A brief History of Gulmarg
Fleecy heavy snow on thatched huts in Gulmarg Kashmir
Gulmarg is a magical valley located about 50 kilometers from Srinagar, stretching three kilometers in length and up to a kilometer in width with no condescending boundary walls to break up the gorgeous picture.
Gulmarg's allure begins even before you arrive, since the road is lined with pine and deodar trees and cuts through the hills. When you set foot on this hill station, you'll be surrounded by tiny lakes, emerald meadows, gushing gardens, enormous snow-capped mountains, bubbling brooks, and interesting slopes.
Gulmarg is more than just a lovely resort, despite its many magnificent landscapes. Another claim to fame for this location is that it is home to the world's highest green golf course. It is home to Asia's seventh-best skiing resort and the world's second-highest and largest cable car conveyance, locally known as Gondola.
Gulmarg is a charming little town with something for everyone, whether it's providing tourists with a view that rivals the Swiss Alps, providing a world-class arena for adventurers, or providing spiritually motivated people with a haven of tranquility by housing shrines such as Baba Reshi, Maharani Temple, and St Mary Church.
Meadows of flowers in Gulmarg owing to which it got recognition in history
He frequented the vale with his queen, Habba Khatoon, who was enchanted by it. According to P.N Bamzai, a Kashmiri scholar and historian, Chak coined the name Gulmarg for the hamlet, which was previously known as 'Gaurimarg (the fair one)' by the local shepherds in honor of Goddess Parvati or Gauri, a Hindu deity.
After Chak's capture by Akbar, Kashmir fell to the Mughals, and Akbar’s son Jahangir made Gulmarg his favored retreat. According to legend, he became so enamored with the flowers he saw at Gulmarg that he went on a collecting frenzy, collecting 21 different varieties of flowers.
Gulmarg, on the other hand, was added to the world map in 1860 by Godwin Austen, a British geologist and topographer. While working for the East India Company's Trigonometrically Survey of the region, he rediscovered the location. Following him, the British made a beeline towards Gulmarg, longing for Scotland's glens and seeking relief from the sweltering heat of the northern plains.
Gulmarg was created as a summer holiday hideaway by Britishers in the 19th century, who built recreational sites such as a golf course and a golf club. Although certain skiing events were staged during British rule, Gulmarg was not established into an winter resort until after independence.
Rudolph Matt, an Alpine skier and World champion in 1960, chose Gulmarg as a good place for the development of winter sports at the request of the government. Gulmarg became a year-round tourist destination as a result, and its picture-perfect shooting setting was promoted among the masses by Bollywood in the 1960s and 1970s.
