I rolled merrily with my young companions, all wearing overcoats,
on the sparkling white slopes. On our downward trip we saw afar a
vast carpet of yellow flowers, wholly transfiguring the bleak hills.
Our next excursions were to the famous royal "pleasure gardens"
of the Emperor Jehangir, at Shalimar and Nishat Bagh. The ancient
palace at Nishat Bagh is built directly over a natural waterfall.
Rushing down from the mountains, the torrent has been regulated
through ingenious contrivances to flow over colorful terraces and
to gush into fountains amidst the dazzling flower-beds. The stream
also enters several of the palace rooms, ultimately dropping fairy
like into the lake below. The immense gardens are riotous with
color--roses of a dozen hues, snapdragons, lavender, pansies,
poppies. An emerald enclosing outline is given by symmetrical rows
of CHINARS, {FN21-2} cypresses, cherry trees; beyond them tower
the white austerities of the Himalayas.
Kashmir grapes are considered a rare delicacy in Calcutta. Rajendra,
who had been promising himself a veritable feast on reaching Kashmir,
was disappointed to find there no large vineyards. Now and then I
chaffed him jocosely over his baseless anticipation.
"Oh, I have become so much gorged with grapes I can't walk!" I
would say. "The invisible grapes are brewing within me!" Later I
heard that sweet grapes grow abundantly in Kabul, west of Kashmir.
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