A TALE OF NEW HOPE:
BANDIPORE
Bandipore
(aka Bandipur, Bandipura) is one of the newest districts of the Kashmir area
and was formed in April 2007. The district of Bandipore has been carved from
the erstwhile inhabitants of the place ‘Bande’, who were traditional guides of
the Silk Route. It is located on the north-eastern corner of Wular Lake. Bandipore
is bounded on the west by Kupwara district, on the south by Ganderbal and Baramulla
District, on the east by Kargil district and on the north by Neelum District.
It is located on the northern banks of Wular Lake - the biggest lake of clean
water in Asia. Bandipore is also a stepping town to the higher reaches of
Razdan, Gurez and Tragbal.
The famous
lolab valley in Kupwara district is adjacent to the Bandipore. It is just 30 km
from Bandipore via Aaloosa village. Once this road is upgraded it will become a
lifeline of the lolab valley and it will provide an additional route to the
Kupwara district. Bandipore was the connecting link between North India and
Central Asia via the silk route.
Bandipore
is not only endowed with beauty and also equally inhospitable landscapes but
also religious places with legends attached to them. Right from Rishis to Sufis
to Mosses and Jesus, historic figures have been associated with this place.
Bandipore is connected to Srinagar by road. Local hotels and guest houses offer
basic facilities, and the tourism season is between May and October.
Some of the
major areas of tourist interest in the district are:-
Wular Lake
A two-hour
drive down the rugged road from Srinagar to Bandipore first takes you to the
Wular Lake which was formed by tectonic activity
is one of the largest freshwater lakes in Asia. Dubbed as the life line
of nearly 50 villages around it, the lake stands as a potential destination for
water sports. The lake is 16 km long and 9.6km wide. While most of it is
covered with weed, there are areas up to 14 m deep, ideal for water skiing and
rowing.
Wular is connected by road from Bandipore and is about 24 kilometers
from the town. Wular Lake may be regarded as the
delta of the Jhelum in Kashmir. In its course from Khanabal to the Delta the
fall of the river is 165 feet in the 30 miles and 55 feet in the next 24 miles.
In December ,when the river is at its lowest, the average breadth is 210 feet
and its mean depth is 9 feet. To the ordinary observer it would seem evident
that the river arose from the grand spring of deep blue water at Vernag which
bubbles up underneath a steep scrap of rock clothedwith pines, but the Hindus
maintain that a spring a little Vernag, known as Vethvatru, has the honour of
being the source of the great Kashmir River.
Wular Lake plays a significant role in the hydrographic system of the Kashmir
Valley by acting as huge absorption basin for annual floodwater. The lake and
its surrounding extensive marshes have an important natural wildlife. The lake
is surrounded by important wetlands which are continually being drained to
provide small farm plots by local residents. The rivers Bohnar, Madamati
and Erin from the mountain ranges and the rivers Vetasta (Jhelum) and the
Ningal from the south bring hundreds of tons of silt into the lake every year.
This rampant siltation and the human encroachments have devastating effects on the
lake. As farming pressures have grown, the lake has become increasingly silted.
Records show that Wular Lake has lost half of its size in the last hundred years.
Ahem Sharief
Bandipore
is home to one of the most ancient relics of Islamic culture. The turban and
cloak of Prophet Mohammad with authenticating documents is preserved in the
shrine. Itis a pilgrimage spot for hundreds of devotees. The relics
aredisplayed on six auspicious days of the Islamic calendar. Ahem Shareif lies
on the road from Bandipore to a village called Panar.
Athabuth
If Rozabal in Srinagar
is rumored tobe the final resting place of Jesus Christ, a shrine in the middle
of wilderness at Athabuth is where he is said to have been last sighted. A trek
by the countryside from Panar along the river Madhmatti brings one to the spot.
Against the backdrop of mountain springs, distant snow capped peaks and lush
forests that cover the hillside, the journey to the fabled spot is ideal for
trekking.
Buth
The grave
of Moses is believed to be in a village called Buth, eight miles from Bandipore.
The tomb lies in a quadrangular enclosure beside that of a hermit named Sang
Bibi. A visual treat for nature lovers, the roads can be driven on, or treaded
on foot.
Chhota Amarnath
The dense forest of
Erin houses engraved features of Lord Shiva in a cave called Chhota Amarnath.
It wasonce a popular spot in the pilgrimage route to the Amarnath caves in
Baltal in the months of Shravan Purnima. The best season to visit this place
isfrom April to October except duringmonsoons. One has to trek nearly 7kms to
an elevation of 1720 mts but the route is a treat to the eyes. Local guides and
ponies are available in the area. The well-defined trail goes through a gradual
climb through the forest and goes beside a stream. Awide variety of fauna and
flora makesit a trekker’s delight.
Gangabal
Lake and Harmukh
Towards North-East of
Srinagar city there stands one conspicuous hoary headed mountain overlooking
the Gangabal Lake. It is known as Harmukh meaning thereby that the peak appears
same from all sides. It is situated at an elevation of 16890ft. The reverence
which ancient Greeks had for Olympus,the Kashmiris have for Harmukh since they
believe that on its top is the abode of Lord Shiva. Shamus-Faqir a well known
Kashmiri poet in one of the songs says, "Thou knower of truth if you want
to see Him face to face you can see Him at Harmukh."
Sir Walter Lawrence, the Settlement Commissioner
of J & K State, has recorded about 100 years ago in his book "Valley
of Kashmir" that Kashmiris in general believe that there is a mine of
jewels and rubies in Harmukh. The inhabitants of the valley believe that
wherever the Harmukh peak is visible in the Valley, the serpents of the place
happen to be quite harmless, and on the other hand, the peak is not visible the
serpents of the locality are poisonous and their bites are fatal. In Illaqa Pulwama
where the peak is visible the snakes are quite harmless and at village Lar
where it is invisible the serpents are poisonous.
At the foot of
Harmukh there is one beautiful lake known as Gangabal Lake. In the month of
September corresponding to the bright fortnight of Bahadun, Kashmiri Pandits
immerse the urns ( ashes ) of their dead relatives in this lake after
performing their Shraddha. No sooner are the ashes cast in the crystal clear
water of the lake, than swarms of small red worms appear on the surface and
render the water unfit for drinking purposes. The pilgrims know it, and
therefore, cook their meals before casting ashes in the lake.
Long ago some
pilgrims gave me to understand that they saw a small channel with mercury
flowing down the mountain side into the lake. Having no container with them
they collected a little quantity of the same in a dried piece of cowdung. On
reaching their destination they found ~he mercury slipped down somewhere on
their way back.
Once a hermit tried to reach the summit of the Harmukh to see Lord Shiva
face to face. For twelve years long he tried to scale the summit, but failed
until one day he saw a gujjar descending the summit. When the gujjar approached
him, the hermit enquired as to what he saw there. The gujjar whose goat had
strayed and for whom he had been searching, said that he saw a couple milking a
cow and drinking the same in a human skull. They had offered some milk to him,
which he refused to drink and when they departed they rubbed a little of the
milk on his forehead. As the gojar indicated the spot on his forehead where the
milk was rubbed, the hermit was extremely joyful and rushed to lick his
forehead. It is said that the hermit got Nirvana and disappeared from the
place, to the entire surprise of the gojar. The legend is known as Hurmukhuk Gosoni.
Sarbal Sar
A true
explorer of beauty who visits Bandipore will not just find villages with
undulating yellow mustard fields and streets laden with almond trees but will
also be introduced to a rich heritage of culture and Sufism that is present in
abundance. The district of Bandipore is a proud home to many religious Muslim
shrines. Among the most prominent one is Ziyarat Shahanshah-e- Kashmir Sheikh-
e shekhan Hazrat Sulta-ul-areen Sheikh Hamza Makhdoom, located in the Ahem Sharief
village – an hour’s drive from Bandipore town. Considered by many Muslims to be one of the most
sacred places for visit, the shrine has in its possession the relics of Prophet
Mohammad which is quite surprising as the place does not feature in the tourist
hotspot.
Education facilities at Bandipore District
There are about 58 schools in Bandipora district.
Some of them are Government schools namely Govt HSS school in Bandipora, Aloosa
, Aragam, Arin, Hajan, Ajas and High schools in NaidKhai, Sumbal, Safapora,
Nowgam, Baudaub, Dawer, Bonakoot, Mantrigam, Kaloosa, Quazipora, Quilmuqam,
Kehnusa, Bagh and many more.
Projects in the District of Bandipore
Kishan Ganga Hydro Electric Project is located in the Gurez Tehsil of
Bandipore and the generated electricity of 320 MW is being sent out of Kashmir.
Tulbul Project is what
is called as a "navigation lock-cum-control structure" at the mouth
of the Wular Lake. Through this project, in the winter months regulated water
gets released from the natural storage in the lake, to maintain a minimum
draught of 4.5 feet in the river up to Baramulla.
