Kokernag has been extracted from the word Koker and Nag. Koker is been taken from the Kashmiri word ‘Morgee’ meaning chicken while Nag has been derived from the Sanskrit word ‘nag’ which means snake. Kokernag carries along a folk tale along with it which says, a holy saint named Gushwami visited Kokernag town from a mysterious place with his bucket. While he was resting, a group of women came from the thick forest in search of water. When they failed to find it, they saw the bucket with the saint and went to take the bucket assuming of having water inside. As soon as they opened the bucket, they found the snake inside the bucket instead of water. The snake crawled out on the ground when the lid was removed by the ladies. As it crawled on the ground, its shape transformed into a chicken, ‘Koker’ in Kashmir. All the places where the cock dug with its paws flowed out with water. That is why, it's called as Kokernag today. Although, it was just a dream. But the folk is that if the monk wouldn’t have opened his eyes, the whole place would have flooded with water and would have converted into a lake.

Current Scene

Kokernag’s actual name is Bindoo Zalangam as per the revenue records. It is 17 kms from its headquarter. It has numerous small springs and together they signify the paws of the cock. The main attractions of Kokernag include the stretched gardens, springs containing medicinal properties and beautiful locations. It is 70 kms from Srinagar and is located at the height of 2,020m. The spring of Kokernag comprises of three hundred canals, one hundred seventy one for forest area while one hundred twenty nine for the garden areas. The water of the streams has the medicinal properties and is preferred by the locals as a picnic spot, enjoying spring water and lunch.

Accessibility

The simplest method to reach Kokernag is by flight. The closest aerodrome is 70 kms away at Badgam district. The nearest railway terminal is at Jammu, from where it takes almost 2 hours to reach Kokernag. It is properly connected with the other areas of Jammu and Kashmir with several roads ending at Kokernag.

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