New Delhi: On the evening of February 11, 2025, the Gurez Valley in the Bandipora district in North Kashmir received fresh snowfall. It forced the authorities to close the 85 km-long Gurez-Bandipora road as a precautionary measure. Continuous snowfall has been reported across the region and it has affected several areas, including Niru, Dawar, Kanzalwan, and the Tulail Valley. Authorities have issued advisory to drivers and travelers to avoid unnecessary travel on the Gurez-Bandipora road.
Gurez: A hidden gem in the Kashmir Valley
Gurez is located in Jammu and Kashmir’s Bandipore district. It lies on the high Indian Himalayas, about 86 kilometres from the Bandipore town and 123 kilometres from Srinagar, in the Kashmir Valley’s northern portion. It is situated at about 2,400 metres above sea level, surrounded by snow-capped mountains. Dissected by the Kishanganga River, this serene place is home to animals like Himalayan brown bear and the snow leopard, apart from of course the humans, who live in peace in summer but struggle during winter. Surrounded by thick forests and mountains, the location of the Gurez Valley is close to the Line of Control. The place is cut off from the rest of the Kashmir Valley during the entire winter period from October onwards.
The Dards of Gurez Valley
The people of Gurez are called Dards and unlike the rest of the Kashmir, they speak the unique Shina language. Most of the region is known as Dardistan, which means the homeland of the Dardic people, and the Kishenganga Valley their only enclave on the Indian side of the Line of Control.
Almost all the people in the valley is engaged in manual labour, with men and women going up the mountains in summer to face the harsh winter months. During winter, the situation in Gurbez Valley becomes especially difficult to live, with the place receiving up to 20 feet of snowfall, cutting it off from the rest of the Kashmir Valley during the entire period.
Life in Gurez and the importance of women
For centuries, life in Gurez has revolved around subsistence farming and shepherding goats, sheep and cows. In earlier days, physical strength was the most desirable quality in a wife. Because it was women who had to carry firewood, haul water and tend the fields. However, the scenario has changed in today’s age with education taking centerstage.
However, nowadays, about half of the residents of Gurez live elsewhere for half of the year or more. With the onset of wineter, they migrate to other Kashmiri towns for work and school. Apart from heavy snowfall, the misery of those who stay back during the cold season are compounded by lack of jobs and no mobile connection. However, during summer, people return to grow crops and enjoy the profound peacefulness of their isolated ancestral home.
Gurez Valley has a lot to offer to the tourists. Breathtaking landscapes, lush meadows, snow-covered mountains, trekking, rafting, and trout fishing, the place without mobile connection and crowd has everything to transport a visitor to a land of solitude and peace. During the British Raj, Gurez was frequented by foreign tourists and in 1895, the British author Walter Lawrence called it the most beautiful place in the Kashmir Valley. He even predicted that it would become the most popular tourist destination in the Kashmir. However, it hasn’t happened to this day, and Gurez has remained a poverty-stricken, desolate place.
The Gurez Valley in Kashmir experienced heavy snowfall in February 2025, forcing the closure of the Gurez-Bandipora road. This isolated region, home to the Dard people, faces extreme challenges during winter, including heavy snowfall, job scarcity, and communication difficulties. knowledge Knowledge News, Photos and Videos on General Knowledge
