Aharbal Falls

The 'Niagara of Kashmir' — a 25-metre waterfall fed by glacial lakes

About 30 kilometres west of Kulgam town, the river Veshaw plunges off a cliff in a single 25-metre cataract called Aharbal. The English nicknamed it the Niagara of Kashmir — pleasingly ridiculous, given the scale gap, but accurate to the impression the falls make in person. The drop is sheer, the noise huge, the spray drifts a hundred metres downstream.

A short paved path runs from the parking area to a viewing platform at the top of the falls; a steeper trail leads down to the base. The picnic spots above are popular with Kashmiri families at weekends. The road in from Kulgam is fully sealed and easy in summer; it sometimes closes after heavy snow between January and March.

things to do sight
A story
The falls drop the entire flow of the river Veshaw down a 25-metre cliff in a single cataract. Local Pahari belief held the pool at the base to be home to a water demon; British colonial officers preferred to read out poetry by the mist. Both habits have died out, but the spray still soaks anyone who gets close to the rocks.

Other places in Things to Do