Top 5 Things to Do in Sonamarg

Here are some best things to do and visit in Sonamarg. Trekking/Hiking, Visit Thajiwas Glacier, Enjoy local cuisine, Camping, Horse Riding

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TOP 5 THINGS TO DO
IN SONAMARG

2. It was our Sonamarg day, a
scintillating valley almost 90
kilometers from Srinagar. Altitude
was around 9500 feet only above
mean sea level, but due to its
topographical proximity to the
Three Kashmir Sisters (Mount
Harmukh, Amarnath and Kolhoi),
Sonamarg remains snow blanketed
almost round the year, opened to
public only for two months during
April and May. Luckily we had been
there in mid-May.

3. By road it takes around 5 hours from
state capital Srinagar, via National
Highway 1D. Road conditions are
pretty good until Gund village;
however it gets abruptly narrow
after the last check post. Sonamarg,
as the name suggests, means ‘Valley
of Gold’. It got its name not because
of any abundance of the glittering
metal ore, but because of the golden
gleam on snow by the rising sun. On
a clear sunny day, when the rays fall
on ice caps, they glitter like gold.
Nevertheless, this span of higher
Himalayas lacks wildlife, flora and
fauna due to the frequent
avalanches and heavy snowfalls. The
three sisters of Kashmir seen at
Sonamarg lead to major glaciers like
Thajiwas and Kolhoi.

4. Thajiwas Glacier Trek: We parked
the car at the roadside of
basecamp area and took the
pleasure of walking towards the
snow on foot. One striking
aspect of Sonamarg ’s mountains
was the flat tops with gradual
slopes. So high, yet no cliffs! One
need to be an expert to climb up
to the summits of Harmukh,
Amarnath or Kolhoi, but amateur
hikers with strong lungs may
dare a trek up to the Thajiwas
summit by foot or on horseback.
Here are some of the top attractions
which you must not miss during
your trip to Sonamarg.
1.

5. While casually hiking on the glacier,
taking photo-breaks in between, we
did not realize when we had lost our
direction. Unknowingly, we had
landed at a solitary corner, without
realizing that we had actually
reached the Thajiwas Glacier stage
0, aka the summit. Believe me, there
were no lives around! Not even the
army men.

6. On the glacial top, we were shocked
to discover numerous skeletons
here and there, scattered on the
ground. The scene was so
horrendous. You could see different
skeletal parts of animals (hopefully,
though all did not seem to be) –
skull, leg bones, ribcages etc and no
human beings around. Sweat
droplets filled my forehead at that
biting cold. Just imagine our
dreadful condition!

7. 2. Sledge Ride: Staying on the top for
around 15 minutes, we decided to
descend. Walking down, we passed
by the Gaddi huts which I could
remember seeing during our uphill
trek. Within a few minutes, God
knows, suddenly wherefrom three
sledgewalas approached us for a
snow ride. One of them told, if we
agree, it would be their first income
of the season. We did not take the
risk of confronting them. They
charged Rs. 300/- per person for an
hour’s ride.

8. Who knew sledge riding was so
difficult! You need so much of body
balance to enjoy a fall-free ride. In
fact, one must take a sledge ride to
know what happens once you fall
down. Finally, we reached the top in
60 minutes with muddy dresses and
cold toes. Thankfully driver was not
around, so I could change my dress
inside the car.
3. Island Retreat Park: Near stage
one of the Thajiwas Glacier, there
was a small riverside restaurant
named Island Retreat Park, claiming
to serve hot and fresh foods like
Kashmiri Wazwan, Kahwa, Kashmir
special Fish fry, Mutton rogan josh
etc.

9. Unfortunately, during our time of
visit hardly anything was available
except tea, coffee, ice-cream and
instant noodles. A nice wooden
bridge connected the park with the
mainland of Sonamarg valley. The
foaming waters of Sindh Nalla
flowing under the bridge offered a
tantalizing sight.

10. 4. Kheer Bhavan Temple: On our way
back to Srinagar, there is a much
revered Hindu temple called Kheer
Bhavani Mandir. This is the sacred
place where Swami Vivekananda
could transform his Vedantin
convictions into complete surrender
to the Divine Mother. The antiquity
of this ancient temple offers a very
exciting story which connects to
Hindu mythology. It is believed that
way back during the Ramayana age,
Ravana used to worship a rare form
of Goddess Shakti named Maha
Ragya Bhagwati (another name of
Goddess Bhavani) who is considered
as the embodiment of cosmic power
and active energy. As mentioned in
the epic, Ravana had established a
small temple of

11. Goddess Ragya at his golden capital
in Lanka. Owing to his misbehaviour
with Sita (who is also believed to be
an incarnation of Goddess Ragya by
a school of Kashmiri Pandits), the
goddess ordered Rama to shift her
from Lanka to this Kashmiri village
named Tulmulla where Sita had
spent couple of years during exile.
Since then, Goddess Shakti is being
worshipped at this ancient temple in
the titular form of Devi Ragya. At
present it is under the management
of Dharmarth Trust of J&K.

12. 5. Aman-ka-Phool (Flower of Peace):
There is a huge Kund (holy pond)
beside the temple which is
surrounded by lofty Chinars and
Mount Harmukh at the milieu – a
personification of amity and
tranquility. Just as we walked inside,
the whole area was shining with
white blooms of a very special tree,
they say it’s called ‘Aman-ka-Phool’
(flower of peace) as this is the flower
which is exchanged every day at the
international border while greeting
our friends from the neighbouring
country.

13. It was almost five in the evening.
After a tiring trip to Sonamarg, it was
time for a dreamy escape to the
world of snow under bed warmers.
We reached our hotel by six and
retired for the day.