Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-06-27
THE CITY 0EdHE sun
rias g d
Happy Vallegfana Its Popu-
lation Of $4,000.
DELIGHTS OF SHOPPING
JUST THE SANE AT THIS DIS
LANCE AS II rs AT HOME.
House Boats Are Cheap Enough, but
the Bazaar Keepers Get Your
Money Anyway.
DELIGHTS @ SHOPPING
Written for The Evening Star.

- 80
Written for The Evening Star.
'Srinuggur, or the city Of the sun (alti-
tude $3.50, the capital Of the Kashmir
state. is beautifully situated in the center
of the Happy Valley has population of
$4,000 and is divided Into two parts by the
river Thelum." All this. according to the
profound iuforma ton of Murray, the guide
book to which we refer. The river Thelum
is certainly a remarkable stream. 1t rises
in an octagonal tank in garden near Mar
tand, the tank being full of sacred fish;
and it runs swiftly and dirtily, If must
say it, down to Islamabad. nine or ten
miles and then twists and curls about like
a huge serpent, getting bigger and bigger
on down through rice fields and wheat fields;
fringed by willows. Its low banks covered
with lovely wild fowers7-a sweet iris. wild
poppies mustard and later on. / am told
with many others, until it reaches Srinug
CUR. where it divides in two and runs swift
IL through the picturesque tumble-down
old town: covered with native boats from
the smallest shikara fishing boat to the
hideous painted house boat of the nfahara-
jah, Preteb Singh. and on down through
beautiful tWular lake and out the other
side where 1t grows much narrower and
so deep and SO swift that it is impossible
for boat to go upon it. and few miles
further on it enters rocky gorge and
rushes madly along uHdulating and curling
its fierce way for many miles until it
energies on the plain and runs swiftly down
to meet the rivers. Chinaub and together
they run on to the great Indus and all three
In one take their way down to the sea.
The plain of Srinuggur is huge-"Murray"
has it eightyfour miles long by twenty
five wide-and is surrounded during nine
months of the year by snow-covered noun
tains. but during the three summer months
the snow partly disappears.
On a hill called the Takht-i-Suleiman (Sol-
omons throne) at one side of the town is a
very old, stone temple and the ancient fort
lies on the top of the hill to the north. No
foreigner is allowed to build house in
Srinuggur. and those who already have
houses, the few officials or families Of Off
Gals of the past must live in their houses a
else forfeit them. Fortunately there is a
very good hotel, the, history of which we
could not find out. very clean and well kept
| with good table, but in the month of
April 1t is almost unbearably cold.
Bad Heating Arrangements.
We had huge room with large dressing
room and bath room and kept fire in the
open fireplace day and night, but we were
so cold that we fed as eafly as possible in
the morning to our dungaaor native house
boat. and spent as much Of the day there
as we could to keep from freezing. The
fire wood, 1t seems, when sold by the ma
tives Is first soaked in water to make it
weigh more. and as no kindling wood is pro-
vfded, only shovel of hot Goals, 1t Is next
to impossible to start the fire, and when
started it never burns more than in a half
hearted manner.n' The week we spent moor
ed to the bank beneath the post office stairs
was devoted mainly to the bazar.. where the
shops fun OF. embroidery, shawls. papier
mache work and wood carving brasses old
and new. and channels make one long to
nave the purse of Croesus. The PRINCIPAL
shops are to be found at the first, second
ana third bridges. and when one is told
that Abdul AZZiz has the best enamel and
sets forth to find that stately and interest
ing persons shop one has to take a shikara
small boat, for which one pays about 16
cents cents DAY, with four men to row; or 4
dunga and is padded down the swift rivar
TOT nrteen minutes. oarsmen sitting on the
pottom or the boat and using pretty hea
shaped paddles. painted red. They have
et suohes, one swift. short one which,
a d chanted word or two from the head
oodtInan, They all change to a long ea.v
one. Iney change frequently and It ia al
Ways pretty sight. As we passed the ma.
9th a ~ T an covered with rush mats
I'll III IN all probability two slim women IN
aiity orapery polling up stream or ma ddltny
uoMn, tnere Is always a pottery bowl ~
~ slowlng Niles in the bow, and rough.IooI.
see, 'tp T., ths wheel and huge hookah to be
IL ~ AZ me open stern of the boat IysuaI
- Ile men sitting cross-legged or Iornei,.,
nr r;o ~ the stern smoking their hooI1a he
oa paying with the children However, tha1,
we CO.. ere thelr turn, and several times
Woodworking women viii lne
,oo,'1 speu on under the two curious r;ckat,,
witt, q eiit passed Hindoo temple
bridge 1hera aool and landed at the third
mt
proaa stone steps. along a narrow Ieas
anu INTO what looked like a back ward az
love- tn asn the entrance was through a
and g $50, Stone arch. We turned to the LEFT
~, iou t before us the prettiest carved
Wooo stairway and oyer it a round carveJ
WINDOW with lacy shutters, but these we
whict' ~, py ana entered a. low stone door
when LED apparently into Jet darkness ava
nothing else. and our guides voice informad
US; steps. Mem Sahib, khabadari Icare-
fuD cave! fall not below!'
Took His Advice.
we endeavored earnestly to fall not ho-
low and CROPPED along, finding a narrow
stone stairway with enormously long stems
anu broken ones at that. We vaulted IN
tnem exciaiming and laughing. and by faint
giimmers OF light from above, succeeded
IN reaching the top, where very polite
naive Threw open door, and the scene
on na ~ u. at once We found ourselves in
gur, which entirely overhang the river and
are Kept from falling into it by long thick
beams standing on end and propping It up
from below The outside we found after
Waios as we passed under IL was a mass
OF Ioveiy carving, and from one of the ex-
quislte windows at the other side of II
projecting great masses OF f1rewood drying
IN the sun. The contsntn of the room filled
us with delight. tables, very deeply carved
In the lovely lotus leaf and bud pattern;
lacy screens exquisftelyS dainty papier
mache tables In the Old rose design on gold
ieaI. table fun Of silver ware sold by
the weight with two, anuas to the rupee
for the work, enameie that glowed in the
sunlight, piles of SILKY eiudder shaws in
delicate shades and, sothar piles of pretty
lovely colors and designs, Such q lot of
pretty things and all cheap
We do not admire the Kashmir silver as
we are tired OF the beldere chinar-leaf pat