Aripal Naag — Iconic fresh water spring in Tral Pulwama

PULWAMA — Aripal Naag, an iconic freshwater spring situated at Aripal village of south Kashmir’s Tral area, is a soothing and calming place to visit, especially during the pandemic times when suicides have dramatically risen in the valley.

With the spring acting as the main source of drinking water for many villages within Tral area of Pulwama district, its crystal clear and unpolluted water is in itself no less than nectar.

The spring in Aripal, the name of a beautiful place in sub-Tehsil Tral, originates from Tarsar Marsar and is situated 11 kilometres away from the main town Tral. It falls on the route of Narastan, which is an alternative route to tourist destination Pahalgam.

The spring is surrounded by large tracts of trees and overlooked by magnificent Wasturwan mountains, Aripal spring is considered as a big draw for flock of people, and in its vicinity fall other tourist places like Nage-baren and Dachigam.

Aripal spring is also known for trout fish. It generates good revenue for stakeholders, including the Fisheries Department.

Interestingly, Tral is also called as “Three Pearls” because of abundance of water resources and mystic springs, among which Aripal Naag is also counted.

The people from Tral and adjacent areas of Pulwama visit this spring during the months of July to August in order to get some relief from the sizzling temperatures. However, the spring has not been given proper attention by the Department of Tourism.

While talking to The Kashmir Pulse, a local youth, named Illiyas Ahmad Naik, said the spring has been neglected by successive governments.

“No doubt, there has been some construction here apart from providing benches for visitors, but it’s not sufficient. If it is promoted like other tourist spots, it would become very popular among tourists within months,” he said, adding that it will also help unemployed people with new avenues of employment.