‘Saffron’ town of Kashmir

Kashmir is home to the world’s finest and most expensive variety of saffron, derived from the crocus flower as annually she produces approximately 16,000 Kgs. of this precious “Golden Zest” that is legendary for its healing properties and is a valued ingredient in delectable cuisine, cosmetics, etc. In the Valley, though saffron or zafran is also grown in Kishtawar; it is Pampore that is famous globally for its finest production. Pampore, a sleepy hamlet, located 15kms from Srinagar on the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway enroute Pahalgam, is distinguished in autumn by vast seas of violet which corroborate her epithet as the ‘saffron’ town of Kashmir. There is no signage to signal the arrival of Pampore except the heady fragrance of the saffron flowers that automatically lead one to the fields. The prepping of the Pampore fields begins in early July and the flowers bloom in end October/ November when entire families fan out on the fields to collect the flowers, separate the stigmas from the blossoms etc. It’s a back-breaking work as about 150,000 fresh flowers yield only 1 kg of pure saffron in Pampore though that is worth in gold, valued at approximately $10 per gm. According to traditional Kashmiri legends, saffron was introduced to the region during the 11^th and 12^th centuries C.E by two Sufi ascetics namely Khwaja Masood Wali and Sheikh Sharif-u-din Wali. Once when they fell ill, they requested the local tribal chieftain for cure of their illness. On being healed, they expressed their gratitude by gifting him a saffron crocus bulb. The ascetics have a golden domed shrine dedicated to their memory in the saffron town of Pampore where even today in late autumn, residents of the saffron community pay homage.