Badgam district General information
Covering an area of 1,371 sq. km., Budgam is the smallest district in J&K, accounting for nearly 1% of the total area of the state and 6% of its population. It is bounded by the districts of Baramulla and Srinagar in the north, Pulwama in the south and the Poonch border in the south-west. Badgam is a town and a notified area committee in Badgam district.
In the olden days, Budgam was a part of district Baramulla, when Srinagar itself was a constituent of the Anantnag district. It was then known as tehsil Sri Pratap. Historical record suggests that Budgam was also referred to as Pargana Deesu.
With a predominantly rural outlook, 86 % of the population in Budgam district live in its villages and are primarily involved in agricultural operations.
PLACES OF INTEREST
THE tomb of Sheikh Noor-ud-Din Noorani: Popularly known as Alamdar-e-Kashmir (flag-bearer of Kashmir), is situated 28 kms in the southwest of Srinagar at Chrar-e-Sharief. The land where the shrine is situated belonged to Sangram Dar, a disciple of Alamdar-e-Kashmir, who had constructed a mosque there. It was here where Sheikh Noor-ud-din Noorani (RA) would say his Friday prayers.
THE SHRINE OF KHAN SAHIB :Situated in the Khan Sahib block of district Budgam, the shrine is associated with a famous saint - Hazrat Salen Khan - who belonged to Pakhla village (now in Pakistan) and came here in the sixteenth century along with his father, Ismail Sahib.
IMAMBARA BUDGAM: Imambara Budgam is a major religious place for the Shi'ate Muslims of the Valley. The building of the Imambara was originally constructed in 1857, under the supervision of Aga Syed Mohammad, on the place where famous Shi'ate religious leader Aga Syed Mehdi used to offer prayers. Inside the building was designed by Asgar Ali of Mirgund, Budgam.
ZIARAT ALAMDAR-E-KASHMIR: Sheikh Noor-ud-din (RA) had widely travelled throughout Kashmir. The shrines connected with great sufi saint are found all over the Valley. The distant block of Khag also had the good fortune of receiving the saint and there would hardly be any place here not visited by him during his meditation. The village of Hamchapora also provided him a place to meditate. When Alamdar-e-Kashmir arrived at Khag, he selected a rock for his meditation which bore still bear imprints of his feet. The rock, known as Shah Kean (the king- stone). During his stay at Poshkar, Sheikh-ul-Aalam met a pious lady, Sham Ded, who under his guidance, attained spiritual heights. As the great sufi saint stayed at Hamchapora for long, the place became revered and people started flocking the village which steadily attained the status of a ziarat. The devotees visit the shrine in large numbers to pay their respects.
THE TOMB OF SHAM DED: Sham Ded, daughter of an ironsmith of Poshker village, was introduced to spirituality by Sheikh-ul-Alam, Hazrat Sheikh Noor-ud-din Noorani (RA). Around the same time, Alamdar-e-Kashmir had another disciple - Baba Latif-ud-Din Qazi.
BABA LATIF-UD-DIN: Poshker village is also home to the tomb of Hazrat Baba Latif-ud-din Qazi, a worthy disciple of the Sheikh-ul-Alam (RA).
THE SHRINE OF SYED MOHAMMAD SAMRI: Seven kms from Habir village, in Khag block, at Lassapora, is situated the shrine of Hazrat Syed Mohammad Samri. On the 12th of Phaguna the devotees throng the shrine to pay obeisance to the spiritual leader. The saint had arrived here from Shopian, in Pulwama, several hundred years ago and chose to meditate in the dense forests for years where, he later passed away. He is buried at Laspora.
THE SHRINE OF HAZRAT GANGA BABA RISHI: Hazrat Ganga Baba Rishi is one of the prominent saints buried at Palapora Poshker where he spent his entire life in material poverty. But with his meditation and prayers, Baba Rishi attained enormous spiritual wealth. In and around Palapora, 3 kms from Khag, the Baba is believed to have constructed 360 mosques and an equal number of culverts. He had migrated from Maraz and lived in Palapora, where he breathed his last and was laid to rest.
TOMB OF ZIA-UD-DIN BUKHARI: Some three centuries back, it is believed, Hazrat Zia-ud-din Bukhari reached the Valley from Bukhara along with 360 Syeds. During his stay here, he came to Kanihama and preached Islam. The saint performed many miracles one of whom is related to a blind girl.
TOMB OF SYED TAJ-UD-DIN AND SYED ALLA-UD-DIN: According to a legend, when Syed Taj-ud-Din arrived in Khag, the Mala Kol silently followed him from Sukh Nag to Skinderpora. Syed Taj-ud-Din first arrived in Sukh Nag where he stayed for long, and later, crossing various villages, reached Skinderpora, where he spend the rest of his life. Following his death, the mantle of spiritual guidance of people fell on his son, Syed Alla-ud-Din, who was equally a pious soul. The tombs of both the father and son, are situated in Skinderpora and attract a large number of devotees.
YOUSMARG: One of the captivating meadows of Kashmir, Yousmarg is situated 50 Kms to the southwest of Srinagar at an elevation of 7,500 ft above sea-level. Yousmarg is not just a meadow but a cluster of meadows bounded by magnificent trees in the lap of Pir Panjal mountain range. The place is connected by road from Srinagar via Charar-e-Sharief. Pony riding in the meadows here is a tourist's delight.
NILNAG: It is a beautiful blue-water lake, situated 4 kms downhill from Yousmarg, connected by a bridle path through dense forests. The place is a wonderful picnic spot . Nilnag is also approachable from Nowgam village. The 13-km uphill journey is a superb trek that brings many other beauty spots to limelight.
MOUNT TATAKUTI: The source of the famous Dood Ganga stream, Mt. Tatakoti is at an elevation of 15,500 ft above sea-level. The stream, a tributary of the Riverr Jhelum is famous for trout fish. Dood Ganga is just one km away from Yousmarg where one can go on pony or enjoy the environs by footing the distance.
SANG-E-SAFED (WHITE ROCKS): Ten kms uphill from Yousmarg, one can go trekking to Sang-e-Safed, which serves as base for Mt. Tatakoti. En route, there are many meadows like Liddermar, where one could have a night's halt. Sang-e-Safed is an oval-shaped meadow bisected by the Dood Ganga stream. Another enchanting meadow in the area is Haigin, 4 kms from Yousmarg. Surrounded by dense pine trees, the place is a famous picnic spot.
TOSAMAIDAN: Tosamaidan is not only famous as a pasture but also for its historical bacKground. Bounded by dense forests, it is situated about 10 Kms from Khag in the mountains of the Himalayan range. After crossing the upper mountain reaches of Drang, Zakhora and other small villages, one reaches the pasture of Tosamaidan. It is one of those pastures which the shepherds of other countries also used to visit in ancient times. The Mughals used to go to Poonch using this route. It is said that they had constructed a seven-storeyed building -Dam Dam - here. The Basmai Gali (13,000 ft) is the pass which leads into Tosamaidan. Another pass - Poonch Gali - on its right side leads to the valley of Poonch. This pass was deemed to be the safest, easiest, and nearest to reach Punjab in in ancient times. From here a path also leads to Nilnag. Tosamaidan is the largest pasture in its surrounding areas, 3 miles in length and 1.5 miles in width.
PEHJAN: To reach this alpine pasture, one has to cross the green slopes of Donwar, Brari Pather and Yanga Pather. A little higher from these slopes, the entire place is covered with various kinds of asters and several plants of saussuera lappa (Kuth). Immediately afterwards, the area of "Rachi Parhan" (Pasture of Parhan) c ommences. In clear blue sky, the view of the area is ravishing. One can view the famous Wular Lake from here which resembles a silver-sheet. One can also enjoy the most charming view of one of the highest peaks in the world - Nanga Parbat (26,696 ft) - from here.
NAKWAER PAL: Before Pehjan, there is the famous 14,000 ft-high Nakwaer Pal (the nostril rock) on the way. It is the highest peak of this range. About this famous rock it is said that when Kashmir valley was a lake (Sati Sar),boats used to be anchored with this rock. Today there is an iron hook within it (Ded Bal), also known as (Lal Khanen Gher). Here shepherds and Gujjars come from adjacent villages with their livestock.
KHAG: Situated 8,000 to 14,000 ft. above sea-level, in the lap of dense woods, bounded by mountains whose average height reaches 17,000 ft, Khag block in the Beerwah tehsil of Budgam district, is a place of breathtaking beauty in the southwest of Kashmir. The area is rich in green pastures where, with the onset of summer, the caravans of nomad Bakerwals arrive along with their cattle to graze in the meadows. The atmosphere turns romantic when a shepherd, while guarding his herd of sheep, plays flute and fills the air with magic. One has the experience the moment to believe it. During early winter, these nomads along with their move through various mountain passes to warm places before the area is covered with snow. The return of summer, however, simply transforms the place into a dreamland.
SPRINGS: Across the length and breadth of the district, there are many springs. In khag alone, there are at least 30 springs providing fresh water round the year. However, during the summer, the number increases to over 50. For this reason, the area could as well be called the land of Springs. Some of these historically important springs are:-
SUT HARAN: A little away from the famous meadow of Tosamaidan and close to the Line of Actual Control in the midst of thick forest is situated this enchanting spring. The legend has it that during his 12-year long exile (Vanvas) Ram Chander passed through these woods and stayed here along with Lakshman and Sita. Sita, it is said, would bath in the spring which consequently got its name from her as Sita Haran. The name got later changed to Sut Haran. Close to the spring is a rock which, according to the legend, was used by Sita to sit on. The spring is also said to be the origin of a small lake, Tosamaidan. The water of the spring is very sweet.
NARA NAG: Naranag spring is also known as Narain Nag. The spring is close to the Khag village. The origin of the spring is beleived to be the Tosamaidan lake which after flowing several miles beneath the soil, resurfaces in the form of Naranag. It is said that long ago an ascetic was once going through this place. He was carrying a bagful of sheep dung which fell from his hand into the lake. Several days later, when he reached this place in Khag, he saw the dung floating on the surface of the Naranag. To convince himself, the ascetic returned to Tosamaidan and this time sprinkled some turmeric powder in to the lake. A couple of days later, the water in the Naranag carried a tinge of turmeric colour.
SUKHNAG: Of the many round-the-year-flowing springs, the Sukhnag, originally Sokhanag (the spring of solace) is the fountainhead of the Ahij brook. Flowing through the mountain terrain, the spring water transforms into a 20 ft high-roaring waterfall at Kanj Zubji, few miles from Tosamaidan, before mingling with other small streams to form the Ahij brook. Downwards, the Ahij is further divided into many streams, like Mala Kol, Lar Kol and Sona Maen Kol, irrigating many villages of Beerwah tehsil.
PUSHKAR NAG: Pushkar Nag is in the east of Poshker village between Khag and Ferozpora. This historical spring is surrounded by several villages on its three sides white it flows to the east. The spring owes its name to the village of its origin. It is said that during the month of Sawan, Kashmiri Pandits would offer prayers known as Diavai Paath here and the devotees would take a dip in the spring. Some devotees perform the ritual today as well. The spring finds a mention in the chronicle, Neelamat Purana, accoring to which a devotee was spiritually as much benefitted by taking a dip in the spring as by a night-long recitation of the Vedas.
GANDHAK NAG: This is a spring in Darang Khaipora village of Khag block with sulphur contents in its water. Hence the name Ghandak Nag. People with skin ailments take a bath in the spring and are said to get cured. These properties of its water make the Ghandak Nag very significant.
MOUNTAIN STREAMS: Amid lush forest, several mountain streams flow through the district from Badran to Sat Haran. Of these, the famous are Mala Kol, Lear Kol, Ahij Kol, Laen, Zaen, Mean and Sona Mean. The Ahij, Laen and Sona Maen have the common fountainhead in Sukhnag. MalaKol is also known as the "deaf and dumb stream ". Legend has it that when a saint, Syed Taj-ud-Din, arrived in Khag, the Mala Kol silently followed him from Sukh Nag to Sikandarpora. The stream continues to flow with calm even when it is brimming. On the other hand, the Laen Kol is known to be making a roaring march with much less discharge of water.