Fishing
: Pahalgam is one of Kashmir's popular
trout fishing beats. Kashmir is famous for its
trout although they tend to be rather small. Additionally,
fishing licences are hard to get and rather expensive.
A compulsion is to keep am guide and one is also
permitted to catch six fishes, which is the daily
limit.
Mattan Martand : Only a few km
beyond Anantnag, on the Pahalgam road, Mattan
is an important Hindu pilgrimage point due to
its fish filled springs. A complicated legend
relates that the springs were created when Lord
Shiva broke open an egg, which had been thrown
there, the egg being the reincarnated form of
a forgetful boy, who had been cursed by a wandering
sage and that's only half the story! On a plateau
above Mattan and 3-km to the south, stands the
huge ruined temple of Martand. Built by Lalitaditya
Mukhtapida it is the most impressive ancient ruin
in Kashmir and beautifully sited. The ruins are
67m by 43m and consist of a portico with a small-detached
shrine on both side and a quadrangular courtyard.
The courtyard was surrounded by 84 columns - the
multiple of the number of days in the week by
the number of signs in the zodiac. From here to
Pahalgam the road follows the course of the Lidder
River, past some good trout fishing stretches.
Overa Wildlife Sanctuary : Overa
Wildlife Sanctuary is located 76-km from Srinagar,
near Pahalgam, and has an area of 32.27-sq-kms.
The area is home to a number of rare, threatened
and protected species of birds and mammals.
|
