OP Sharma Vidyarthi
Margan a well known ecotourism spot in Anantnag Kashmir, previously known as Valley of Death due to its treacherous approach and fatal snowstorms and blizzards causing death and destruction of travelers, trekkers, nomadic graziers and their herds of sheep and goats, now connects Kokernag to Inshan Aftee of Marwah Kishtwar of Jammu, so at present it is no more a valley of death but a paradise for the botanists, nature lovers, trekkers, wildlifers and ecotourists .
Margan landscape is colourful and enchanting due to lush green verdant conifer forests, purling mountain brooks, sparkling streams, beautiful blooms, magnificent birdlife, diverse kinds of mammals.Alpine areas around stand bestowed with mesmerizing beauty of high altitude lakes and flower filled grazing lands. Margan pass at 11000 ft elevation leads to snowclad mountains and lovely lakes situated between 12000-14000 ft .
To trek Margan for its rich splendor and diversity of landscapes that too during Ramazan need passion and perseverance to adore and explore creativity of God. On 27th July 2014, one such group of nature lovers and trekkers lead by Baba Methesir and Tahir Gazanfer allured me to enjoy enchanting beauty and explore lesser known treasure of medicinal cum decorative blooms beside picturesque cluster of four lakes called Chohrnag. Getting up early in consonance with time of whistles of Hazar Dastan i.e Whistling Thrush Myiphonus caeruleus, Baba Methesir, Tahir Gazanfer and others took me along to picturesque valley of beauty and charm. Our group was joined by Manzoor Javaid at Achhabal, garden of Nurjahan and many villagers at Larnoo for 300th Tree Talk interaction focusing on mountain crops, fruits, vegetables and medicinal plants.
Just short of Margan, high altitude mountain cliffs greeted us with fascinating blooms of Himalayan blue Poppy Meconopsis aculeata, four petals of sky color with a tender look enchanted our emotions, only habitat in Kashmir where so rich population of such a magnificent Gul e neelam is encountered. Blue poppy otherwise seen sporadically at locations like Rajdaan, Jajinad, Gangbal, Synthan Top, Kaunsarnag but here blooms appear in great abundance. Red corn poppy Papaver macrostomum seen in Kashmir orchards is its nearest relative and familiar to all.
Primroses, Primulas of diverse kinds grow in sub alpine and alpine mountains and are first to appear in spring to decorate snowclad peaks and meadows. Mid summer visit to Margan however had some rare primroses to provide us thrill and romance. Primula reidii with creamish white nodding blooms seated on a stalk once spotted by J F Duthie was seen by us blooming at roadside cliff first encounter of my life and a great gift of nature. Another Primrose, Kashmir creeping Primula, Primula reptans seen around Choharnag lakes was again first sighting of great thrill, purplish blooms on a tender stalk nurtured by tiny deeply toothed recurved leaves clustered at the base. In addition to two lesser known blooms of Primulas, many other fascinating flowers made our visit more purposeful. Pink carpet spread on drier grazinglands proved a feast to eyes ,buds and blooms of Pink Rock Jasmine Androsace studiosarum nurtured a lovely pink welcome to all of us, we had floral photo session amidst a sea of fascinating flowers usually seen in isolated patches but here thousands of them bloomed together.
Margan mountain beauty seen further enhanced by picturesque lakes of Choharnag ,one near to another at a closer distance of 1-3 kms ,snowfed brooks emanating sweet melodies amidst flowery congregation of seasonal herbs dominated by Forget me nots, Rock Jasmines, Cinquefoils, Buttercups, Meadow rues, Columbines ,primroses ,Crane’s bill flowers, Knotweeds, Loseworts, Marsh marigolds, Kashmir Lagotis, Kashmir Borage, Gentians, Aconites, Felworts, Fumitories and others .Area found perfect Ecotourism destination and called for collaborative efforts with locals to popularize the locale in an ecofriendly manner.
Among wildlife wonders, Mormots, Foxes, Black and Brown bears, Ibex, Weasels, Pheasants, Snowcock,Thrushes, Finches, Warblers ,Accentors ,Red starts , Eagles, Merlins, Bearded vultures, Choughs, Dippers, bumble bees, Butterflies and beetles of varied camouflage and attractive attire reported from the area has lot to offer to the visitors especially during morning and evening hours when wild denizens and creatures are more active. Among entomoFauna, Kashmir Tortoise shell butterflies Aglais cashmirensis were seen feeding on the blooms of diverse kinds, Red Cotton Bug Dysdercus koenigii was seen busy in a group of six licking protein rich yellow Lichen growth of Rhizocarpon lithographicum. On way back Mormots registered their presence all along road at Margan Pass and across mountains thick shrubbery of Rhododendron laden with bell shaped blooms made our trip enjoyable and memorable .
During our joyful but hectic trip to Margan mountains amidst clouds and mists ,group of nature lovers shared innovations to further boost ecotourism in the area ,to have Ecotourism camps in the area by roping in locals ,nomads , officers of tourism ,wildlife ,forest ,Floriculture ,Culture and History and allied departments to showcase natural splendor in a befitting manner to the ecotourists and trekkers having scope for generating livelihoods for the locals and ethnic nomads by providing a Tree Talk like green interactive platform to interpret natural and cultural heritage of Kashmir in the interest of tourism and ecotourism.
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