In a touching display of Kashmiri hospitality, locals in Gund, located on the Srinagar-Sonamarg highway, welcomed a group of stranded travellers into a mosque to shelter them from heavy snowfall. A dozen tourists from Punjab found themselves trapped in the snow on December 28 while returning from the Sonamarg area, as their vehicles got stuck. With no hotels nearby and local homes too small to accommodate them, the residents of Gund opened the doors of Jamia Masjid, offering the tourists a place to stay for the night, officials told PTI.
"It was the best possible solution, as the mosque has a hamaam, which stays warm throughout the night," said Bashir Ahmad, a local resident. The Jamia Masjid in Gund is located nearly 10 kilometres from the site of a terrorist attack in Gagangir, where six people, including five non-local labourers and a local doctor, were killed in October 2024. A video showing the tourists spending the night in the mosque has since gone viral on social media.
The tourists expressed heartfelt thanks to the locals for their kindness. "We were stuck in the snow, and you came to our rescue. We are extremely thankful to all of you," one said.
Heartening to see Kashmiris opening their Masjids and homes to stranded tourists amidst heavy snowfall. This gesture of warmth and humanity reflects our longstanding tradition of hospitality and help in times of need. pic.
twitter.com/pkEeF1oLBG — Mirwaiz Umar Farooq (@MirwaizKashmir) December 28, 2024 Another tourist adde.
