kashmir
...nent. Over twenty passes provide points of entry and the valley of Kashmir is both a cross-roads and a place of refuge. The state covers some 84,000 square miles of land (it is about 30,000 squares miles smaller than the United Kingdom); the valley, 84 miles long, 20 to 25 miles wide, comprises only one-tenth of land space. Today, however, the state is effectively divided along a Tine of control after a cease fire imposed by the United Nations in January 1949. The total population on both sides of line of control is estimated at 12 million. Protagonists for an independent state of Jammu and Kashmir point out that it is geographically larger than sixty-eight members of the United Nations and more populous than ninety members. A constant themes of Kashmir's history is not only its beauty but the expectation, expressed so frequently, that almost because Kashmiris live in such magnificent surroundings they should be able to lead peaceful lives; another theme, equally apparent, is the political strife and oppression which its people have experienced over many centuries; a third theme is the world wide attraction that this small valley has held for generations. Kashmir's remoteness hides its strategic importance. The famed overland trading route, the Silk Road, lies to the north. Linking Central Asia with China by way of Tibet this route was well worn by successive caravans and conquering armies some of whom included Kashmir in their grand designs. Set like a jewelled crown on the map of India, Kashmir is a multi-faceted diamond, changing its hues with the seasons - always extravagantly beautiful. Two major Himalayan ranges, the Great Himalayan Range and the Pir Panjal, surround the landscape from the north and south respectively. They are the source of great rivers, which flow down into the valleys, forested with orchards and decorated by lily-laden lakes. The Mughals aptly called Kashmir ‘Paradise on Earth’ where they journeyed across the hot plains of India, to the valley’s cool environs in summer. Here they laid, with great love and ...