Pampore

Pampore (Urdu pronunciation: [pãːpuːr]), known as Pampar or Panpar in Kashmiri, is a historical town situated on the eastern side of the Jhelum River on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway. It was known as Padmanpur in antiquity. It is famous worldwide for its saffron and known as the Saffron town of Kashmir. Pampore is one of the few places in the world where saffron, the world's most expensive spice, grows. The area is about 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) from Srinagar city centre Lal Chowk. Areas of Pampore typically have -bal as a suffix, such as the localities of Namlabal, Kadlabal, Drangbal, Frestabal, and Letrabal. Pampore has three lakes as well which have been entitled as wetlands. One of the lakes is known as Sarbal Lake. The Sarbal Lake is situated on the way from Tulbagh to Wuyan through saffron fields near Chatlam. On the basis of its location near Chatlam, it is also known as Chatlam Wetland.

Quotes

• At the commencement of the fourth mile from Pampur, a low spur of steep rock descends from the mountains, and rests upon the flat upon the bank of the river. Near its extremity, where it may be about one hundred feet high, is the capital, and five feet of the shaft, of an enormous limestone-pillar. The capital is about five feet in diameter, and polygonal. The plinth is much damaged, but enough is left to show that it was composed (at least I thought so) of four gigantic female busts, most likely those of Luksmi, if the pillar supported the Garuda or bird of Vishnu, as mentioned below. It is lying on its side, and was probably overthrown by the zeal of “the idol-breaker”. A flat surface, sufficiently large to answer the purpose of a base; has been cut on the rock; but I could not discover a vestige of any other ruin near it. About half a mile nearer the city is another large block, on which are rudely sculptured the knees and legs of a gigantic sitting figure, not crossed like those of a Hindu figure in general, but apparently bent like those of an Egyptian statue; all the remainder seemed to have been broken off; but although the uncultivated slope around it is strewed with large masses of stone, I saw nothing that must be necessarily supposed to have formed part of the image. Near them again are some enormous lingams, or pieces of sculpture, that are, as is well known, venerated by the Hindus as the emblems of Siva. I could not contemplate these massive relics without imagining for a moment that they may have originally been parts of a city and vast Hindu temple, which, being near the modern city, and consequently of so much the greater sanctity and importance, must have called for the especial notice of Butshikan.
  • G.T. Vigne Vigne, G.T. Travels In Kashmir, Ladak, Iskardo, The Countries Adjoining The Mountain Course of The Indus And The Himalaya, North of The Punjab, 2 vols., Sagar Publications, 1981.quoted from Jain, M. (editor) (2011). The India they saw: Foreign accounts. New Delhi: Ocean Books. Volume IV Chapter 9