In pics: At land’s end on the Mughal Road in Kashmir

Situated at over 9,000 feet high up in the Pir Panjal mountains, the Mughal Road is inaccessible for nearly five months of the year due to heavy snows in the upper reaches and is the crossroads of a rich cultural importance providing an alternate route into heart of the Kashmir Valley.

An old trade route to export salt into the Kashmir valley from Western Punjab, the Mughal Road came into being in 1586 AD as the shortest route between Lahore and Srinagar for Mughal forces and caravans from Central Asia and beyond.

Waseem Andrabi/HT Photo

The widening of the Mughal Road began under Emperor Jehangir who appointed Iranian engineer Ali Mardan Khan to start construction work. To accommodate the needs of royal caravans of the Mughals, Khan was also asked to construct serais alongside the road such as the one seen above.

Originally called the Old Imperial Road, fourteen halting stations (Paraves) were constructed on the 246 mile stretch between Lahore and Srinagar. These stations were Gujarat, Bhimber, Saidpur, Nowshera, Chingus, Rajouri, Thanamandi, Bheramgala, Poshiana, Aliabad Sarai, Hirpur, Shopian, Ramu, and Kanakpura. The journey from one station to another was completed in approximately one day.

One way traffic is allowed from each side every alternate day because of extreme weather conditions with vehicles needed to cross Pir-Ki-Gali before late evening.

With minimum elevation of 5400 ft at Bafliaz and a maximum elevation of 11,500 ft at Pir-Ki-Gali, the stretch offers visual treats for tourists and trekking options for thrill seekers.

Akbar, Jehangir, Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb are among the Mughal emperors who have used this historic route. Emperor Jahangir who died on his way to the Kashmir valley wrote about difficulties of crossing Pir Pranjal and a waterfall in Hirapur in his autobiography Tuzuk-I-Jahangiri expressing that he had never seen such a beautiful waterfall. After the reign of Aurangzeb, the route was never used by the Mughal empire and its usage got limited to just the local people living in the vicinity.

Traditions and distinct lifestyles of the nomadic tribes of Pir Panchal region are a magnet for the evolving tourism circuit in the region after the reconstruction of the road which is also home to the now famous Mughal car rally circuit.