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Set like a
jewelled crown on the map of India, Kashmir is a many faceteddiamond, changing
character with the seasons - always extravagantly beautiful.Three Himalayan
ranges, Karakoram, Zanaskar and Pir Panjal - snow capped,majestic, frame
the landscape from northwest to northeast. They are the birthplace of great
rivers which flow through the kashmir valley.
| RajTaringini the chronology
of the Kashmir Kings written by Kalhana eulogises the beauty of Kashmir
as follows:"Kasmira Parvati Paroksh; Tat Swami ch Maheswara". Meaning Kashmir
is as beautiful as Goddess Parvati manifest; and its owner is Lord Shiva
Himself" And the Mughal Emperor exclaimed "Gar Bar-ru-e-Zamin Ast ; Hamin
Ast ,Hamin Ast Hamin Asto. Meaning if there is paradise on this earth :
This is it, this is it, this is it.
All Photographs by Mr. Rajiv
Gupta --Creators Architects--
Srinagar is at once a
collection of images: a son-et- lumiere that tells the story of the love
of the Mughal emperors for this paradise vale; deep green rice fields and
river bridges of gardens in bloom and lakes rimmed by houseboats; at once
summer capital of the state,business centre and holiday resort. |
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Srinagar is as much imagination
as it is fact,for every season offers new vistas to this city of great
antiquity. Spring breathes life again into a frozen world and the air is
heady with the fragrance of a million flowers that blossom on trees, shrubs
and creepers.Summer heightens the effect and autumn is poignant in its
colours of warm introspection. Winter brings with it snow,sometimes the
Dal Lake freezes and beneath a leaden sky, roasted chestnuts turn the atmosphere
aromatic with the promise of warmth and comfort. |
The river Jhelum and the
Dal and Nagin lakes dominate Srinagar and its life and activities.Here
lush wild gardens of lotus and waterlily flower amidst bustling lanes.By
the lakeside spread the gardens of the Mughals in patterned beauty.And
the people move with a tranquillity borne of a history laden pulse of activity.
IF legends are to be believed,
the Kashmir valley was once a lake as large as a sea and here lived an
abominable demon who was killed after most of the lake had been drained
with the collective help of Brahma's grandson, Kashap and the goddess Parvati.She
wasfinally stilled the demon by dropping upon him a mountain and thereby
crushing him to death.This legendary mountain is no other than Hari Parbat,
Srinagar's 'Takht-i- Sulaiman' hill that forms the famous backdrop to the
city. |
