Anyone who pays a little attention to current events must be familiar with the word Kashmir. Because it is often said in the news that India and Pakistan are fighting in Kashmir again. Since independence in 1947, the two countries have fought three wars over Kashmir over more than 20 years. As for ordinary conflicts, large and small, they are commonplace, so Kashmir has won the name of "South Asian powder keg".
Why should India and Pakistan, which belong to the same roots, fight in Kashmir? Because it's a treasure land.
Srinagar
Srinagar
Today's broad Kashmir, also known as the Kashmir Plateau, covers an area of about 170,000 square kilometers, almost equivalent to 16 Lebanons. It borders China's Tibetan Plateau to the east and Nepal to the east. To the west is the Indus Valley, part of ancient India's Pakistan. To the southeast was the Gangetic Plain and present-day India, and to the north was bordered by Afghanistan. Most of the area is over 4 km above sea level, and there are 4 peaks above 8 km, including the second highest peak in the world. This height is exactly where the legendary gods live.
I don't know if there were great gods living here, but I do know that it overlooks the Punjab plain, where the ancient Indian civilization known to historians was born. The five rivers on this plain make this plain famous as the Five Rivers Basin. The reason why civilization was born here is based on the Himalayas and the Kashmir plateau. When the Aryans entered ancient India from the Khyber Pass and settled in the Five Rivers Valley, the ancient Indian civilization came to an end, but the new civilization took a light step, changing from generation to generation over thousands of years, and gradually moved from the Indus Valley to the Ganges Valley.
Jainism and Buddhism emerged as Brahmanism founded by the Aryans in the Five Rivers Valley declined, followed by the spread of Hinduism, which incorporated Buddhist ideas of karmic reincarnation. However, with the emergence of the Central Asian Turks who embraced Islam in the 12th century and the Turkic Mongols who also believed in Islam in the 16th century in ancient India, Kashmir and the Punjab plain below became a crossroads of religions, and Islam and Hinduism began to collide fiercely here. At the end of the 15th century, the Punjab region also gave birth to Sikhism, which is considered a branch of Hinduism. The religious adherents have long been associated with followers of Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism, turning Kashmir and the Punjab plains into "ticking time bombs."
Srinagar
Srinagar
Location of Kashmir
When the British occupied what is now Pakistan, India and Bangladesh in the 19th century, Kashmir became a princely state of British India. In order to maintain their rule, the British began to instigate Sikhs and Hindus to conflict with Muslims, and when they were about to withdraw from the three countries, they threw out the Mountbatten Plan. The plan called India where there were many Hindus and Pakistan where there were many Muslims, according to religious beliefs, which included Pakistan now located in the west of India and Bangladesh in the east, and India was caught between Muslims left and right. The princely states either joined India or Pakistan, or maintained their original relations with the British, but could not establish themselves as independent states, which became the root cause of the Kashmir conflict.
If Kashmir, with 78% Muslims and 20% Hindus, should be included in Pakistan, but the upper echelons of the princely states of Kashmir and members of their government are indeed Hindus, and the princely states of Kashmir naturally joined India. India took the opportunity to occupy Kashmir. Kashmir is "a hat on Pakistan's head," a stone's throw from Pakistan's capital. "It is tolerable, what is unbearable", so Pakistan and India broke out the first Indo-Pakistani war in the year of independence. As a result of the war, India controlled 3/5 of Kashmir and Pakistan controlled 2/5, and Kashmir became the front position of the long-term confrontation between India and Pakistan.
A second war broke out between the two countries in 1965. This time India came prepared, and Pakistan was caught off guard. When Pakistan was in trouble, China reached out to the rescue, and the name "Pakistan Railway" became familiar to Chinese with the war. Six years later, in the Third Indo-Pakistani War, India permanently separated Bangladesh from Pakistan with Soviet support.
Srinagar
Srinagar
Srinagar
In Kashmir, the "powder keg of South Asia", you can see not only the shadow of the conflict between India and Pakistan, but also the image of the Indian-Chinese fight. Historically, the Ladakh region southeast of Kashmir was Chinese territory or a vassal state of China, but the British did not get the consent of the Qing government and the Republic of China when they delimited the Sino-Indian border, so the Sino-Indian border including part of Kashmir is a confused account, in 1962, China and Pakistan joined hands to establish an anti-India front, China supported Pakistan's demands in Kashmir, and at the same time launched an attack on India from the east and west of the Sino-Indian border, quickly occupying the southern Tibet region, known as the "breadbasket of Tibet". The Indian army was beaten to pieces and suffered heavy losses, but the Chinese occupied the area for two months and returned it to India. This war is an eternal pain in the hearts of the Indian top brass and a permanent hatred of China buried in their hearts.
Kashmir, which is located in the "upstream" of India and Pakistan, and Kashmir, which is born to have "air supremacy" over them, is naturally a sweet potato. When India, Pakistan and China all want to "lower their mouths" on it, in fact, the claws of the United States and the Soviet Union flashed behind it. And these countries are obsessed with Kashmir not only because it contains the "throat" of India and Pakistan, but also because the oasis Silk Road runs through it and the Tibetan Plateau, the most famous of the many routes on the Silk Road connecting East and West. Along its route, the activities and interactions of human civilization are most frequent and persistent. For more than a thousand years, the Oasis Silk Road not only brought spices, precious metals, ivory, gemstones and horses closer to East Asia and Rome, but also spread knowledge and religious beliefs, and Buddhism expanded to the northwest and east in the third century. After the Muslim occupation of Kashmir, Persian ornament patterns were introduced through the Oasis Silk Road, which were used in local carpet weaving, painting and calligraphy.
Srinagar
Srinagar
Srinagar
Srinagar
In addition to the oasis Silk Road, an ancient trade route connected to China through the Ladakh region of Kashmir, which allowed Tibetan Buddhism to spread from the Tibetan Plateau to the Ladakh region, making the region an important Buddhist region in India today. At the same time, this route also made trade one of Darak's most important sources of income. Kashmir is also a must for Hindus to make pilgrimages to Mount Kailash in Tibet, a sacred mountain shared by Bon and Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism in Tibet. One can imagine how important the strategic location of Kashmir is.
Today, Kashmir, which seems calm and calm, is still an undercurrent. My little boy and I, who ate bear heart leopard gall, risked bullets and bullets, made the first stop of our trip to India at Srignar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, India, and Kashmir in the narrow sense refers to the beautiful and pleasant river valley in which Srinagar is located. This is the venue of the global G20 meeting in May this year, who gave India the courage to "top the smoke"?
Paris
Paris
Notre Dame Cathedral
Before flying to India, I went to Paris with Fa Xiaoer. The main reason why I am going to Paris is that I haven't used up my KLM voucher yet, so I used it before it was invalidated. Our plane arrived in Paris after 7 a.m., while the flight to Delhi, the capital of India, was after 10 p.m., so we could spend the day wandering around Paris. We first deposited our bags at the airport for 12 euros, and then bought train and bus tickets to Notre Dame Cathedral for 12 euros, and I was going to see if the Notre Dame Cathedral was "complete" under restoration, and then I would walk around the Pantheon that I had not visited with my husband last summer.
This Panthéon is more than 2 centuries old and has a façade modeled after the Pantheon in Rome, Italy. It is considered a fine example of early neoclassical architecture and houses 72 sages who contributed to French history, including Voltaire, Rousseau, Hugo, Zola, and Curie. Although I had an innate fear of visiting anyone's mausoleum, I paid 11.5 euros to visit and admire these masters out of admiration.
Pantheon
Pantheon
Pantheon
Pantheon
Pantheon
Pantheon
The Panthéon is located in the famous Latin Quarter of Paris, which has many famous historical buildings. After spending 68 euros each for a Japanese Michelin meal at L'Initial's restaurant in this area, Fa Xiaoer and I began to walk through the streets under the sunny sky, enjoying the historic buildings. Close to the Panthéon is the Église Saint-Étienne-du-Mont, built at the end of the 15th century. The nave inside it, named after the saint, was built during the Renaissance in the 16th century, and the choir was also built in the 16th century, but in the Gothic style.
Surrounding these two ancient buildings are Parisian institutions, we pass through the University of Paris I and the famous Bd Saint-Michel in Paris in addition to the Champs-Élysées, and enter the Le Jardin du Luxembourg, built in the 17th century. The park is beautiful, with the Luxembourg Palace, the seat of the French Senate, the Fontaine des Quatre-Parties-du-Monde, and the statue of the Empress of France and the Statue of Liberty. Although the afternoon sun in Paris is a little hot, the classical architecture and the crowds along the way make us not bored and hard at all. When we crossed the Seine and Le Centre Pompidou, which I loved, the crowds disappeared and we got tired, so we took the Uber back to the airport. In Paris, Uber generally charges 2 euros per kilometer.
Church of Saint-Etienne
Jardin du Luxembourg
Jardin du Luxembourg
Luxembourg Palace
Centre Pompidou
Michelin in Paris
As the plane took off, my expectations for India began to grow. I thought the Indian food on the plane would be difficult to eat, but it was okay. After watching two good Indian movies and taking a nap, the plane arrived at Delhi airport early. There are 53 exit points, but there are basically no foreigners. Unlike other countries, in India you have to press the handprint, which is as slow as an old cow. We were transiting in Delhi to Srinagar, and I didn't stop in Delhi first, partly because the temperature in Delhi was in the 40s in early June, and partly because July and August were the rainy season in the mountains of Kashmir, and some places would collapse. I was worried that driving in the mountains of Kashmir was difficult at that time, and some people said that traffic jams for several hours were common, so I set up my first stop in Muslim-majority Srinagar.
But I didn't expect that when I was transiting in Delhi to the airport, there were many heavily armed soldiers outside, and these soldiers had to check their tickets and boarding passes before allowing passengers to enter the airport. While taking the children to the bathroom in the lounge, an Indian man sat down next to me. I looked at him and thought he was so strange, why do so many empty seats have to sit here with me? Then he chatted with me, saying that he was famous in Srinagar and offered to take us to the hotel. Fortunately, he came to pick up the conversation, because the plane flew over the valley flanked by snow-capped mountains, and after arriving in the small and dilapidated Srinagar, we didn't see a single taxi in front of the airport. But we didn't take advantage of him, and I gave him 500 rupees, a little over $6, when I got out of the car.
Delhi Airport
Delhi Airport
Go to Srinagar on a plane
Coming out of the dilapidated airport, we began to suffer from pain, because all the way there were rotten cars with black smoke exhaust, the best car was a Honda, and there were crowds, and I had not seen a single eye-catching building, but I saw many soldiers with guns and barricades and drivers who drove unruly, but our B&B was good. It's in Dal Lake and requires a boat to paddle in, for 100 rupees at a time, for a little over $1. Lotus leaves in many parts of the lake, colorful luxury houseboats, and snow-capped mountains in the distance show why Srinagar was a summer favorite from Mughal emperors to British colonists. Away from the hustle and bustle and squalor, the silence and beauty of the place made me swear that I could accompany me on my 46-day trip to India.
The owner of the B&B was welcoming and spoke good English and was authentic Kashmiri. Kashmiris are descendants of the Aryans, so they have light skin and are taller. When the Aryans entered the Five Rivers Valley, it included Srinagar. It sits on the banks of the Jhelum River, a tributary of the Indus and the longest of the five. In Srinagar, in addition to this river, there are three well-watered lakes, which are wide and interconnected, and the Dal Lake where I live is the largest.
Dal Lake
Dal Lake
Dal Lake
Houseboats in Dal Lake
And the reason why there are so many beautiful houseboats in Dal Lake dates back to the British colonization here. At that time, the British in India wanted to come to Srinagar to escape the heat in the hot summer, so they rented land from the local Tubang king to build a villa, but they were refused, and the British had to build luxurious and comfortable boats in the lake. When they were evacuated from India, the boats became colorful houseboats.
The owner of our homestay also lives in the houseboat and they converted the excess into a homestay. Although the owner was welcoming, it was not at all vague to "slaughter" us, and we were charged $15 for dinner for two and $17 for lunch at a fancy restaurant the next day. The main thing is that dinner is very average, just a homely meal eaten at their home. His daughter attends private school, but tuition is not much more expensive than public school. It was here that we noticed that the SIM we bought at Delhi airport did not work well in Kashmir. It seems that Kashmir is indeed a special region outside India.
Nishat Gardens
Nishat Gardens
Nishat Gardens
Nishat Gardens
Nishat Gardens
Nishat Gardens
Nishat Gardens
The next day, after eating our complimentary breakfast with very, very tasty Masala Chai over the sound of morning prayers at 4 a.m., we paid $25 for a day of tuk-tuks to visit Srinagar, which has suffered numerous explosions, gunshots and huge floods since 2003. This small city surrounded by mountains is nearly 1,600 meters above sea level, and the minimum temperature is only 15 degrees, but the maximum temperature reaches 28 degrees, and there is no smog at all. The sky was high and cloudy, which made us feel that the sun was low and hot, and with the shrill whistles and the dirty environment, we felt that we did not enjoy the scenery at all. But we were curious about Kashmir and the Mughal Empire and visited the sights of Srinagar.
In fact, Srinagar, which has experienced many years of war, does not have any special attractions, and the 22-kilometer Dal Lake where we live is the most beautiful attraction in the town, and the others are the three gardens left by the royal family of the Mughal Empire. The gardens are built under the mountains, and tickets are almost $3. They draw on Persian, Western and Central Asian architecture and garden aesthetics, and incorporate native Indian cultures, with the Nishat Bagh Garden being the largest and most beautiful of the three. Located on the shores of Dal Lake against the backdrop of majestic snow-capped mountains, it was designed by the emperors of the Mughal Empire in the first half of the 17th century. Inside, Indians in bright costumes picnic and photograph in gardens filled with lawns, roses and colourful flowers, and splash around in the waterfall-style fountain pool. We also see many primary and secondary school students doing various projects in the garden, and it seems that Indian education is not a dead reading of textbooks.
Shalima Gardens
Shalima Gardens
Shalima Gardens
Chassima Sha Creek Garden
Chassima Sha Creek Garden
Shalimar Bagh is much smaller than the Nishat Garden, but it has a progressive Persian structure and has students working on projects here. The Cheshma shahi Garden is the smallest of the three, but the least crowded, as locals believe that the spring water here has healing properties.
In predominantly Muslim Srinagar, mosques are the most famous, of which Khanqah-e-Moula is the most famous. It is the center of activity of Islamic Sufi monks and the first mosque in Kashmir, founded in the second half of the 14th century by Persian saint Mir Sayed Ali Hamadani, and is therefore a holy place for Islam. Unlike what I've seen in Turkey and Egypt, this mosque doesn't have the domes common to mosques, but it has a small minaret that resembles a Buddhist temple, and the structure of a Hindu temple with crystal lamps hanging from it, and the elaborate reliefs and beautiful decorations inside and outside are fascinating. However, this mosque is not allowed to non-Muslims, and we can only marvel at its beauty at the door and window.
Hanaka Mosque
Hanaka Mosque
Hanaka Mosque
Although the Hanaka Mosque is the most famous in Kashmir, it is not the largest, the largest being the Jamia Masjid, built at the end of the 17th century and capable of holding tens of thousands of worshippers. This mosque with buildings on all sides also has no dome, resembles a castle from the outside to the inside, and has a garden with a fountain inside, and the whole building is influenced by the Central Asian aesthetic. The tuk-tuk driver also took us to the Dargah Hazratbal Shrine on the shores of Dal Lake. The mosque was originally built in the 17th century with a dome, but this dome was added in the 70s of the 20th century. This mosque is considered the holiest Muslim shrine in Kashmir because it hides the hair of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. Both mosques are Mughal legacies of Kashmir and are used by Muslims here today.
Why is the mosque different from the traditional mosque? Since ancient times, it is the northwest gate of ancient India, and Srinagar is the main point of east-west traffic In the 3rd century BC of the Mauryan Empire's Ashoka period, Buddhism once flourished, and after the 7th century there was a Hindu dynasty ruled, so when Muslims came in the 14th century and built mosques, they inevitably integrated Buddhist and Hindu elements into the mosque to curry favor with people of both sects.
Jama Mosque
Jama Mosque
Jama Mosque
In addition to taking us to these places, the tuk-tuk driver took us to a fine dining restaurant that serves specialties from Kashmir. Because it was the first time to eat, we were interested in dishes with a unique style of Kashmir. Each dish comes in a small bowl, consisting of lamb meatballs boiled in yogurt (Gushtaba) and stewed in gravy (Rishta), as well as braised lamb (Rogan-gosht), fried lamb chops (Tabakmaaz), braised lamb chops and curry chicken thighs, served with sweet raw onions and fluffy rice. It's that the oil is too big, eat a line, eat a meal we definitely can't stand it, but braised lamb is our favorite, I ate all the way to Delhi. Before leaving, the waiter agreed to swipe our card and asked for a $1 tip, saying it was a souvenir. This is the only time we have swiped our credit card in Kashmir and it is not accepted anywhere else.
On our third day in Srinagar, we wandered around Old Town of Srinagar. The roadsides of the old town are full of various vendors, and we started tasting the fruits here. Watermelon is sweet, 200 rupees for 5 pounds, less than $3. The apricot is also good, but the mango flesh near the skin has a smell of washing powder, which is not delicious. In one restaurant, we also bought Chinese-style cakes and peach pastry. At noon, we walked through the crowded street where the sound of horns can pierce our eardrums and walked to Linz Cafe, recommended by netizens, which is said to be the best restaurant in Srinagar. The restaurant was full of locals, and our two foreigners attracted everyone's attention as soon as we entered. Looking at the recipe, we won't order a single dish, we see that many people are eating fried rice (Kashimiri Pullau) with their hands, and Fa Xiaoer also ordered one. I ordered Kabab and it turned out to be sautéed lamb with onions, but it was delicious, but the best thing was the Cheese bag.
Sharif Mosque
Dal Lake next to the Sharif Mosque
Dal Lake next to the Sharif Mosque
Dal Lake next to the Sharif Mosque
We packed our unfinished meals, and as soon as we left the restaurant, we saw a woman dressed in black, wearing a black veil, and only one pair of eyes sitting on the ground asking for food. We handed her the packed meal, and she immediately hid under her black robe, surprising us a little at how fast. On the road where soldiers could be seen everywhere, we walked all the way to the bus station. After renting a car there, we embarked on a two-day journey through the breathtaking Himalayas on the second day. We're going there to see the green mountains rise and watch the time fly.
Srinagar Houseboat Dining Available
Srinagar Dining
Srinagar Dining
Srinagar route
Paris route