The Vale of Vineyards.

Byline: Syed Aamir Sharief Qadri

Grapes, writes Kalhana, 'which were scarce even in heaven were common in Kashmir' Harud, the harvesting season of Kashmir starts from mid-September to mid-November. The soil and climate of Kashmir have always been suitable for horticulture. Viticulture or winegrowing is the cultivation and harvesting of grapes. In old days Kashmir was known for its luscious grapes. Grapefruit, its Kashmiri name Dach, is a fleshy citrus fruit which is highly nutritious and has numerous health benefits. These days, though, people harvest grapes only to keep a share for themselves and to give away the rest to neighbours, relatives and friends. Except for a few areas of Kashmir, grapes are not grown for commercial purposes.

Throughout Kashmir's history, ruling dynasties and monarchs took interest in the cultivation of grapes. But today neither the government nor the people make any effort to revive this age-old practice. The grape plant is found in many a home garden in Kashmir, but people don't think of cultivating it extensively.

The Vale of Vineyards The majority of historians agree with the fact that Kashmir produced many varieties of fruit in abundance. Kings, nobles, merchants and religious saints together planted every kind of tree, whether fruit-bearing or shady, to promote garden culture in Kashmir. Fruit cultivation, especially grape cultivation, in Kashmir has been practised since ancient times. We have a glimpse of the aristocratic ashrama life of the Saiva gurus standing on a mandapa with a goblet full of wine in the middle of a vineyard (M.A. Wani, Islam in Kashmir). Many nobles had their fruit gardens. Raja Amar Singh and Diwan Amar Nath during the Dogra period maintained their vineyards.

Grapes, writes Kalhana, 'which were scarce even in heaven were common in Kashmir'. There is a reference to grape, grapevine, and vineyards in many ancient chronicles of Kashmir. Kalhana's Rajatarangini mentions: 'The town of Martanda (present-day Matan) was swelling with grapes during king Lalitaditya's time.' Huen Tsang, who visited Kashmir in the seventh century CE, makes it clear that Kashmir produced abundant fruits and flowers (Samuel Beal, Si-Yu-Ki). The 11th-century Kashmiri poet Bilhana while praising the beauties of his homeland mentioned grapes growing in abundance in Kashmir.

'One side of it yields saffron,

lovely by nature, the other grapes, pale as the sweet cane that grow alongside the Sarayu' (Bilha'a, Vikrama...