Security personnel in the town of Pahalgam, where tourist numbers are low after last year’s terror attack in which terrorists shot dead 26 people. | Photo credit: Imran Nissar
Above the green grove of pine, fir and deodar trees, the snow-capped peak of Katsal shines in the bright spring sun and azure blue sky. From his rickety wooden shop in Pahalgam’s main market, Ghulam Nabi, 67, sees this 15,860-foot peak daily in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district. Nabi sells nun chai, a hot traditional pink drink, a spicy infusion of roasted green tea and milk that locals consume twice a day.
In the past, every summer, adventurers, including those from outside India, would take early morning tea from his shop and trek through Ganesh Bal or Baisaran Meadow to the Tulian Alpine Lake at the foot of the peak. Not this year though.
Published – 24 Apr 2026 02:20 IST
