Locals with a pile of ice boots and snow jackets amidst the snow
by Ashish Agarwal
Title
Locals with a pile of ice boots and snow jackets amidst the snow
Artist
Ashish Agarwal
Medium
Photograph - Photo
Description
Kashmiri men at the snow and ice of Sonmarg. They are waiting for tourists to whom they will provide snow boots, snow jackets and also sleds to take them to higher positions, to some sightseeing points, and then let these tourists slide down from these positions. On the ground can be seen the thick boots and winter clothes that tourists can use for this purpose. In the background are steeper slopes. Kashmir has some beautiful and popular destinations, with Sonmarg being one of them. Most people seek to arrive in Sonmarg by late morning, and then leave from there in the early evening to reach back to Srinagar. This place is located at a distance of 87 km from Srinagar, located at the bank of Nallah Sindh. The location is superb, with the drive to this location, since it is located close to some towering mountain peaks (visible for many stretches of the distance). Sonmarg is closed for travel for many months of year due to snow and ice blocking the roads. We had the fortune of going there in the month of April, soon after they had cut a path on the highway to Sonmarg, and the road was flanked by tall ice glaciers, with a path just wide enough for the road between the high ice on either side. However, almost all the people who go there do not stay, with very few cottages and the like for staying there overnight.
When the ice melts on the lower slopes, you are exposed to grassy meadows; and when the ice is present, you can see slopes covered with snow and ice giving a chance to experiment with learning a bit of skiing or skating. Sonmarg is very significant from a Hindu religion point of view, since the religious site of Amarnath cave is accessible through Baltal, which is just a distance of 15 km from Sonmarg (when the ice has been cleared from the route). In addition, Sonmarg is significant militarily, being one of the routes for road access to Ladakh, and there is year round deployment of the Indian army in Sonmarg.
Uploaded
March 23rd, 2013
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