DON'T MISS OUT ON DOODHPATHRI

The Mughal emperor Jahangir or Salim had once commented “Agar Firdous bar ru-e-zamin ast, Hami ast o-hami ast o-hami ast” (If there is heaven on earth, it is here) on the mesmerizing beauty of Kashmir. The vast expanse of land dotted with pines and maples (chinar), bubbling waters of Indus and Lidder provide a breathtaking view as soon as one lands in Srinagar. The most common places to visit on a trip to Kashmir are Pehelgam, Sonmarg, and Gulmarg (especially in winter). However, a place that very few tourists visit is Doodhtpathri, which literally means “Valley of milk”. Located in the Budgam district of Kashmir, this small, hilly region is located approximately 30-35 kms from Srinagar.

As the location is at a higher altitude than Srinagar, the air and wind are chilly and fresh. Traveling on the curved roads of Doodhpathri, one can actually experience “Europe” in India – it is no less than any Bollywood movie shot in Switzerland. On both sides of the road are lush green valleys covered with grass, which resembles a carpet. Though no cutting or mowing of the grass is done, nature preserves it in a way that it doesn’t transform into the wilderness. A special characteristic of the grass that grows here is that it helps to enhance the milk production of cows, sheep, and cattle if they graze on it – hence the name “Valley of milk”.

The wide, open green valleys is not something that we, city dwellers, can experience on a regular basis – in fact, it is just plain green as far as the eyes can capture. And the air that one breathes in is pure oxygen without any trace/hint of pollution. This, I believe, is one of the major reasons why Kashmiris are so beautiful and healthy (unlike us). A bubbling stream with clear snow water is also present in this region where tourists are taken on horses as the road in uphill and cars don’t ply up there. The stream is full of trouts, another specialty of Kashmir. Some areas are thickened into forests with willow and fir trees which, we were told, housed wild animals like leopards, black bears, and wolves.  But the villagers of the region assured us that just like the people of Kashmir, the animals were equally hospitable, and they will live in peace and harmony with nature. This made me realize a simple fact that wild animals attack or venture out into the dwelling places of man in Assam because there are hardly any natural places available for them to live – they are not in our place, rather it is we who have destroyed their homes to build our houses.

And the best part of Doodthpathri is that there is no mobile network or any kind of wireless connectivity available there. So one can actually be on a “Switch off” or vacation mode while visiting this picturesque valley. Unlike many regions of Kashmir, eg. Pehelgam and Sonmarg, which have featured in many Bollywood movies, Doodhpathri has not received its due importance till now – the lack of mobile/internet connectivity here may be one major contributing factor to this. But, the lush green valleys of this region is unmatched to any other region of Kashmir and totally resemble the clean, and green valleys of Europe. Though we visited this place in summer, I can only imagine what the winters would behold here as it would be just white all around.

In conclusion, a piece of advice to anyone planning to visit Kashmir – donot miss out on Doodhpathri!!