Visiting God’s own country

Gurez Valley is an incredible scenic place with its own wonderful beauty in north Kashmir’s Bandipora district, close to Line of Control (LoC), some 123 kilometers from Srinagar. With separate geographical and socio-cultural setting, this virgin valley is a paradise. Historically, it is part of Dardistan & falls along the ancient silk-route which connected Kashmir with Gilgit Baltistan. This resting place for people traveling for trade and Hajj pilgrimage was termed as ‘the most beautiful scenery of Kashmir’ by Sir Walter Lawrence. My long awaited journey to this land of eternal bliss, located high in the Himalayas, materialized on 22nd of September, 2022.

While traveling through the lush green forests, we didn’t realize how we had reached Tragbal where all Gurez bound passengers stop for sometime. I vividly remember, we had a cup of tea here. From Tragbal onwards, the curiosity to see Peer Baba shrine and Razdan Top is everyone’s top priority. Though we didn’t stop at Peer Baba shrine, yet, Razdan Top didn’t allow us to merely pass by without getting down for a while. The Top filled us with a unique excitement and joy by taking photos with a chain of mountains & herds of sheep grazing on them in the backdrop.