Winners of the GiveawaySudip MajiSanand Dekhane Litishka Jagdeo

This week, The Musafir Stories speaks with slow traveller and host of the podcast - Postcards from Nowhere, Utsav Mamoria!

Today's destination: Kashmir! Nearest Airport: Srinagar Airport (SXR)

Nearest Railway Station: Udhampur Railway Station (UHP)

Prerequisites -  Ensure to check for ground conditions before traveling

Packing - Pack warm clothes depending on time of the year

Time of the year - N/A

Length of the itinerary: 1month

Itinerary Highlights: 

Utsav starts off the episode by taking us to Arq-e-gulab, one of the last remaining rosewater makers of Kashmir and shares the state of the occupation and it’s originsWe also talk about Khanaqah-e-Moula, one of the oldest mosques in Kashmir - very unique for its wooden architecture as well as some stunning interiors made of papier mache.Utsav’s next visit was to the carpet makers of Srinagar who make handmade carpets - again one of the last remaining generations of this traditional art form. Next stop is at Burzahom - an ancient archaeological site that has ruins that date back to 9000 years ago. There is also a very unique stone depiction of a hunting scene and its surprising connection to astronomy. We also talk about the sad state of the archaeological remains and the conflicting needs of the locals and preservation. We also cover some touristy spots like Aru valley and Betaab valley (of the movie Betaab fame, starring Sunny Deol and Amrita Singh). Utsav talks about his experience trekking to the Shesh Nag lake and his encounter with the hospitality of the native Gujar bakharwal shepherd community. We also discuss about the challenges this community and their occupation faces. We next talk about Utsav’s visit to the Ganesh Temple in Pehalgam also called the Mamleshwar temple and the story of Ganesh and Karthikeya circumnavigating the world. One of our final stops is a visit to the Kargil war memorial and Hunderman Museum of memories, talking about the village of Hunderman and how it exchanged hands between India and Pakistan during recent conflicts, and how the people’s lives have been impacted. 

Links:

Utsav’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whywetravel42/ Utsav’s Twitter - https://twitter.com/utsavmamoria Link to Utsav’s podcast - https://open.spotify.com/show/1wBEmLH3UjoMV0kbMgy5gy?si=LULYcnCYRdWvb5YwkiGBrQ 

Links to Utsav’s series on Kashmir:

The last rosewater maker of Srinagarhttps://open.spotify.com/episode/7K2uTDPcq2X2C5gQkow503?si=JuSpdW09T_ePCVRZW_l5oQ 

The Art of Writing Time: Persian and Sanskrit Chronogramshttps://open.spotify.com/episode/1UebJ7ccoS9XTUQQuZ8HOl?si=Bby4cTN0RYesN5Mv0njVbA 

Gujar Bakarwals - The forgotten people of Kashmirhttps://open.spotify.com/episode/7mAxndubsMcu0zPf4VnhVS?si=LAPU62buTae83EuQyXMKdA 

Kargil, Hunderman and The Museum of Memories https://open.spotify.com/episode/7mAxndubsMcu0zPf4VnhVS?si=LAPU62buTae83EuQyXMKdA 

Srinagar, ancient carvings and Supernovashttps://open.spotify.com/episode/2wEMBgiBkYzeliXKvG5Ph7?si=6UrAITjNTiiPFUG3aEHqNQ 

Kashmiris, Hangul and the Manual of Lifehttps://open.spotify.com/episode/7bzdllBWy48K1LieJgmTqq?si=Ndfx4nKdR3yF0LDMkHughA 

The Vanishing art of Kashmiri carpet weavinghttps://open.spotify.com/episode/2kTTQkdiS0LFhzdOwXRuAT?si=f1U0aDXIQnCyejPKMg6H2Q 

Sheshnag, deadly hikes and a thousand year old traditionhttps://open.spotify.com/episode/2OL8mp09s2FQdmS2Z5bHKB?si=q0deAcUgSnyikahLnQtY0Q 

Zbayul, the invisible village of Ladakhhttps://open.spotify.com/episode/0WZNprAo1ISgz2L2HE3HM1?si=4xM3YilSSxSq-DgLKuCyPg 

Cover Photo by Raisa Nastukova on Unsplash

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