Kashmir - The Jewel of the Himalayas

Half-forgotten in a far-away corner of India lies a valley, draped in alpine meadows and shallow lakes, and ringed by the mighty Himalayas. A place visitors over many centuries have always talked about in dreamy tones. But also a place that has, in the last decade, stood in the long, cold shadow of terrorism and religious strife. Welcome to the remarkable Vale of Kashmir, the jewel in India's crown.

Kashmir, as we all know, has been at the centre of a long and violent geo-political dispute between India and Pakistan. Sadly, this is pretty much all anyone seems to know about this erstwhile 'Shangri-la'. Recently, however, with the promise of an official peace in the air, Kashmir has turned on it's hypnotic charms yet again to lure tourists back to enjoy the dramatic natural beauty and legendary hospitality of its people - with promising results: visitor arrivals are up 50% on last year (compared to the rest of India's still impressive 15.3%). This year, with the imminent confirmation of peace, tour operators are hoping for a 200% increase. Part of Kashmir's tourism rebound is due to India, as the larger picture, receiving a record number of tourists last year. This was partly due to the very effective 'Incredible India' advertising campaign, and partly because India was spared the SARS outbreak, which hurt many Southeast Asian destinations.

Kashmir, despite being completely encircled by high mountains, has, over many centuries, been visited and influenced by a surprisingly diverse range of cultures and 'tourists'. Here you find evidence of interaction with ancient Greek, Roman and Persian civilizations. For more than 2,000 years, many countless caravans of traders and rulers have detoured from the main Silk Road further north to the Vale of Kashmir for 'heavenly respite'.

From Emperor Ashok's reign in the third century BC which left its stamp of Buddhism, to the revival of Hinduism by Sankracharaya, to the introduction of Islam by the great Shah Hamdan, whose love and mastery of Persian art is still evident in Kashmiri crafts today, to the influence of the Moghuls, to the Sikhs, the British Raj and finally, the 19th century Dogra rulers who relinquished their rule to a newly independent India in 1947. Kashmir, plainly, has an ancient history. It was for a long time one of the centres of Sanskrit culture. Kashmiri literature, sculpture, music, dance, painting, and architecture have had a profound influence in Asia.

But, more to the point, what is it about Kashmir that has so spellbound its many visitors?

At the geographic heart of the Vale of Kashmir lies its mile-high capital, Srinagar, the soul and pulse of the state. This mist-shrouded, 2,000 year old city has fascinating shrines honouring past Imams (religious leaders), centuries' old wooden mosques, and markets that meander through the narrow back lanes of the Old Town.