May 29 to June 1, 2026. Three nights, four days in Srinagar. Some trips open something inside you that you did not know was closed. This was one of them.
The journey began with unexpected warmth. I went from the airport to a friend’s home, where people had prepared a vegetarian meal without onion or garlic and waited for hours to share tea. Their welcome reached far beyond hospitality.
Dawn at Dal Lake
On May 30, I rose at 6 a.m. and walked to Dal Lake. The temple opened at 7:30, leaving an hour by the water as birds called from the reeds and the rising sun painted the lake amber and gold.
I climbed to Shankaracharya temple and meditated at the place associated with Adi Shankaracharya’s tapasya. The view across the valley was vast, but the silence inside the temple stayed with me.
The day continued at NIT Srinagar and Hazratbal mosque. At Hazratbal, a stranger embraced me with open affection. Later, I addressed around 100 teachers in Kulgam on technology, education and the changes schools must prepare for, before visiting Aharabal waterfall.
Purnima and ancient Srinagar
The third day fell on Purnima during Adhik Maas. We visited Lal Chowk and an ancient Panchmukhi Hanuman temple before returning to Shri Shri Mangaleshwar Bhairav temple on its small island.
I meditated there for two hours with only the Muslim caretaker, who tended the Hindu temple with devotion. The day also brought a centuries-old Shiva temple, the 2,600-year-old Buddhist site at Harwan and the 7,000-year-old Neolithic site at Burzahom.
The full moon
That evening I sat on the houseboat balcony as the full moon rose across Dal Lake. Shankaracharya temple and Durga Devi temple stood in silhouette on the hills. Before dawn, I returned outside and found the moon low, full and luminous on the other side of the sky.
University, temple and home
The final morning included a lecture on artificial intelligence at the Central University of Kashmir with students, faculty and the Vice Chancellor.
The journey ended at Kheer Bhavani temple, followed by a Kashmiri vegetarian lunch and the flight home to Delhi. I returned grateful to the friends, teachers and hosts who had made four days carry the weight of a much longer journey.