Raineera: Meadow of dawn
By: Suhaib Idrees Lateef
Kashmir, its blissful ambience can never be expressed, nor be described in words. The beauty of the place has been aptly summed up by a beautifully crafted Farsi couplet as Heaven on Earth.
‘Agar firdaus bar roo-e zameenast, Hameenast-o hameenast-o hameenast’
(If there is a paradise on earth, It is this, it is this, it is this).
The Snowy glaciers, Lakes and streams as the jewels in mountains, the green deep dense forests, mesmerizing lofty mountains with lush green and profuse meadows covering gushing and expressive rivers. Superabundantly, everything regarding Kashmir has been supremely and blissfully crafted by the Nature of green.
One such lush green meadow which has remained unexplored and is proving to be a mini-paradise is- The Raineera meadow in south Kashmir’s Shopian.
Apart with the explorations of the Pir-panjal meadows like the world known, famous Pahalgam, Gulmarg, Yusmarg, TosaMaidan and the beautiful Peer kiGali. Simultaneously, there lies a lot of it which is either unexplored or less known, among such beautiful and gushing gems is the meadow of Raineera, which is though a less explored hill station.
The wonderland of the Raineera meadow can be reached through three different routes.
- Heerpora-Shahkoot Circuit
- Ladigasan- Draenaad-Zabran-Shahkoot route
- Sedow-Draenaad- Zabran-Shahkoot route
Sedow-Draenaad, the third route, though lengthy is more challenging and attractive. Starting rightly North, the way is fully carved out, straightly, with the horse trotting, hard and too steep, along deep and dense, tall standing Pine and Deodar trees.
The travelers and their horses, the continuous greetings, the silent and profusely soul-touching patient winding air proves as the blissful companion along the way. The whole journey towards the lush Raineera is sculptured and carved by large and small Meadows often at lengths, dense canopy of verdant alpine trees, thoroughly, as if the nature has clearly crafted the length for travelers as upon every steepness, one would be encountered with a soothing meadow.
The first meadow encountered on the way, after by or small a 3 km patch, is Drae-Naad (the Meadows of little fairs), where one can choose for a little rest to listen the tales from the Gujjars living there.
The Patch is a small heaven to the tired eyes. A few nomadic settlements of the Gujjars are locate there who offer whatever they have to the coming visitors.
Covering the patch of Drae-Naad, a flat lush green grass measuring and charming follows which is known as Jabbdan-Chamb. This place is more or less 2.5 km from Drae-Naad. The soul touching enchanting voices from the pines, the mesmerizing surrounding proves a melody and is vitalizing the visitor towards his destination. This little meadow is well in its full ambience.
The virgin meadows and forests run all along as one enters another patch of deep down pine forest cover, the steep length patch, the crystal clear waters and again open the ways at the most beautiful, exuberant meadow of Shahkoot(meadow of King).
The visitors are simply awestruck here, simply speechless, seeing the around beauty of the area. Because, not every day one gets to see something as pure as what unveils before him.
The meadow of Shahkoot is extremely beautiful. The green carpet, the pure lakes and water as if was radiating the shines. It proves a balm to the exhausted and tired eyes and bodies. On the way to Raineera meadow, Shahkoot is the potential site for camping, horse riding and mesmerisation. The lush green and flowery meadow is surely attracting the hearts towards it.
After leaving Shahkoot meadow, now heading for the final destination one can observe the clearly carved sloppy, steep and rugged terrains where on one side is a complete green mounted deep mountainous forest cover and the other side a layered, stepping down, large shuffled meadow of ChoorGali, Kaenwean or Kooler.
Here the bright shining River keeps company for the traveler with the surrounding fir trees around making the place look simply beautiful. These two are broad and abundant meadows, vibrating their mesmerizing beauties for the travelers travelling here towards Buddhal (Reasi), Teathgjan (Naked Valley), Gurwatan (the valley of Horses) where usually the Gujjar and Bakawals living up there potentially for their Shelter and grazing Cattle.
The lyrical sound coming from the deep down forests proves breezing and soothing the travelers to deep into its animation and ardor completely till his eyes and feet meet the final Destination of Raineera Meadow. The feeling and emotions spiritually rise high, eyes melt, heart cherished as soon as one lands at the place.
All of sudden the fatigue, sluggishness wears out completely, disappeared upon seeing the beautiful green lush unending mounting meadow patches in full beauty and serene, wherever one’s eyes turn, wherever one’s eyes see, the picturesque is on whole the deep down and largely green crafted Raineera meadow. The rumblings and snorts, the baas, the lyrical sound of the streams, the winding breeze at altitude is the way Raineera welcomes the guests. The meadow gives a panorama view of entire Pirpanjal Range. Not sure, maybe cloud hidden great Bramha-Sakli mountains are visible from the altitude of Raineera.
The large and ever-lasting meadows, surrounded by snow-capped mountains on North east, lasting long meadows of Raineera on West, North West to Gurwatan and Tethjan Valleys. The landscape offers some other mounting meadows, the scene proves more stunning.
(The author is a freelancer)
