Srinagar, July 9: The Jammu and Kashmir administration is all set to launch the alpine jewel of Bhal-Padri in Doda district in an effort to diversify tourism products and introduce distant places in the limelight. As per officials, for the first time, this 11,000-foot-high meadow accessible only to nomadic tribes and shepherds till date is getting ready to hold a tourism festival on July 20, ushering in its official entry into the Union Territory’s growing tourism map.Hidden in the Chenab Valley highlands, Bhal-Padri is a sea of wild flowers and alpine flora-fauna. The festival in the offing seeks to highlight this wealth of nature and celebrate tribal culture of the area as well as folk arts and adventure tourism in the form of trekking, camping, and nature walks.This is after the construction of a vital road link, which now joins the meadow with established tourism circuits. The road facility, earlier unimaginable, is under a broader government plan to encourage offbeat and high-altitude tourism in Jammu and Kashmir.Bhal-Padri is a new addition to our increasing number of off-the-beaten-path but stunning sites,” a tourist department official said. “We are not only interested in visual beauty but also in cultural identity and environmental equilibrium.”The one-day celebration will include tribal music and dance performances, display of local handicrafts and herbal products, and escorted eco-trails. Officials explain that the idea is to encourage “community-led, sustainable tourism” that will directly benefit locals while safeguarding the delicate ecosystem.A senior tourism official said, Jammu and Kashmir tourism is shifting away from the traditional. “Places like Bhal-Padri provide an opportunity to witness raw Himalayan scenery along with interacting with genuine local cultures.” “Our grandparents used to graze cattle here, but we never imagined these grasslands would attract visitors,” said Ghulam Nabi, a resident of Bhaderwah. “Now, we see possibilities for home-stays, guides, and small enterprises.”As the Union Territory readresses its tourism image, officials maintain that environmental protections and tourist rules will be enacted to prevent areas such as Bhal-Padri from being overrun. The meadow, long a well-guarded secret, could become an exemplar for sensitive and inclusive tourism in the Himalayas.
