The Liddar Valley The Liddar flows through Pahalgam Credit: KOA Pahalgam and Amarnath The valley of the river Liddar lies away from the main Valleywith Srinagar at its heart. The famous hill resort of Pahalgamis located at the upper end of the valley. Pahalgam was anotherpopular destination in the tourism boom years. Pahalgam,incidentally, is the base for the long and tiring trek to theHindu shrine of Amarnath. This trek is considered to be of greatreligious value, and even now every year hordes of people visitthe shrine during the season. Currently, in view of the presentsecurity condition, the Indian Army provides heavy protection forthe pilgrims. They also arrange many of the facilities for them.The destination is the shrine of Amarnath where, in a cave, liesa natural Shiva lingam, formed by ice. Here, Lord Shiva isworshipped.

Lovely meadows of Gulmarg Credit: KOA

The Famous Meadows
Above the Valley lie the famous uplands of Kashmir -- the flowerymeadows called "margs".

Gulmarg
The most famous among the Kashmiri meadow lands is Gulmarg, orthe Meadow of Flowers. It is a saucer-shaped hollow overhangingthe main valley of Kashmir. From Gulmarg, a ski lift used toprovide access to the slopes where in the trouble-free dayswinter skiing used to be very popular. Throughout the year,Gulmarg was a popular destination among tourists. A fewkilometers from Gulmarg, beyond a pony ride crossing meadows,ridges and forests lie the snow slopes of Khillanmarg. On a clearday, the views from Gulmarg are superb. The foothills slope downto the valley, the fields of rice and clusters of walnut, pearand mulberry, and in the distance, the roofs of Srinagar glintingin the sun. But the most thrilling of all is the view of thegreat mountains to the north and the magnificent peak of NangaParbat. The Nanga Parbat peak stands out distinct even though itis over 100 km (62 miles) away.

Looking across the meadows of Gulmarg Credit: KOA

Sonamarg or Sonmarg
Almost diagonally across the Valley lies Sonmarg, the Meadow ofGold. Here the Sindh river rushes through a gorge. A narrowgrassy flat, jeweled with alpine flowers, Sonmarg is encircledby great peaks whose flanks gleam with glaciers that slide downthem. Rich forests of silver fir, sycamore, and birch arepresent in the area. The green Sonamarg lies less than 30 km (19miles) from the pass of Zoji-La, the divide between Kashmir andLadakh, two completely different worlds.