Gulmarg, known as Gulmarag in Kashmiri, is a town, hill station, tourist destination, skiing destination, and a notified area committee in the Baramulla district in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. It is located at a distance of 31 km from Baramulla and 49 km from Srinagar.
Considered as one of Asia's longest and highest cable car rides, this entire ride comprises of two stages-Gulmarg to Kongdoori, and Kongdoori to Apharwat Peak.
గుల్మార్గ్ భారతదేశంలోని జమ్మూ కాశ్మీర్ లోని ఒక హిల్ స్టేషన్. దీని అసలు పేరు గౌరీమార్గ్, దీనిని 16వ శతాబ్దంలో కాశ్మీర్ ని పాలించిన యూసుఫ్ షా చక్ గుల్మార్గ్‌గా మార్చాడు. దీనిని భూమిపై స్వర్గం అని కూడా పిలుస్తారు. ఇది దేశంలోని ప్రధాన పర్యాటక ప్రదేశాలలో ఒకటి. పూల భూమిగా పిలువబడే ఈ ప్రదేశం బారాముల్లా జిల్లాలో ఉంది.
'Gulmarg' ("meadow of flowers").Wild flowers of 21 different varieties were collected by the Mughal emperor Jahangir for his gardens in Gulmarg. In the 19th century, British civil servants started using Gulmarg as a retreat to escape summers in the Indo-Gangetic plains. Hunting and golfing were their favorite pastime and three golf courses were established in Gulmarg including one exclusively for women. One of the golf courses is located at an altitude of 2,650 meters (8,690 ft) and is the world's highest golf course. In 1927, the British established a ski club in Gulmarg and two annual ski events were hosted, one during Christmas and Easter. Central Asian explorer Aurel Stein also visited Gulmarg during this period.
After the end of British rule in India, Gulmarg became a part of the independent princely state of Kashmir and Jammu. After that, Indian counterattacks pushed the tribesmen back - many towns, including Gulmarg, were recaptured. In 1948, the Indian Army established a ski school in Gulmarg which later became the High Altitude Warfare School. On 1 January 1949, the war ended under UN supervision and a Ceasefire line (CFL), which was rechristened the Line of Control (LOC) by the Shimla Agreement of 1972, was established near Gulmarg.
After Indian Independence, Indian planners sought to develop a destination for winter sports in India. In 1960, the Department of Tourism of the Government of India invited Rudolph Matt to select a suitable location for such a purpose. Matt determined Gulmarg would serve as a suitable location as a winter sports destination. In 1968, the Institute of Skiing and Mountaineering was established in Gulmarg to train ski instructors. Over the next decade, Indian planners invested ₹30 million (US$360,000) to transform Gulmarg into a world-class ski destination. Gulmarg became a center for skiers from Asian nations. In the mid-1980s, heli-skiing was introduced in Gulmarg.
In the 1990s, the rise of insurgents in Jammu and Kashmir affected tourism in Gulmarg. However, tourism started to recover in the late 1990s. Work on the cable car project between Gulmarg and Apharwat Peak, which was commissioned in 1988 by the Government of Jammu and Kashmir, resumed in 1998 after being put on hold due to security concerns. In May 1998, Phase 1 of the project, between Gulmarg and Kongdori, began its commercial operation. In May 2005, Phase 2 of the project was completed, making it one of the longest and highest ropeways of Asia. The chairlift installed as a part of Phase 3 of the project began its operations in 2011. The National Winter Games were held in Gulmarg in 1998, 2004 and 2008. In 2014, the Government of Jammu and Kashmir drafted a Master Plan-2032 for Gulmarg. The plan includes the development of a solid-waste treatment plant on 20 acres of land close to Gulmarg.
Geology and geography
Gulmarg lies in a cup-shaped valley in the Pir Panjal Range of the Himalayas, at an altitude of, 2,650 m (8,694 ft), 56 km from Srinagar. The soil in Gulmarg comprises glacial deposits, lacustrine deposits, and moraines of Pleistocene age covering shales, limestones, sandstones, schists, and other varieties of rocks. The natural meadows of Gulmarg, which are covered with snow in winter, allow the growth of wildflowers such as daisies, forget-me-nots, and buttercups during spring and summer. The meadows are interspersed by enclosed parks and small lakes, and surrounded by forests of green pine and fir. Skiing and other winter sports in Gulmarg are carried out on the slopes of Apharwat Peak at a height of 4,267 m (13,999 ft). Many points on Apharwat Peak and Khilanmarg offer a panoramic view of Nanga Parbat and Harmukh mountains.
Climate
Due to its high elevation, Gulmarg has a humid continental climate where the wet winter season sees heavy snowfall, especially for its latitude. Summers are moderate in temperature and length, whereas shoulder seasons are relatively cool.