chinar trees, fast-flowing river, snow mountains around with the village of Gujjar shepherds, a mosque, and a dargah inside Bota Pathri. These shepherds stay for 6 months in Bota Pathri and later they moved to another place in Jammu. I got goosebumps as I reached the second checkpoint because I was exactly inside the clouds and at an elevation of about 10,000 feet.

It was the first time when I stayed on a houseboat on the concluding day of my stay in Srinagar. My luxurious houseboat was in Nigeen Lake. Sumptuous veg. food, 24 hrs. caretaker facility with many other amenities it was all together a fantastic stay. My caretaker Raju, a Bengali middle-aged man was always there for any sort of help I asked for. Reaching a houseboat through a shikhara (a small boat) was always a fun ride. On the deck soothing breeze, chirping of birds, and vendors come frequently to sell their goods, viz., handicraft items, flowers, woollen items, etc. give a fantastic rejuvenating feel. Through shikara I visited the famous and very interesting floating Meena Bazar at Srinagar’s Dal Lake. Here, I saw a row of shops of Kashmiri dresses, jewellery, carpets, saffron, and other spices with a complete market on boats.When I was going toward Pahalgam my driver Faizal showed me apple valleys and saffron farms. I tasted and brought the famous Kahwa tea also. Prepared with special Kashmiri herbs and spices, saffron, honey, and served with dry fruits this hot herbal tea doesn’t smell good but is also suitable for the cold climate of Kashmir. Faizal so proudly showed me the dargah and other spots used in Hindi movies like Bajrangi Bhaijan and Mission Kashmir too.I also witnessed a national importance monument and an archaeological site the ruins of Avantisvami temple, Avantipura situated between the Srinagar to Pahalgam road. The temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu was built by the founder of Avntipura, king Avantivarman who ruled the region of J&K between 854-883 AD. Now there are only the ruins of the temple that remained. But the fine carving and the sculpture were noteworthy to see.I went to a Kashmir handicraft emporium from where I purchased beautiful hand-painted Paper-Mache exclusive items. These items cost very expensive because of the fine painting done on these handicraft pieces and also the brush artists use for the painting is specially designed with two hairs procured from the cat moustache. On this 10-day long trip to J&K, I had a lifetime experience with loads of beautiful memories created.