Beautiful Bandipora! Gurez Valley Pearl of Kashmir, and Wular Vintage Park
A visit to Bandipora, in Jammu and Kashmir situated in the foothills of the snow-clad peaks of Harmukh will certainly enrapture you.
Sanju Dar – Kashmir Travels And Tours Manager Bandipora Town:
I hail from Bandipora Town, one of the 20 districts in Jammu and Kashmir famous for its scenic beauty, situated in the foothills of the snow-clad peaks of Harmukh overlooking the shores of Wular Lake, close to exotic Gurez Valley, the Bandipora town that has produced hundreds of scholars and intellectuals.
Bandipora is the administrative headquarters of the district of Bandipora in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, India. The town is set on the northern banks of Wular the largest freshwater lake in Asia. Bandipora has a terraced garden similar to that of Nishat Bagh in Srinagar.
In Kashmir, there is a famous phrase about Bandipora or in other words Bandipora is famous for three A’s – A’lim (knowledge), Adab (good habits or literature) and Aab (water).
Folklore reveals that the name of Bandipora originated either from Bund of Wular as Bund e pur, from the local folk-singing Bands as Baand e pur or from the enclosed geographical location as Bandh e pur.
Wular Lake
Bandipora is surrounded by looming mountains on three sides, with the sparkling Wular Lake gracing the fourth side with the town seated on the banks of the Wular, the largest fresh-water lake in Asia, home to thousands of migratory birds.
Bandipora was the connecting link between North India and Central Asia via the Silk Road also known as Gateway to Central Asia.
Unfortunately, heavy dumping with the poisonous flow of polluted river waters and sewage into Wular Lake enabled a toxic infestation of algae suffocating the life of the lake where the waters from Jhelum River carry all the poisonous waste from Srinagar City and other surrounding areas flushing those waters into Wular. Until now, no measures have been undertaken to save Wular and we hope it will be soon.
Wular Vintage Park
The Park gives a majestic view of the Wular Lake with sweeping landscaping of mountains and a serene lake with a soothing atmosphere.
Gurez Valley
Crowing Kashmir’s glory is Gurez Valley known as the pearl of Kashmir, an exotic valley located in the high Himalayas, about 86 kilometers from Bandipore and 123 kilometers from Srinagar, glistening in all its glory due to freshly falling snow in the winter, the emerald valley is surrounded by sparkling snow-capped mountains.
The people of Gurez Valley were recently enraptured in ecstasy due to a flood of tourists visiting the valley for the first time, and the youth can be seen playing cricket over snow and ice hockey and some video clips have gone viral on social media platforms.
The exciting news is told that famous celebrities desire to play snow or ice cricket too and it would be an thrilling venture when that transpires. It is reported that the residents of Gurez, dwelling in the border area organized snow cricket tournaments on the frozen snow ground in a bid to promote tourism during winters in Gurez and draw the attention of the administration to promote tourism in the area hoping that the youth will get support from the BCCI and other international players.
Bandipora district is famous for its tourist places such as Wular Vintage Park, Athwatoo, and Gurez Valley and I hope in the near future, Bandipora will be a hotspot for tourism and garner greater development elevating it to become the crown of Kashmir, as already Gurez Valley is the Pearl of Kashmir.
Best Times to Visit
Best time to visit Bandipora is June to October if you really want to explore all spell-bounding spots of this place and travel by road from Srinagar is 123 kilometers.
Gurez Valley is beautiful in the winter from Mid-December to March. The ideal time to visit Gurez is between May and October. It’s typically a 6-7 hours journey from Srinagar, and 4-5 hours from Bandipora.
Sanju Dar – Kashmir Travels And Tours Manager
You might also want to read about Kashmir’s breathtaking Tulip Garden, set in the foothills of the Zabarwan Mountains https://hamslivenews.com/2021/03/25/today-is-the-grand-opening-of-asias-largest-tulip-garden-in-srinagar-kashmir/
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