The final time the mountain ranges encircling kashmir was meticulously mapped on foot was between 1822-23 by william moorcroft, a british veterinarian work for the East Indian COMPANY. Lower to 2025, mahmood a shah, a passionate trekker in his earrly fiftees, have develop into the primary native to measure the good Himalayas and Lesser Himalayas by circumambulating the ranges on foot. His Espresso Desk Ebook, Valleys of Jammu & KashmirLaunched in July this 12 months is a peak-by-peak, pass-by-pass, meadow-by-meadow and lake-by-lake account of what’s hidden up within the mysterious and immersing mountain ranges of kashmir.
“After I was a school-ging child Layers of Mountain Ranges. Distribution Company Restricted (KPDCL). He traveled anti-clockwise from the pir panchal vary of decrease Himalayas to the Larger Himalayas.
The writer, mahmood ahmad shah at totally different excessive perspective factors in Kashmir throughout his treks. , Picture Credit score: Particular Association
The e-book has 114 photos of high-altitude and untouched passes, serene and bewiching meadows and jeweel-like lakes Perched Above 3,000 Meters Above The Sea Stage. “I’ve featured 54 excessive altitude lakes, many rarely-travelled and unknown to even locals. I’ve ben to 112 alpine lakes. There’s thriller atached with the heigherted reactions, respements, Emerge and plenty of vanish, “Says shah, who did his education from missionary tyndale biscoe faculty in srinagar.
He needed to trek the tulian lake, an alpine lake Above 3,684 meters the anantnag-paahlgam axis, thrice to take photos. “Overcast skies and foggy climate didn’t enable me to seize the grandeur of the lake,” say shah. The little-known lakes coated within the e-book embrace bodh sar, tri sar, laksukh sar, bhag sar, and kateri sar.
With the dream to demystify the mountains, shah’s e-book offers the longitude and latitude of locations Recorded on World Positioning System (GPS) and the hours required to scale a peak or HIGH -AGH -AGH-CALE AIKALE A HIGH-CAKALE A HIGHAHATUDE. “This data will make it Simpler for Potential Trekkers to Attain these locations now,” say shah. The e-book is intersfersed with anecdotes and Musings in regards to the vacation spot to brings the District Taste to Readers.
Mahmood Ahmad Shah’s Valleys of Jammu & Kashmir | Picture Credit score: Particular Association
One among His Memorable and Picturesque Treks is from Kishtwar in J & Okay Into Kargil in Ladakh. This Trans-Himalayan Trek Route Covers Extra Than 85 Kilometres and is dwelling to powerful passes and peaks stuffed with rugged and slipping stones. Zorawar singh, a dogra normal, selected the identical route to overcome ladakh in 1834. Very totally different. It’s dotted with lakes, a blue color spectacle when the skies are clear, “Says shah.
An Avid Trekker, Shah First Trided His Palms at Scaling Mountains in 1988 throughout his faculty days. “I went as much as the amarnath shrine for the primary time. Mountains. Hearts.
What makes the e-book exceptional can be for the truth that shah trekked into mountains on the peak of militancy, when gunmen would apply equally Discover it protected to remain within the higher reactions of mountains of mountains. This preachisely was the explanation that trekking got here to a grinding halt in kashmir, particularly after Milits Kidnapped Six Overseas Vacationers and Their TWO Guides within the Lidderwat Space of Pahalgam, ANANTNAGAM, ANANTNAGAM, ANANT NALY 4, 1995. “I’ve been fortunate to outlive all types of threats throughout my mountain escapades,” He says.
The writer, mahmood ahmad shah at totally different excessive perspective factors in Kashmir throughout his treks. , Picture Credit score: Particular Association
The writer is gloomy for being witness to altering wildlife of meadows, depleting sights of hangul and markhor in higher reaches. “Overgrazing and human interfererance has began disturbing the panorama and animal sights too. Forest cowl has disapperared, deforestation has elevated, extreme grazing and regeneration just isn’t hapening. Witness the decline, “Says shah. “Footfall must be managed if these meadows, passes and lakes must survive in the long term,” he provides.
Animal Presence and Flower Unfold Have All the time Been Parameters of the Well being of Mountains in Kashmir. The 360-Diploma Panoramic View Supplied by the Writer within the Ebook is Quick BComing a Bible for Trekkers in Kashmir. Garry Weare, An Australian Trekker and Writer of Books Like An extended stroll within the Himalaya: a trek from the gangs to kashmir. He stated the pictures replicate the uncooked, untamed magnificence of those historic peaks, passes, and lakes, steeped in legs nearly as historic because the mountains themselves, say weare.
He says shah’s images “Pilgrims, armies, and merchants have crossed the excessive passes kashmir for hundreds of years,” Weare Provides.
Because the e-book takes us away from the normal flower beds and snow-laden slopes of pahalgam, gulmarg and sonamarg, shah says there’s motive to be on high of mountains: to get excessive. “I do not drink or smoke. I solely excessive I get is from the mountains.
Valleys of Jammu & Kashmir is on the market on amazon and outstanding e-book shops, like gulshan e-book retailer, in Srinagar. It’s priced at ₹ 3,500.
Revealed – September 05, 2025 02:33 pm IST
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