Wasturwan

Wasturwan, sometimes referred to as veshrivan by some scholars is the name of dense, green and beautiful forest located in mid Himalayan range of South Kashmir’s Pampore tehsil.[3] It has very beautiful meadow atop a mountain range at village Ladhoo, Pampore. The range stretchs from Harwan, Dachigham National Park, Khonmoh, Khrew,Wuyan, Ladhoo, Shar and Tral. Wasturwan offers variety views of Kashmir valley like the views Pir Panjal and Himadri or greater Himalayan ranges Or the course of river Jhelum can be enjoyed. Wasturwan[4] has great historical and religious significance. But beauty of the forest range is undiscovered and yet to come on a tourist map of Jammu and Kashmir.

Wasturwan
Meadow
Wasturwan Location in Jammu and Kashmir, India Show map of Jammu and Kashmir Wasturwan Wasturwan (India) Show map of India
Coordinates: 34.00°N 75.00°E / 34.00; 75.00
Country	India
State	Jammu and Kashmir
District	Pulwama district
Elevation	2,130 m (6,990 ft)
Languages
• Official	Kashmiri, Urdu, English[1][2]
Time zone	UTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN	191103
Telephone code	01933
Vehicle registration	JK 13

This is the same historical area which was used by Maharaja Hari

Singh (1925–1947) for his hunting expeditions. Maharaja would use a special and traditional horse riding route to reach Tral Shikargah-a virgin and undisturbed meadow located at a junction of Wasturwan.Presently, this is the short cut route for people of Pampore to reach Tral by foot or by horse ride. Wasturwan resembles Gulmarg but its temperature does not drop quickly as it is located on a lower altitude than Gulmarg i.e. 2,130 m above sea level.

Moreover,this range is a very favorable destination for trekking. Under its foothills there is a historical palace in Shar-Shali in which Maharaja used to stay during summers in order to remain in constant touch with nature.

Wasturwan was used as a place of worship by two famous sufi saints of Kashmir: Wahab Khar and Sheikh-ul-Alam (R.A) also known as Nund Rishi. The pond where Wahab Khar (R. A) used to worship and the stone on which Sheikh-ul-Alam (R.A) worshipped are still located there. The shrine of sufi saint Wahab Khar is also located under foothills of this mountain range. So, this mountain range is revered for being a dwelling of holy saints of the valley.

At Ladhoo, a vast and beautiful meadow lies atop Wasturwan. There are three natural rain- fed dams, locally known as 'trag' and few Bakarwal huts located in the vicinity as they visit the meadow regularly every season to feed their livestock. Besides there are two historical graves surrounded by a wall made of rocks. The Bakarwals residing there call them Pir Babas. Although there is no authentic information about the identity of the graves. According to reputed Islamic scholar and Ex-HOD Department of Arabic at Kashmir University professor, Abdul Gani Azhari, “These graves are of Arab scholars who came to propagate Islam and were martyred by non-Muslim rulers. They were buried there so that nobody could get whiff about them.” But a local employee of Archaeological Department Peer Shamsudeen said, “Our department has no information about such graves.”

Wasturwan forest is also rich in herbs of medicinal value like Kala Zeera (Bunium Persicum Bioss), Wopal haak (Dipsacusinermis wallich), Pambe chalan (Rheum emodiwa) and Wanawangun (Podophyllum hexandrum Royle). Kala Zeera is a high value herbaceous spice widely used for culinary, flowering, perfumery and carminative purposes. Wanawangun is used as anti-cancer drug. Beside these it houses the Birch trees (now endangered), locally known as 'Burza Kul'. It's barks were earlier used as paper and is of great historical significance. Another endangered species, Kashmiri Stag/Hangul (the UT animal) used to roam freely in these forests.

Efforts are being made to bring Wasturwan on tourist map [5] of Jammu Kashmir. Secretary of Gujjar and Bakarwal Board and Gujjar leader Miya Yaseen Poswaal while talking to Samanbal said, “I have submitted a proposal to central government to make Maharaja’s horse riding route a permanent travelling route which will help us in bringing this spot on the tourist map of Jammu & Kashmir. Although our proposal was accepted and survey was also conducted, the forest department has denied NoC (No Objection Certificate) for this project citing ecological reasons.”

If any such project is initiated by the concerned authorities, Wasturwan will become a hub for research, trekking and tourism activities.