History

Gulmarg  means a lowland filled with  flowers. It is a giant of an  hill station in the  Baramula district  of Jammu and Kashmir the northern state of India. Earlier known as Gaurimarg, which refers to Goddess Parvati, Lord Shiva’s wife, located at an altitude of 2730 meters. King  Yousaf Shah Chak gave the place its name Gulmarg.

Being an spectacular tourist destination for all types of tourists the reason being its verdant vegetation , scenic beauty  and lots of flowers, calm lakes and natural waterfalls. It is surrounded by majestic Himalayan peaks.

During earlier times Gulmarg served as an important pleasure resort for the king and his family as well as for the British officers before independence. In the early 20th century Sir Marc Aural Stein a well known central explorer used Gulmarg as his halting location during his expeditions. The famous Mughal Emperor Jehangir visited it frequently.

The place is endowed with nature’s beauty at its maximum by the presence of flowers, gardens and sweet smell of them fills the surrounding captivating the attention of the onlookers. Gulmarg serves as one of the best ski resorts in the country due to heavy rainfall mainly during winter. A few best skiing slopes are inhabitants of this region.

The gods have been quite generous towards Gulmarg in making it one of the most beautiful places of this world. The peace one experiences here and the tranquilizing effect it has on one’s mind is beyond the expression of words. IT has the honor of having the world’s longest and present at a very high altitude cable car project of the continent. The ride in the car can enthrall anyone and unforgettable.

How To Reach

Gulmarg By Air

Srinagar is the nearest airport just 56 km away from it.  Private vehicles like  jeeps and Small Taxi cabs are travel options  from airport to Gulmarg, which will loosen your purse strings by  Rs 1,000 – Rs 1,200. Srinagar is properly  connected by air to Delhi with  regular flights  and with  other major  Indian cities.

Gulmarg By Train

Jammu is the nearest railway station. It is connected by network of rail to major cities of India;  direct train services  are also  available from  other northern cities.

Gulmarg By Bus

IT has a well-developed bus service as buses ply from all major cities to Gulmarg. One  can also avail the State buses and Private buses to reach Gulmarg from various parts of Jammu and Kashmir.

Places To Visit

Khilanmarg

The flower carpeted valley is just a  6-km walk away from  Gulmarg. It is the official site for ski runs in this hill station. IT also has a rich natural beauty   overlooking the Kashmir Valley.

Alpather Lake

Far from Khilanmarg, 13-km  away from Gulmarg at the foothills of the twin mountains 4,511 meter heighted Apharwat peaks, this lake is remains covered with ice  till mid-June and also  in later season  of the year the view of floating ice on the surface attracts tourists.

The Ningli Nallah

This beautiful mountain stream situated just 8-km from the hilly Gulmarg. IT runs down the valley and falls in the Jhelum River close to  Sopur.  A grass covered valley becomes a favorite picnic place.

Ferozpore Nallah

Along the  Tangmarg road, or along the Outer Circular Walk, the beautiful mountain stream joins the Bahan River to form a famous gathering spot .  The stream is very famous to be a good for trout fishing; it is only five km below the valley of Gulmarg but is near to  Tangmarg.

Shrine Of Baba Reshi / Ziarat Of Baba Reshi

This Muslim religious hub is along the slopes down to Gulmarg and it can be accessed from either Gulmarg or Tangmarg. The Ziarat, the tomb, is a place where a famous Muslim saint was buried after his death in 1480.

Weather And Best Time To Visit

In all seasons Gulmarg remains a perfect tourist destination . It has refreshing and nice summer (March-May) when temperature remains between 13°C - 29°C. Winter season is from November to February and is not very cold and remains pleasant as temperature ranges between only2°C to 9°C. Extreme snow fall is one of themarked characteristic of this place. Rainfall during monsoons are generally moderate.

Snowboarding along with long-run Skiing are famous winter sports.

Best season for  visiting  is usually between  March and October.  Winter visit are good if one want to participate in sporting activities.

Language And Culture

Gulmarg creates an impression of a mystical place. Two different culture persists on each side of an invisible line that divides two countries and the place which has witnessed a 150 years long  battle for the land as their identity . Ironically, the world’s most beautiful place can be the cause of so much of bloodshed.  But the people have remained true to their identity preserving their cultural heritage and surviving by their handicraft skills and Tourism responsible for keeping the economy afloat.

Kashmiri and also the national language of India, Hindi is spoken.

Video

Accommodation

JKTDC has a building at Gulmarg which is a historical one and a landmark of its own. The Hutments sparsely built on the lush green meadows within the pine vegetation, offers a breathtaking view of entire Gulmarg. They have recently started 4 bedroom Royal Huts just across Gulmarg Golf Course.

Festivals And Activities

Snow Festival

An important festival is the snow festival enjoyed with a lot of enthusiasm. It is celebrated annually in the beginning of January to February in Gulmarg.

With a lot of pomp and splendor Christmas festival and ski competition are organized every year.

Skiing And Heliskiing

One of the continents’ popular Heli-skiing resort is located at Gulmarg district of Kashmir. As soon as December arrives the lush green slopes get covered with white snow, and gives shape to finest slopes ideal for levels of ski runs.

Gondola Ride

Gulmarg  also has  Cable Car ride facility,  popularly called the Gondola Lift/Ride situated1 km west to Gulmarg’s bus stand.  The State Cable Car Corporations is responsible for maintaining Gulmarg Cable Car ride.

The ride consists of two parts– 1.Gulmarg to Kongdori and2. Kongdori to Apherwat. The Gondola during the journey passes overlarge stretches of pine forests. The ride starts from an altitude of about  2690 m above the  sea level and finally reach up to 3090 m till the ride ends at  Kongdoor.

Trekking

Gulmarg is one of the famous trekking base present in the mountains of Himalaya. There are a lot of trekking trails that provides medium to difficult adventurous trekking starts from the hilly regions of Gulmarg.  Many resorts offers supports and  also guides for guidance during the expeditions.

Golf

Gulmarg Golf Club, was found in 1911. This large golf club has18 holes  and also 72 par golf course which makes golf an interesting sport for the rich and the affluent.

Hotels

Gulmar Sahara Hotel

Near Gulmarg Bus Stand, Gulmarg - 901954 Jammu and Kashmir

Hotel Zahgeer Continental

1st Point, Gulmarg (Kashmir) Gulmarg - 190001, Jammu and Kashmir

Hotel Affarwat

Entry Point, Gulmarg, Jammu & Kashmir - 193403

Hotel Highland Park

Gulmarg, Gulmarg - 193403, Jammu and Kashmir

Pine Palace Heritage Resort

Near the Gondola, Gulmarg - 901043, Jammu and Kashmir

Get around

Gulmarg  being  a very small  town  does not need any means of transportation. As most of the part of the town remain blanketed by snow for almost whole of the year, vehicles can’t be on this slippery path. The closest airport is Srinagar and travelers can hire a taxi only from the road. Their charge is around Rs 950 only for the whole trip. Taxis are also available for advance booking. Normally charges are Rs 1,250  as the airport charges Rs 300 for parking.

Taxi

Taxis can be availed from the are airport. Taxis can be booked from TRC taxis stand (Phone No-91 0194 245 2527). Advance booking by the help of  TRC stand is one of the best options.Srinagar, the nearest railway station, and  ticketscan be booked in advance.

Sledge

The two important means to transverse across the city are 1. by Foot and 2. By sledge

The sledges can be availed even during off season and they are a very fun filled way to travel around Gulmarg.

But walking is the most convenient way as all places are accessible by foot only as the road remains permanently covered with snow.

Get out

Khilanmarg

Khilanmarg near Gulmarg is also the favorite spot for skiing in winters and a good picnic spot for all seasons. One can enjoy the scenes of the Kashmir valley and the peaks of the Himalayan range from this place. It’s a two hour ride by pony, as it is quite far on foot.

Srinagar

Srinagar (1,730m) which isthecapital of Jammu and Kashmir , the largest city of the state is popular for its water canals houseboat ride and lavish Mughal gardens. Here one can spend some hours just by sightseeing along the  river Jhelum and looking at the quaint city.

Shopping

Gulmarg,  in Jammu and Kashmir is an ultimate adventure destination in the obscure Himalayas and a  limited variety when  it comes to options related to  shopping. Though numerous stores in the town sells carpets, clothes etc. but the costs are comparatively more than that of Srinagar.

Gulmarg is one of the best places for garment purchasing, Khan cloth House sells a wide variety of regional dresses with a fusion of west like Kashmiri  Faran, pashminas and other clothing. Ladakh Art Palace is  a hub for jewellery , antiques and handicrafts. Linen products and carpets can be found at Faiz Shawls situated by the Ladakh Art Palace.

Location Map

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