Verinag Kashmir | Verinag Spring | Verinag Tourist Place & More .
Verinag a Popular & Famous Tourist Place.
It is a well-known fact that the union Terriortity of Jammu & Kashmir, India is graced by splendid beauty and nature and is naturally blessed with many springs. The Verinag Spring is unique in itself and possesses great importance for being one of the major water sources of River Jehlum in Kashmir Valley. The water of this spring is believed to be quite useful for digestion.
The water of this spring is a deep blue which also irrigates thousands of kanals of land in different parts of the district and supplies clean drinking water to lots of households. The covering tourist destination is considered to be one of the most beautiful and widely visited tourist resorts in Kashmir that witnesses a heavy rush of visitors from all across the globe throughout the year
Verinag old Nilakund :
This Verinag also called Nilakund in ancient times is situated at the foot of the lush green & beautiful hills of the Pir Panjal Mountains that are considered to be special historically and religiously. As per the historians, the name Verinag has been derived from two words Veri, the old name of the area & Nag which means a natural spring in the local language Kashmiri.
Therefore the name of the whole area has been known as Verinag for centuries and the depth of this spring is believed to be more than 54 ft.
It is very well said by a famous Urdu poet about Jammu and Kashmir that " if there is a heaven on the earth, it is this, it is this and it is this only because the entire Jammu and Kashmir is naturally blessed with the most stupendous wonders of nature. One can witness this by seeing its high mountains, beautiful gushing streams, dense forests, high Chinar trees, meadows, snow-capped mountains, and beautiful parks, gardens, fountains, and beautiful springs as these being the bounties of nature found in District Anantnag also. As far as District Anantnag is concerned, it is a prominent and densely populated District in Kashmir valley which holds one of the most prominent places in the sector of Tourism and pilgrimage in Kashmir Province of Jammu and Kashmir.
This District has many significant and beautiful pilgrimage & tourist places in and around it for alluring nature lovers from all over the world and one among such world-famous Tourist destinations is Verinag, Vitasta situated at a distance of about 26 kilometers from Aantang town which deserves special attention in this new blog.
Verinag , Source of River Jehlum :
Verinag or Vitasta an ultimately beautiful and first tourist Tourist destination of Kashmir Valley while traveling by road from Jammu towards Kashmir Valley is situated at a distance of about 78 kilometers from Srinagar in District Anantnag. It is located at an altitude of 1851 meters from sea level and is situated near Banihal Pass at the foothill of mountains covered with thick pine forests lying at the entry point of Kashmir valley on the right side after crossing Jawahar Tunnel also known as the Gateway of Kashmir. The major tourist attraction of this place is Verinag Spring which has an octagonal stone Basin at Verinag Spring and an arcade surrounding it built by Mughal Emperor emperor Jehangir in 1620 AD after a beautiful and fascinating garden was built next to the spring by his son Shah Jahan.
This big and sacred spring is a major source of River Jhelum as it never dries up or overflows hence it has been officially recognized by the Archeological Survey of India as a monument of National importance. The deep blue water of river Jehlum irrigates most of the land of the District and it is also supplied to lacs of households for drinking purposes in the valley. This river with 24 tributaries, is the main water source of the Kashmir valley with immense socio-economic significance.
Tourists and Visitors from different parts of India and abroad visit Verinag in the summer season in large numbers to enjoy the amazing scenic natural beauty of this historical and ancient tourist place The depth of Verinag spring is believed to be more than 54 ft and the water emerges out from the said depth and is considered as the primary source of River Jehlum.
Verinag a Hindu Religious Place :
According to Hindu religious belief, there are some interesting facts found in the Hindu texts related to Verinag. The Kashmir valley got its name from Kashyap Rishi a sage and according to the ancient book Nilamata Puran written in the 6th to 8th Century CE, it was used by Kalhana as one of the sources for his famous Rajtarangani. According to it, all of Kashmir valley was a giant lake called Satisar(lake of Sati) believed to be inhabited by a ferocious water demon called Jalodhava who distributed the local popular.
The lake was drained by sage Kashyap Rishi & Lord Vishnu Killed the demon. After this, the Saint requested Lord Shiva to prevail upon Goddess Parvati to manifest herself in the form of a river to give water to the valley and accordingly, Lord Shiva struck the ground at Verinag with his Trident, and from the spot where Lord Shiva used his Trident emerged the Goddess Parvati in the form of river Vitasta or Jehlum. The spot was later dedicated to the river Goddess, Vitasta or Jehlum, and is considered to be a pious pilgrimage spot by Hindus of Kashmir the remains of the temple still exist in the area which can be seen.
There is another religious belief this place holds is that the origin of the Jehlum River has as it is the place from where the Vitasta Goddess had to recede as Lord Shiva was resting here and then took the rise from a distance of around one mile and thus this place was named as Virah(return) and Nag(water spring), then with time, it became Verinag. There is another untold story of covering that says that it was an abode of Neelnaga, the king of Nagas(deity of Spring in Kashmir), and hence it's also called Nilakund and Vithavathur that is 2 kilometers away from here which is the point from where Vitasta or Jehlum originates.
Verinag a famous Tourist Place :
After the arrival of the Mughals, it was due to Akbar's successor Jehangir, that the Verinag was transformed from a small pond to a beautiful Mughal garden. Jehangir visited this historic tourist place twice before he became the Mughal Emperor and was 1607 CE as Emperor he ordered the construction of a Garden with a long water canal to be built at Verinag which has been also mentioned in his Autobiography Tuzk-e- Jehangir. He changed the shape of Verinag from the original pond to a Mughal octagonal-shaped pool and around the pool, he built a wonderful garden in a traditional Charbagh design. Jehangir liked this place so much that he even desired to be buried there after his death but unfortunately, his wish could not be fulfilled after his demise in Kashmir in 1627 because his wife Nur Jehan wanted him to be buried at Shahdara Bagh Lahore.
Today this Verinag spring and the garden have been properly maintained and beautifully restored and it remains a major attraction for domestic as well as international tourists during summer seasons it has been recognized as a Monument of National importance by an Archeological Survey of India. It remains open for tourists and visitors throughout the year as in winter visitors come to witness glimpses of heavy snowfall over here and enjoy the winter season at this delightful tourist resort with family and friends
Verinag Places to Visit :
The other Tourist Places that fall near Verinag are Duksum, Kokernag, Achabal, Sinthantop, Vasak Nag, Aharbal, Pahalgam, etc where the heavy rush of domestic and international tourists is witnessed throughout the year. Many schools, colleges, and universities in Kashmir Valley usually go on excursions to these tourist places during the summer season. These places are also visited by visitors during winter to witness snowfall and enjoy the winter season at these places as well as undertake various adventurous activities.
Verinag Distance from Srinagar :
This famous tourist resort of Verinag can easily be reached by air, train, and by road. Visitors who choose to visit Verinag by air from different States of India and abroad will have to fly to Srinagar International Airport first which is near Verinag situated at a distance of 85 kilometers. After reaching Srinagar International Airport, visitors can hire easily available taxis, cars, cabs, and buses for verinag. Visitors can also reach here by road after taking the route of National High Way 1A between Jammu to Srinagar. It is situated at a distance of 10 to 11 kilometers from National Highway A1 Qazigund.
Verinag Anantnag Distance :
The destination is well connected by wide roads from Anantnag, Srinagar, and tourists can also travel easily by road to reach Verinag as it is a distance of about 24 kilometers from District Headquarter Anantnag and 78 kilometers from Srinagar city
The visitors can also travel by Train the nearest railway station is Qazigund Railway Station which runs from Baramulla to Banihal Town the next closest railway station is Jammu Tawi Railway Station and it takes about 5 to 6 hours drive to reach the town
Verinag Hotels & Guest Houses :
The government of Jammu and Kashmir has constructed a beautiful tourist Bungalow, a rest house, and many huts at this place for the convenience of the visitors for their comfortable night stay over there at manageable rates. There is also a big market just near the Verinag tourist resort where many top-class hotels, restaurants, cafeterias, guest houses, etc are easily available at affordable rates for tourists and travelers.
Verinag Weather :
The temperature in Verinag during Summer Season remains quite delightful and pleasant and low as compared to City areas especially during summer season. This season is best time to visit here and quite ideal place for summer vacations. The winter here is harsh due heavy snow fall but the entire place is well maintained and equipped with required tourist infrastructure and even tourists visit here in large numbers to enjoy snowfall and other adventure activites here.
Conclude :
Tourists and visitors can choose any of the traveling modes viz; air, road, and rail to reach this famous and historical Tourist place and make their tour a memorable one. it is situated at the entry point of Kashmir Valley on the right side after crossing the famous Jawahar Tunnel also called as Gateway of Kashmir. Government departments like the Jammu Kashmir Tourism Department, the Department of Floriculture, and the Archaeological Survey of India look after this tourist resort for its upkeep and maintenance. Besides these departments, Municipal Committee Dooru Verinag has been playing the lead role in recent years in the beautification, sanitation, and maintenance of Verinag
Town including Verinag Garden and Spring. The Chairman of the Municipal committee M.Iqbal Ahangar has been taking a keen interest in the beautification and upkeep of this tourist resort for the last several years for which he has been honored and appreciated by the government of India and UT of J&K. He has executed several works for the beautification of this tourist resort like the installation of ornamental street lights, reflective signage Boards, digital display Boards, and the installation of a Colourful water fountain in the Tourist Garden, construction of children's parks, open-air Gym, etc.
This tourist place has been properly maintained and developed by the Government in terms of tourism infrastructure as well as better road connectivity hence visiting such unique and historical tourist places, one can witness nature and its mesmerizing beauty nearby and enjoy the precious moments of life in the lap of nature.
In the end, I would like to extend special gratitude to M. Iqbal Ahangar Chairman of Municipal Committee Verinag for helping us in the research work of this blog.
From :
Team Panaromicspots.
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