Call of The Valley : A Journey on a Mountain Highway

As per medieval Indian Ruler Jehangir, the Paradise on Earth existed in Kashmir; The Valley of Kashmir. He was more or less correct, especially for someone who loves mountains, valleys, lakes, greenery and snow, all at one place. Kashmir has all of these features making it undoubtedly into a Paradise on Earth. Though disputed recently in political and regional matters, the beauty of the place cannot be disputed. The various troubles and turmoil the region has witnessed in last few years has in no way affected what nature has gifted to this region. In 1990 I had gone there to learn Skiing at Gulmarg. Some time back I got yet another chance to visit the place.

The best way to reach Kashmir is to fly by air. That is not only fast but is less prone to the disturbances faced on the Jammu-Srinagar Highway, its only connection with rest of India, which is prone to frequent landslides, and road blocks generated by excessive traffic and in winters due to snowfall. But travelling by road has its own charm, as one becomes the part of the crowd right from Jammu. In 1990 I travelled by road, this year too; I did the same, against the advice of most of the other recent visitors to Srinagar.

I boarded convenient recently introduced Uttar Sampark Kranti Train from New Delhi at 8:30 pm. The night journey was comfortable and I had a good night sleep only to wake up at early October morning at Jammu. Spending as little a time at a nearby hotel, I got ready for the road journey on National Highway 1A (NH1A). I had avoided various intimidating Taxi Drivers at Railway Station offering travel as well as convenient and cheap stay at Srinagar. Instead, one of my acquaintances got me a ‘Taxi’ arranged from a known operator. A good conditioned Toyota Qualis, though convenient was quite big a vehicle for a single man to travel. However, it did not carry the Taxi number plate, but I was supposed to pay at the end of the four-day journey. I had no time to bother for that.

Starting at 07:30 hours, it was late as per the driver, who had moved on Jammu-Srinagar Highway many times earlier, but had not ventured to other places in Valley. Late because, highway gets more and more crowded as the day passes. Anyway he tried to compensate the delay by driving faster than what as per me should have the usual speed in mountains. But later on the highway I found that he was much better than other taxis, especially the Tata Sumos, who drove like rookie Formula 1 drivers at Monte Carlo circuit with all disregard to theirs and others safety. To avoid city traffic he took the newly built bypass, which looked like a road of any international standard. But the pleasure lasted few minutes as the bypass as well the international standard looking road stretch finished at the bridge on Tawi River.

Across the bridge it was the same old road, though with much more traffic, may be ten times more than my last visit. And so was the presence of men in uniform. Across the crowded Nagrota town, the road was well guarded by men from army placed after every few kilometres. But they were not bothering us nor did we bother them. Soon sharp serpentine road with steep climb took us to Nandini Tunnel, some Twenty-Six kilometres from Jammu. There were numbers of local kiosk selling tea and variety of Indian snacks. It appeared to be popular halting point for the tourists as well as locals, and the locality as such by numerous monkeys, well fed by the leftovers thrown on road by travellers. My driver proposed for a cup of tea there, which I declined, and he sped into one of the tube of short twin Nandini Tunnel.

Across the tunnel, the road was much straighter, with hardly any sharp turns, though at a decent height. Than was the enchanting view of Trikuta Hill the place of Holy Vaishno Devi Shrine, which was majestically standing in the foreground for next few kilometres. It looks more majestic at nights, with its lights twinkling in the darkness, said my driver. And it look further enchanting at those heights itself, on the steep track to this most popular north Indian shrine, I informed him back, telling that I have already visited this shrine couple of times.

Leaving Trikuta Hill on a side, after one and half hour journey, we crossed city of Udhampur some sixty kilometres now, which had number of security forces installation for a good length of the city, and that was most cleaner and organised part of the highway. We were halted in the middle of the military area, as numbers of army vehicles were being guided on to the highway. As per driver, we could have avoided this delay have we started early? I had no excuse. But he was smart enough to cross most of these vehicles before we crossed the city limits using his next to dangerous awkward driving skills. Outside Udhampur it appeared to be a smooth drive on a slightly free road, which was gaining height gradually along with Tawi River flowing in the valley bed. The police check post outside Udhampur, where most of the Taxis were lined up for checking, did not bother us as my driver smartly passed by, may be owing to the non-Taxi number plate.

The drive was fine till Chenani, further thirty kilometres from Udhampur, where we met long row trucks moving upwards and almost stranded. He again used his innovative driving skills to get past these. Some distance ahead near Kud we found a broken down truck with huge trailer causing the disruption in the otherwise smooth flow of traffic. The numerous sweet and teashops at Kud, another popular halt with travellers and tourists, was adding to the chaos due to awkwardly parked vehicles, mostly taxis. To avoid adding into the chaos I again declined my driver’s offer of having tea at one of those shops, telling him that Patnitop would be better. The drive to Patnitop, the local alternative to hill station, was fairly good, with sharp chill in the wind. We were approaching almost 2000 metres altitude, and since Chenani Pines have already given way to Conifers, spelling clear snow line of winters. At Patnitop my driver moved into a decently looking hotel without asking, as more than me he was looking for a break and a much deserved cup of tea after over three hours hill drive.

The tea was good and so was the view from the terrace of the hotel cum restaurant.

The chill in the air was too much to compel me to put my jacket on. There were lush green slopes at Patnitop, which has some good gardens, a famous temple and numerous hotels. Popular in both summers and winters, and also in creating road jams due to poorly parked vehicles. As per hotel owner it was due to help from army patrolling parties that they help in clearing the road jams, that one can get rid of traffic chaos here in tourists seasons and during snow time. There was already snow at Nathatop, located few kilometres away on the same ridge. But after a quick tea we were on the other side of the ridge.

The other side of the Patnitop ridge was entry into the Chenab Valley. The greenery on this side was much more and the sun was hardly penetrating on to the road. As we descended towards Chenab, one could see beautiful snow-capped peaks of higher Himalayas. The green tall conifers were there all along the road till Batote, some 26 kilometres from Patnitop. The place again a popular lunch halt for travellers, offered rice and kidney beans courses at dhabas, the roadside restaurants, very popular in this reason. I was carrying pack lunch so had no intention stopping. After Batote, hills were less of trees giving way to hillside farming lands. There were couple of landslide prone areas, where either traffic moved slowly or was controlled nicely by army teams, who now seemed to be almost everywhere. The driver said that one could get stranded at these spots for hours. The situation was similar, in fact, tougher beyond Ramban across the Chenab River, from where the road ascends again towards Jawahar Tunnel near Banihal.

Here greenery gave away to barren steep hills. We hit yet another snow belt from Ramsu, some 25 kilometres from Ramban. There was massive steel net along a bridge over ‘Khooni Nala’ or the Killer Drain to protect the road and the bridge from the continuously falling boulders. A shooting stone stretch followed it. The biggest challenge came in crossing an Army camp at Banihal, where lots of heavy vehicles were being routed in and out of the highway, blocking in off and on, but neatly controlled by their staff. A temporary block caused by them gave us enough chance to finish our pack lunch with a cup of tea from a better looking shack, just outside Banihal town.

Here on, we got trapped in between army columns of vehicles of all types, some with heavily armed troops. They were moving quite slow and were not permitting any vehicle to overtake. Giving to the fate I told the driver not to try and overtake and move behind them. The security personnel at Jawahar Tunnel, who were searching all private vehicles, ignored us thinking us to be part of military convoy. Than we were inside the 2.5 km long twin tunnel, the only working road link to Kashmir. On the other side the air and surrounding changed altogether. What was visible was a beautiful wide valley, with snow-capped mountains in the distance. The breeze was cooler and the road much better and wider too. The army convoy sped up, so did we, still with no chance to overtake them. The hill road section this side of tunnel lasted some 19 kilometres till Quazigund, and thereafter was an excellent road on a flat surface with fields on both sides, which made the ride more comfortable. The snow on the distant Himalayan ridgelines was clearly visible. Everything around was beautiful.

We crossed the towns of Khannabal, Avantipore and Pampore on the way. Life seemed to be absolutely normal everywhere on the roadside in these towns and elsewhere. There were lots of roadside vendors selling Cricket bats apparently made of quality willow wood. Pampore is at the outskirts of Srinagar. After Pampore, it was a normal city life and city traffic rushing towards twilight. It is better to be at home before the night chill of the weather takes over, which we were also feeling. We rushed into the city, to our halting place near famous Dal Lake

Srinagar is beautiful, located along Dal Lake, with many beautiful gardens, important religious shrines and so are its surroundings with places like Gulmarg and Phalgam located at a close distance. Any stay there is memorable and so is an event free ride to it on mountainous Highway from Jammu.

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