Kashmir, the earthly
paradise of India is the pleasure trove to the tourists. The capital of Jammu
and Kashmir is Srinagar. The paradise is 1585m to 1829m high, stretches 129km
in length and 40km in breadth. The snow capped peaks of the Himalayas stand
high on all sides- the beauty being incomparable. The Pirpanjal ranges have separated
Kashmir from Indian Plains. On the North East, the 7925m snow covered Nanga
hills stands like a wall to Ladakh. Kashmir is also the land of legends.
According to the Purana, Prajapati Kashyap with the aid of Brahma, Vishnu and
Shiva killed the water-emerged Asura and formed the kingdom of Kashmir. Another tale says Kashmir in the past was
submerged in water and was called by the name Satisar i.e. the lake of Sati
derived from the name Sati. At the end of 13th century Kashmir came
under Muslim rule. The Tibetan Muslim prince came from Tibet and formed a
kingdom in Kashmir when the prince died in 1338, Shah Mir became king. Thus was
founded the Sultanate dynasty in Kashmir. Kashmir was the summer resort of
emperors Akbar, Jahangir and Shahjahan. The relics and memorials of Mughal
imperial grandeur still fascinate tourists. After the fall of the Mughal,
Kashmir enjoyed autonomy. Then Kabul brought Kashmir under his sway
(1756-1819). Maharaja Ranjit Singh of Punjab annexed Kashmir to his dominion in
1819. After independence and partition of India in 1947, Jammu and Kashmir stands
on top of the maps of both states India and Pakistan, as a jewel of crown.
Jammu is the
winter capital city of the Jammu and Kashmir state inhabited by the Dogras. The
language they speak is called Dogri, which is an admixture of Sanskrit, Punjab
and Persian. Jammu is also known as city of forts and temples. The rivers Tawai
and Chandrabhagha flow surrounding Jammu. Vaishno Devi is the main attraction
of Jammu. Kashmir is full of gardens such as Shalimar Bagh, Nishat Bagh, and
Nasim Bagh etc. Dal Lake, half a km away the east of the reception centre lies the
heart of Kashmir’s beauty. Few places of interest in this state are Gulmarg,
Pahalgaon, Sonamarg, Wular Lake Etc.
The literacy
rate in this state is 55%. The main languages spoken here are Urdu, Kashmiri,
Ladaki, Dogri, Balti, and Punjabi. Hindi and English are also spoken here. According
to the 1981 census report, different religion people stay here such as Hindu,
Muslim, Sikhs, Christians and Buddhist.
Climate-
The best
season for the tourists to visit the place is from end of March to October as
it has a pleasant climate during this time. Temperature varies between 13.7C
and 27C. But during the winter mercury dips between 0.9C-12.1C. During May-
June ordinary sweater, in the other months light woolen garments and in winter
overcoat along with heavy woolen garments are needed to visit the paradise. Average
rainfall is 107cm. The color changes in every month in this paradise.
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