Shikargah
The Shikargah in Tral area of
Pulwama district is situated about 3
kms from Tral and is an attractive
tourist spot. It is also an abode
for wildlife. Virgin and undisturbed, Shikargah is located in the middle of a vast stretch of dense woods which was traditionally considered a favorite hunting place for the Royals.
Maharaja Hari Singh (1925-1947) also used to visit the place for wild life hunting.
Shikargaah was traditionally a favourite hunting place for the Royals.
Shikargah is situated at the junction of the
Wasturwan Mountain and Kherwon surrounded by forests and snow-clad peaks at an altitude of 2,130m. Shikargah resembles Gulmarg but has an added advantage as the night temperatures do not drop too low because of its location at much lower altitude than Gulmarg.
The Shikargah in Tral area of Pulwama district presents very beautiful abode for wildlife and is also an important tourist attraction in the district.
Agriculture and Horticulture are the main stay of the economy of the district and more than 80% of the population derive livelihood from this sector.
Total area under agriculture is 23650 hectares Economy and Developmental Activities:-
The economy of Litter mainly depends on agricultural and horticultural activities like cultivation of fruits and rice. The number of unemployment men in the village is said to be 60 percent. However, in actual terms that may not be as severe as that if other socio economic status of the village is taken into consideration. The supply of electricity is normally for 6 hours a day.
The famous scenic spot of Shikargah
here has become a major tourist attraction after the road leading to
it was thrown open recently Shikargah, which was once used to be most sought after tourist destination, became out of bounds for the people after the armed
forces closed the road in early 90s’.
People of the area are now expecting that the mesmerizing beauty of this scenic spot with lush green forests and lofty mountains will be explored further and the government will make every effort to promote tourism in the area.
The place according to the locals
derived its name during the Maharaja
era as the, Maharaja used to frequently visit this dense forests area, habitat of many wild animals mainly Hangul for hunting purpose during summer.
“Prior to nineties the place used to be a favorite destination for both foreign as well as domestic tourists and was the most preferred picnic spot among the locals. However, with the onset of turmoil in the valley the security forces
set up a camp on the Tral-Shikargah
road and closed the route by erecting barricades and concertina wires, thus not only making this scenic spot inaccessible to the people, but also
disconnecting manyvillages from the Tral town,” the locals said.
They said since then, people were
continuously demanding the restoration of the historic road link and this summer their dream came true when the forces removed the barricades and the road was thrown open for the people again. Though the last two decades has seen loot of green gold in valley, but the virginity of Shikargah forests is still intact with dense deodar pine trees visible all around.
The Maharajas had constructed two
huts for their own purpose, which
later on were taken over by the
Tourism department. However, both
the huts were set ablaze by the unknown persons in the early nineties and locals are now demanding establishment of basic tourism infrastructure facilities. “The government had assured the
locals of financial assistance in
the form of a loan so that they can
build few huts and small guest
houses, but till now it has not fulfilled its promise,” said Ghulam Muhammad a resident of Tral. He however, said that though they are in favor of infrastructure for tourists, but that should not be at the cost of environment.
Locals further said the Tourist department should also immediately
take up the development of Nagiberan, Aaripal and Branipathri as eco-tourism destinations as was promised by them.
The Wildlife department has set up
a breeding conservation for Hangul
at Shikargah with financial assistance of Rs 18 crore from the Central Zoo Authority and the locals say that if due attention is paid to it, it can for sure help in saving the endangered species of Hangul in Kashmir.
