Hazara Motorway has made traveling to Shankyari very easy and enjoyable. Now it has reduced from a painful five, six hour journey to a comfortable two hour journey. Many patient and painful steps along the way have been eliminated due to government efforts and progressive mind. When we travel from difficulty to ease, we cannot live without applauding the mind of the human being.Shankyari is a relatively small town in Mansehra district, surrounded by mountains and surrounded by lush greenery and breathtaking scenery. Where the Saran river makes its beauty shine, the innumerable springs and waterfalls flowing on its sides captivate the sensitive heart and mind. It is as if all the wonders of nature are seen at their peak here. Tea plantations are also one of the unique features of Shankyari. The tea leaves of these gardens help to meet the country’s needs by saving valuable foreign exchange. Pakistan Army’s Junior Cadet Academy is also an honor of Shankyari.
This time, I set out to travel alone and took Dale Carnegie’s book “Manain Na Maain” as my companion so that I could benefit from the company of the people of knowledge and wisdom in the journey of beautiful sights.
When I reached the wagon stand, only the front seat of the car was empty. Bought the ticket and sat in the front seat. Soon the car started speeding on the highway. It was heading towards Lahore, but after a while the motorway twisted like a coil of a snake and threw us onto the Peshawar Motorway. The thought still arose in the heart that perhaps they were moving towards Peshawar, then suddenly the motorway took another toll and the vehicle was moving towards its destination amid the beautiful scenery on the Hazara Motorway.
The beautiful scenery of Hazara Motorway was passing row by row in front of the eyes when the car knocked at the door of Abbottabad tunnel and at the same time I attached the mobile camera to the front screen of the car to make a video. Six very beautiful tunnels have been built on the Hazara Motorway, which is an example. I passed through three tunnels to Shankyari. The length of Abbottabad Tunnel-1 is about two and a half kilometers while the length of Abbottabad Tunnel-2 is up to four hundred meters and is followed by the Mansehra Tunnel, which is about two and a half kilometers long.The Hazara Motorway winds its way through innumerable scenic views, swims through gorges and cuts through mountains. Sometimes the mansions are scattered like the landscape of Haripur and sometimes the Shimla hill of Abbottabad looks inviting.
Reached Shankyari in about two hours and fifteen minutes. Shankyari base is on the Silk Road and Saran River passes close by, which roars and roars towards its destination to sacrifice its being to the sea, in the mesmerizing views of mountains and valleys. Batal is a beautiful town in this beautiful valley, which is located on the Karakoram highway a little ahead of Shankyari. Batal is a beautiful city located at the foothills of the mountains. A little beyond Buttal comes Chhatrapalin, another charming, health-giving place in the valley, where tourists on their way to Gilgit stop to refresh their eyes with beautiful views. Hotels and rest houses are also being built in Chhatraplein for the interest of tourists.
The first thing anyone traveling to Shankyari does is eat Shankyari’s famous kebabs. In the small town of Shankyari, there are twenty shops of jabja kebabs, where mannu qeemah becomes the fuel for people’s stomachs on a daily basis. I also cleaned my hands on the kebabs as soon as I reached there and after a walk and hike of about one and a half kilometers, I reached the shrine of the well-known elder of the Naqshbadi family, Syed Nader Hussain Shah Al-Kazmi. Attended the shrine and prayed. There is a wide langar of pilgrims at the Darbar and ration and health for the poor and needy people of the area and ambulance service is also available 24 hours in the spirit of public welfare.
After attending, he walked towards the eastern side of Shankyari towards a small hill. As I mentioned earlier, this area is an area of small streams and springs. The walk was also along a mountain stream but after a while I had to part with the songs of that stream, as my destination was the top of the hill. There were small trails on the hill which were taking me closer to the destination like a military havaldar. After about twenty five minutes of hike I was at the top of this hill. Beautiful views were waiting for me at the top.
The peak itself was presenting a unique view with fields on one side and pine trees touching the sky on the other side inviting the tourists. On one side, the beautiful view of the sunset, the redness spread on the twilight, and on the other side, the beautiful village spread in a small valley and the chain of very beautiful and green mountains rising up next to it.After enjoying these beautiful views for some time, slowly started descending the hill. Dry pine leaves on the slanted trails cause severe slippage. In spite of careful landing, the distance of ten to fifteen feet was automatically fixed at a couple of places and the hands acted as if they were brakes. In no time I reached back to my camp. After spending the night, he returned to Islamabad the next morning.
