kashmiri dresses

Kashmiri Tandoori Fish

FACT FILE
Popular Cuisine : 36 course Wedding Banquet, Wazwan (Kashmiri Cuisine).
Known For : Non Vegetarian Delicacies.
Cuisine Exotica : Tabakhmaz, Rogan Josh, Rista, Ghushtaba.
Non Vegetarian Dishes : Tabakhmaz, Rogan Josh, Rista, Aabgosh, Dhaniwal Korma, Marchingan Korma and Gushtaba.
Vegetarian Delicacies : Dum Aloo, Chuk Wangun, Zaffran Pulao.
Sweet Dishes : Phirin, Zafrani Pulao.
Not To Be Missed : The Aromatic Flavor of Kahva, the Flavoured Traditional Kashmiri Tea.
Enjoy : Eating in Groups of Four and Share the Meal Out of a Large Metal Plate Called Tarami.
Famous Non Veg Restaurants (Srinagar) : Mughal Darbar and Ahadoos – Shervani Road, Ruby – Lambert Lane, Juniper – Lal Chowk.
Other Restaurants (Srinagar) : Nun Kun and Alka Salka – On Shervani Road, Srinagar – For Chinese.
Amira Kadal and Dalgate– On Boulevard – For Vegetarian.
City Cuisines : Jammu – Pahalwan Di Hatti (A Famous Sweet)
Gulmarg – Rogan Gosh.

Vegetarian Delicacies of Kashmiri Pandits

As all the Kashmiri pandits are Brahmans they are exception to their counterpart in the rest of India and are the voracious meat eaters. In Hindu marriages Wazwan is also prepared but it is limited and contains vegetarian dishes as well. The dum aloo, kofta, kabargah, methi charman and chuk wangun are the famous delicacies of pandits. The other difference in cuisines of pandits is that less garlic and onion is consumed and more heeng is used. The aroma of these dishes will turn you mad and once you will taste it there is no turn back.

Cuisine in Kashmir is one more reason to visit the city and enjoy the royalty any where you are staying. An invitation to marriage is not mandatory to taste wazwan you can have it in the hotels of Kashmir like Mughal Darbar and Ahdoos. Come and enjoy the taste of Kashmiri.

Conjure Delicacies of Wazwan

Culinary Preparations During Marriage in Kashmir

The feast of wazwan is a part and parcel of marriage parties in Kashmir where the Wazas (cooks) under the guidance of Vast Waza (head cook) start cooking these exquisite delicacies for the whole night . The detailed preparation of delicacies and their traditional presentation adds to the charm of the nobility of Kashmiri Cuisine. The meals in Kashmiri is served on big copper plate called Tram that contains the steamed rice on which the varieties of meat that include mithi, kebab, Tabakh Maaz, Chiken and Daniphul are very beautifully placed dividing the tram into four and four person take meals on one plate. After waza serves the dishes one by one and in the perfect sequence. Gushtaba declares the end of wazwan. There are seven dishes that are considered as inseprable part of kashmiri cuisine, these dishes are tabakhmaz, rogan josh, rista, aabgosh, dhaniwal korma, marchingan korma and gushtaba. No spoons, forks or knives are used in the course of meals. After meals Phirini is the common dessert followed by the beverage called Kahwa flavored with saffron. One of the specialities of the wazwan is polav, it is a sweet rice dish cooked in clarified butter and milk along with dry fruits and saffron. To give a try to this cuisine at home bring the Kashmiri ver or vari, a tikki made of mixed spices and is easily available in the markets in Kashmir.

A Wazwan

The prerequisite of wazwan is that freshly slaughtered meat is used and should be only of lamb. The first thing that waza do is to sort out the meat according to the dishes that are to be prepared like rib cage is used to make tabakh maaz, the bone less meat is sorted out to make kebab, rista and gushtaba. Similarly for every dish waza sorts the meat of a particular part of lamb and other wazas start mincing meat. The entire wazwan is cooked on the fire wood called Wir in Kashmiri and no gas stoves are used. Many dishes are spicy but the spices are not directly added to dishes to retain the fineness of the food. Watching every aspect of preparation of wazwan is a pleasure.

Khawa - the Special Green Tea of Kashmir

Jammu and Kashmiri, a state always referred as paradise on earth has every thing that makes your holidays more thrilling and exciting. The hill resorts that are recognized for their verdant woods, lush green meadows, spine chilling water streams and water falls, cities known for small hills, gardens, rivers and lakes that had the luxury of houseboats. Beyond all these natures endowments one thing that delights every visitor is the delicacies. Talk about the Kashmiri cuisine and mouth watering is the common response. Essentially non-vegetarian, cuisine of Kashmiri is popularly known as Wazwan and the cook is known as Waza. These wazas claim to be the descendants of the master chefs who migrated from different parts of central Asia to Kashmiri in 15th century at the time of reign of Timurlane in India. Plan a tour to this city and know more about the details and preparation of Kashmiri delicacies, while enjoying a meal on the dinning table of a houseboat.

Dal Lake Srinagar

Srinagar City - Fantasy Covered In Mist

Situated at an altitude of 1730 m above sea level, in the western part of Jammu and Kashmir, Srinagar is the Summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir. Thriving on both the sides of River Jhelum, Srinagar is most famous for its numerous sublime lakes that earn it the name 'The land of Lakes'. Every corner of the city is covered with trees but green will not be the only color you will see here. The different trees, pear, apple cherry, peach, all are covered with blossoming pink and white flowers and in summers, you just can't help noticing the wild roses, they seem to spring up everywhere your eyes wander to. Just drive down in any direction, after every few kilometers you will find a fruit stall brimming with shinning fruits like apple, cherry, and oranges.

Srinagar is probably the best place to look for the arts and crafts of entire Jammu and Kashmir. The city is traditionally rich in handicrafts and has number of markets from where you can have the pleasure of buying yourself the best of them all. The most famous article that Srinagar offers is the handwoven silk shawls that over the time has acquired the recognition of being the best in the world. One can also look for the famous Pashmina wool garments, Buddhist masks, traditional wears, antique jewelery, thangka paintings and many more fascinating items. Saffron, honey and walnuts have always been the shopping favorite, but apart from these, do try the distinctive spices of the city. In Srinagar, Lal chowk, Badshah chowk and Polo view are the best places where you go out for shopping.

Srinagar might not have the most challenging treks for trekking and hiking, but they definitely are one of the most scenic ones in the entire country. Srinagar is more famous for adventure in waters. Srinagar is a land full of lakes with flawless charm and serenity. And the quiet waters of these lakes offer the best setting for sports like canoeing and Kayaking. Apart from these fun activities, if you move slightly out of the city, some 56 km to Gulmohar, you will be in India's premiere most Ski resort of winters where you can just skid down the snow topped hills and let all your worries go down the drain. The resort boasts of world-class facilities and is world's one of the highest lift served ski resort. People who are not very familiar with skiing need not to worry, as the resort has trained instructors and good skiing gear.

Srinagar Attractions - Simply Unparallaled Wonders

Srinagar is probably one of the most gifted city in terms of natural wonders. The city is nestling amidst the splendorous mountain range in the Kashmir valley. Starting from stunning Mughal Gardens to serene Dal Lake, tourists will have the best time of their life in the most important part of Paradise on earth.

The Dal Lake

Dal Lake is one of the most picturesque lakes in the entire country and is also the most visited tourist destination in Jammu and Kashmir. The Dal Lake is the second largest lake in Jammu and Kashmir and covers an area of 18 sq. km. The lake is divided into four parts by causeways and are named as Gagribal, Lokut Dal, Bod Dal, and Nagin Lake. The lake of shimmering blue waters never lets you have a dull moment when you are around it. The lake is full of Shikaras that give people a ride from the banks of the lake to the many house boats inside the lake. The lake also offers option for many water sports like Kayaking and canoing. Even you can hire a Shikara and row to the middle of the lake for an enchanting solitary moment. The lake also serves as a major boost to the fishing industry of J & K which is the second largest industry of the region. Although for fishing in the lake, one needs to have a license which is not possible to get for a tourist, but you can always enjoy looking at people who by permit are fishing in the lake.

GULMARG

Gulmarg - As Beautiful As Its Name

Gulmarg over the years has become the prime destination for promoting tourism in Jammu and Kashmir. It is a panoramic hill station situated at an altitude of 2690 m above sea level amidst the pine cover in the basin of Pir Pranjal basin . The name 'Gulmarg' means 'meadow of flowers' and without a doubt the town is an out of the world beauty, but if you visit Gulmarg in the peak tourist season, the probability is that you will not see even a single flower, the entire area will be covered with thick layers of snow. As a matter of fact, this probably is the reason, so many tourist come here. And with a world class skiing facilities the city is also becoming famous among the foreign tourists. Its proximity to Srinagar also proves to be a boon. Another height of celebration in Gulmarg along with its other tags - highest road, highest war zone, highest tea stall, is the highest green Golf Course in the world.

Attractions - Nature At Its Best

Gulmarg has become one of the favorite destinations of tourist to Jammu and Kashmir. As the city changes color from green to white, the main attractions of the town also changes. The skiing and golf becomes the top most charms of the city.




Road To Gulmarg - Kashmir

Some one has once said that if there is any heaven on earth then it is in Kashmir. The beauty of this place can easily enchant the mind of any individual. The snowy mountains, lush green grasses, forest etc. together creates a memorable moment in the life of a person. And that is the reason why thousands of tourists are attracted towards this destination every year. Gulmarg is the most beautiful place in the Kashmir to watch. In the month of December and January, this place is covered with snow. Doing skiing here is just fabulour or indulging into its world class Golf course. The Snowy Mountains and valley together creates a fabulous beauty.

To attend more and more tourist, the central as well as the state government has tried to create a effective and attractive infrastructure. Here a tourist can easily get all sorts of facilities.

Vaishno Devi Temple, Jammu

Jammu City - When Nature compliments Human Work
Jammu, the second largest city of Jammu and Kashmir is also called 'The City of Temples'. Situated on the banks of Tawi River and on the foot of Shivaliks, Jammu is located at an altitude of 305 m above sea level. Its history dates back to 9th century and was built by Raja Jambu Lochan. One day when he was hunting in the woods, he saw the most astonishing and the most inspiring sight of his life. He saw a tiger and a lamb drinking water from the same spot by the banks of river Tawi. At that moment, he decided that he would build a city where all kinds of people will live together with peace and harmony. The city was named Jambu, but later came to be known as Jammu. The city is the southern most part of the state. The temperature in the city during the winters is quite pleasant, whereas the summer capital Srinagar becomes extremely cold, due to which the every winter the capital was shifted to Jammu, thus making it the winter Capital of the state. The city is famous for the numerous temples that dot the face of the land, specially the biggest temple complex in north India, Raghunath Temple and the holiest shrine of Vaishno Devi.

Jammu City experiences a sub tropical climate. The summer days are hot and dry whereas in winters, the temperature is quite pleasant. Jammu serves as a home to many communities like Dogras, Gujjars, Gaddis and Bakkarwals. The languages spoken here are Dagri, Hindi and Urdu. The city has grown leaps and bounds in terms of development. The once sedate land of Jammu is now one of the most bustling cities of the state. And as far as shopping is concerned, the city is a real treat. What you will get elsewhere in the state, here you will get it more and better. The markets here give you best feel of new and old together. The decade old shops here stand wall to wall with the trendiest of international showrooms. The Shahtoosh and Pashmina shawls with the exceptional embroidery work are the best buy. The most preferred shopping places in the city are Vir Marg, Hari Market and Raghunath Bazaar.