Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1893-03-08
TIE VENICE OF TIE EAST.
BT F. :. TAFT.

''Who has not heard OF the Vale of
Caslmere:' Yet of the many who have
herd OF the famous valley bat few
know, even by name, its ! icturesque
ca, Ital, Srinagar-the Venice Of the
East
The Valeof Cashmere NAV be shortly
described rs shruuken lake, whose
waters once extended to the steep.
green, pine clad hills that form tie
inner wall of the Garden Of Asia. E"
Keyond these hills is an outer barr er
OF pre- cipitous mouL taIus, their sum
m:ts covered with snow, Their faces
dark with pIeclPices glistenlng gIa-
ciels; and from every point in the
Va ley the view Is bounded Oy this
snowy range which ape ars to encircle
the horizon. Between IL ese two ranges
are numerous lovely side valleys, glens,
ravIueS, and gOTges, varying in length
from fourteen to forty miles, and III
width ir IN TO1r miles to a ie a hundred
yards. each the channel of a foaming
torrent, which IN remote ages fed the
vast lake, and now swell the river
helum-the hIghway of Ca hmere.
When the JLelUm forced It's wav
ia uUgh the southern end Of the noun
a 4 barrier, the lake was gradually
Grained It's higher levels have becon e
groy es aud orchard, meadows, and rice
fields, parks and gardens green with
the softest grass, bright with the gay
Ist flowers. Iris of snowy white and
regal purple, roses vsrying IN hue from
the palest shell PINK to the deepest
luby, clematis and jasmine emb acing
every tree, and / ertUming the air with
tleIr fragrant gaTlands luscious with
fruit dessert without money and
without price" spread for every conner
mulbeTrles and cherries, aprIcots and
peaches, apples and wRlnuts, each in
their season min down from the trees
and give color TO the legend that here
indeed was the Garden OF Eden.
Tie lower levels still spread their
waters, exl andIuG in some places into
lakes, surrounding and iutersecting
the city and forming its stree and
lanes.
Srinagar is situated in the center of
the valley. The Jhelum, the great
highway of Cashmere, which flows light
through the yale, divides tie city
into Two almost equal portions, branch
whit wind their tortuous wav through
a labyrinth of houses and shops, tenn
pies and mosques, emerging again TO
flow past fragrant gardens and laden
orchards, and green ''begbs" shaded
by chenars-the most outrageous OF
trees.
The High street, or Grand Canal, is
spanned by seven bridges, all built OF
piles of logs united by the trunks OF
trees, haviDgs plaDks across laid and
protected by railing. The wood en-
ployed is deodar, which Is almost ln-
destructible, 80 that the bridges are
perfectly safe. as well as extremely
picturesque. The narrower canals are
crossed, some by stone bridges with q
single pointed arch, others by slender
wooden foot bridges; but this is all
that is required, for there is not a
wheel in Srinagar.
And all these waterways are lined
with picturesque three-storied houses,
some built on piles driven into the bed
of the 81 allow stream, others little
retired from the rivers edge, leaving a
space where The dark-eyed women come
down TO fill their red earthen pitchers,
and the little brown children dry them
selves in the sun after their bath IN the
clear tepid water. The houses are
built of sun-dTIed bricks, with project
ing wooden balconies aud carved lat
tIces; they have overbanglng pentr roofs,
all, from the palace 10 the hovel,
covered with waving grass mingled
with flowers. No more delicious har-
moDy of color can be imagined than
may be seen here on a ti-e IL Ornlug in
spring, with the warm brown OF the
houses, their green roofs gemmed with
the crimson of the poppy aud the pur-
pie of the iris; the golden dome or
gill teriDg pvramidal roof of a temple
cleaning through the dark green folI-
age of the chenars; the canopy OF deep
blue fecked with white above, the opal
water beneath, and all around, framing
the lovely picture, a < listening line OF
snow.
All the traffic of this fascinating city
is carried on by means OF boats A
boat conveys you from Baramoulla, al
the entrance of the enchanted land, 0
i S center, Srinagar. and as you APP
proach the city the river appears alive
with boats. There are the large grain
boats slowly punted by a dusky half
naked man; barges level with the water
and laden with the feftiliZiug river
weed or the river grass, which Is dried
and woven into mats, thick and warm
and lmperviOus to rain. These mats
form the roof and walls of the dUng0S,
or travelling boats. They are long,
narrow, fiat bUttomed boats, rooted and
walled with grass mats suspen ed from
a light afIolding Of bamboo pol. 8.
The dunCa is divided into three rarts:
tiny deck in front Just large enough
to hold able and a couple OF chairs
broad, low step, which makes y com
Portable seat, leads down into the mid
die compartment, which is curtuiued
off with grass mats, and fOl ms the bel.
room; in a full sized boat two camp.
beds can and side by side with ahou'
foot space between them. Beyond is
the ''hOld,". where the lOatmsn's
family lives, for the boats are
tier homee. For mSrr1ed coUple, wi /
q little pressure the fam lY will tnru
out, when tie ''hOld" can be used as a
ssing-rOom. Many visitors keep d
dLngG during the whole Of their stay
IN Cashmere, employing the crew a,
servants when they are IN the higher
valleys. 1t can be made to look very
cosy with little trouble: few hang
ing baskets filled vita flowers sus-
pendsd from tine bamboo poles, and
the addition of some of the embroid
cred curtains, cushions, and felt rugs,
or nun'ddS, which can be bought SC
cheaply in Srinager; then The boats are
always perfectly clean, ans often beau