Pahalgam in Autumn: Harud and the colours of Chinar

If you have read my last post on Srinagar in Autumn, you would know the context. Still for the new readers, here is some orientation. Autumn is known as harud in Kashmir. It is the season of change. It is when the state tree of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir in India changes the colour of its leaves. From green it turns amber. Then the amber gives way to a fiery red shade.

It is very dicey to catch them in action.

The popular consensus is that Chinars came to Kashmir from Greece. Kashmiris call Chinars “bouin”. The tree is extensively found in Central Asia. Felling of chinars is banned in Kashmir. It is a step to protect and conserve the leafy trees.

Finally, I see a red chinar

In Srinagar we visited the different gardens and the lakeside promenade, in hopes of finding red chinars. I got my heart broken. Now, with zero hopes we move towards Pahalgam in Anantnag district for the last leg of our trip. We suddenly find that the universe is rewarding us.

In an unassuming dusty road somewhere between a field and a construction site, we see the first red chinar. The crown has turned red. The leaves on the lower side are still in shades of yellow and green. We take a quick snap and move ahead.

Time and again we come across roadside Chinars, and the pattern seems to be the same—reddened top with green foliage in the underside.

Bijbehara – the town of chinars

Bijbehara is called the “town of chinars”. There are two gardens here. Dara Shikouh Garden is a Mughal garden with high density of chinars. Padshahi Bag is a tiny patch of land at the bank of river Jhelum. There is absolutely zero tourists here. When we asked our agent to put a stop here, he was taken aback. “Tourists do not go there, there is nothing.”

Well, if you are going for the chinars then you should visit the Dara Shikouh Garden. We are the only tourists in the garden. A handful of locals, probably students, hanged around us. The garden is resplendent with chinars. The trees here wear three colours at the same time— red, yellow, and green successively from their crown.

The fallen leaves have entirely carpeted the grassy surface of the garden. It is a sight to behold.

From an overbridge on Jhelum we enjoy the view of a reddened chinar in the Padshahi Bagh. It brings colour in the otherwise grey canvas of Bijbehara.

The route from Bijbehara to Pahalgam

As we move towards Pahalgam, the temperature falls and the red hue in the chinars increases.

And then we find it. Our first wholly red chinar.

As if the fiery red is not enough to sweep us off our feet, the whole ambiance of the place is quite out of the world.

A stream gurgles beside the red chinar. On the other side of the stream, among an apple orchard, a flock of sheep bleats.

“This is surreal,” we murmur.

Red Chinars of Pahalgam

When we arrive in Pahalgam it is almost dark, but we see red foliage here and there. Next day in the morning, we view the snow-clad Himalayas and then we ditch the usual tourist circuit. Our agent and driver are shocked yet again. We ask him to drop us in one of the parks in Pahalgam.

Inside the gates of Pahalgam Club Garden, the reddest of chinars sway their crowns, as if welcoming us. Rusty chinar leaves fly in the air, settling on odd benches. Just like Bijbehara, this park is devoid of tourists. Only a few locals chill in the Sun.

The garden draws inspiration from the Mughal Gardens of Srinagar. A thin stream of (I think) Lidder river trickles through paved waterways—must be an artificial one diverted from the actual river. The greenery of the grass compliments the fiery red hue of the chinars. I find it hard to remove my eyes from them.

Here, in Pahalgam, our dream of observing a red Chinar-laden Kashmir has come true.

Some pointers if you are planning Pahalgam for fiery red Chinars

It is very tricky to know when the colours of Chinar would turn red. It is advisable to book tickets last minute if you are travelling for the chinars. It is best if you have hyperlocal contacts there. I’ll not trust travel agents to give me proper information as they will only try to sell their packages. Instagram is good but many locals post pictures of last year so do not blindly trust the platform.

The timing changes from year to year, it varies on how warm or cold the year had been. So do not go by data of past year. The reddish tinge stays for probably less than a week and soon after, the trees becomes barren. Also, if there is a strong wind or rainfall, the reddened leaves will immediately fall off.

Even though we did not find red chinars in Srinagar, we did in Pahalgam. The transition of colours must depend on hyperlocal climate—temperature, weather, soil, water, latitude, and altitude. That is why it is important to do individual town/village/park-based research.

Also, there is a lot of luck involved. All the best!

Are you a local from Pahalgam? Are you an expert of Chinars? Do you have something to add that might enrich the readers? Feel free to comment below.

*****

Love travelling? Sign up to the free newsletter here to become a loyal follower and get access to travel inspirations and exclusive surprises planned just for you!

Follow us on Instagram , Facebook , Twitter , Google+