CHATPAL, THE GEM OF KASHMIR

 

While I was enjoying my time with my family in Kashmir, our driver, a local said:” Sir, to enjoy Kashmir to its fullest you must stop by Chatpal.” My father had never heard of this place nor did I. My father took a minute to get some info about Chatpal and said,” It says Chatpal is an astonishingly beautiful place at nearly 87km from Srinagar.” We agreed to witness the beauty of such a place that our driver was so proud of. 

We started from Srinagar at around 9 A.M. The road towards Anantnag had saffron farms on both sides. There were a few dhabas along the road. 

After reaching district Anantnag, we took a turn towards the village ‘Mattan’ to see the marvel of Martand Sun Temple. The ruins of the majestic Martand Sun Temple make a wonderful tourist spot.

After spending a couple of hours there, we headed towards the Chatpal. The road from Mattan to Chatpal was beautiful. Farms, orchards, typical Kashmiri bungalows, and horses grazing on open grounds made a perfect picture. 

I reached Chatpal at around 1 pm. Right at the first sight, I exclaimed “Wow!”

All I could see was the lush green place, silent mountains, absolute calm, a few sheep grazing quietly, and a milky youthful river carrying chilled water gushing down swiftly.

There was a small hut. This hut was not ordinary. It had a flour mill inside, which was running on the flowing water! Later I came to know that such mills existed commonly in the Valley in the olden days.

Chatpal has a special place in my heart for those gorgeous views of mountains, the thick alpine forest cover, a friendly river, and most importantly the solitude it offers!

The stream water is shallow. You can cross over, but don’t step in. You have to be cautious as the boulders are round and slippery and the river current is strong. Chilled water can make limbs go numb.

A striking place, Chatpal is a remote area that very few visit. I recommend everyone to visit Chatpal in their next Kashmir journey.

BY ADITYA RAJ MANJHI