Gulmarg: The snow queen

For those of you who loved watching yesteryears’ heart-throb Dimple Kapadia swinging to the tune of Hum Tum Ek Kamre Mein Bandh Ho  with Rishi Kapoor in the 70’s blockbuster Bobby or loved Rajesh Khanna and Mumtaz coquettishly dancing to Pancham’s magical tunes of Jai Jai Shiv Shankar, Kanta Lage Na Kankar, in Aap Ki Kasam or crooning another beautiful number from the same movie Karvate Badalte Rahe Sari Raat Hum, its impossible not to fall in love with the charm of these locales at Gulmarg in Jammu and Kashmir.

The locale is a winter-lover's delight, a wonderland which is covered in a thick duvet of snow these days. As freezing cold waves  sweep across Northern India forcing people to remain indoor, the bone chilling cold has failed to deter the revellers who throng at Gulmarg, one of the most popular tourist destinations in Asia and skiing resort located in the Kashmir valley. Few days back when the world ushered in another year, Gulmarg witnessed hundreds of tourists flocking for the New Year bash at the famed ski resort and winter destination.

Gulmarg which means "Meadow of Flowers" is a situated some 52 km from Srinagar in the border district of Baramulla in North Kashmir close to the Line of
Control, the tension filled border between India and Pakistan.

Originally known as Gaurimarg after Goddess Parvati or Gauri, the spouse of Lord Shiva, Gulmarg finds its mention even in mythological script Shivpuran. It has an ancient temple known as Rani Mandir dedicated to the goddess. It was a favourite resort of the Hindu Kings of Kashmir. The original name was later changed to Gulmarg by Muslim King Yousuf Shah Chak.

Gulmarg gets some of the heaviest snowfalls in the Himalayas and has become very popular among tourists earning the distinction of being the best ski resort in the Himalayas. In fact, this place is  also famous for being the first place in India to be  introduced as a ski resort in 1927 with setting up of the Ski Club, three years after the First World Winter Olympics was held in Chamonix in France.

The Ski Club at Gulmarg was constructed by two British officers Major Metcarb and Major Hedoo for the benefit of British army officers at a time when skiing was becoming quite popular in Europe. The Club imported ski equipment from Norway and secured affiliation with the Ski Club of England. The famous Central Asian explorer Sir Marc Aurel Stein (1862–1943) made his home in Gulmarg in the early part of the 20th century.

In the past few years, Gulmarg has become a favourite destination among the skiers from all over the world. The breath-taking slopes  have been included in the top ten ski destinations in Asia. Appi Kogen, Tohoku, Japan, stands at the top of the of Asia’s best ski resort followed by Niseko, Hokkaido in Japan, Rusutsu Ski Resort, Hokkaido, Japan, Alpensia Resort, Yongpyong, Gangwon-do and Jisan Forest Resort, Icheon, all in South Korea; Alshan Alpine, in Mongolia, Yabuli, Ski resort, in Heilongjian and Nanshan Ski village, in Beijing, both in China. Standing at number 7 in the list, Gulmarg slopes have been attracting visitors from across the globe.

The resort’s claim to fame is the Gulmarg Gandola, the highest ski lift in the world, at a dizzying 3,979 metres which takes the skiers up to the slopes of Aparwat Hills - one of the longest and highest ski slopes in Asia. Following this new found fame of Gulmarg of being among the top ten skiing destinations in Asia, the successive governments in Jammu and Kashmir have been trying to sell Gulmarg further to tourists the world over and are planning to devise a permanent winter calendar to attract more domestic as well as overseas visitors to the resort which is perfect for skiing, snowboarding, sledging and snowman building.

Mohammad Ashraf, former director general, tourism, J&K government,
has nostalgic memories of Gulmarg, the place he loves. He remembers how Gulmarg used to be the favourite destination for Bollywood producers. Be it magical winters or the sunny summers, the producers loved it all.

“Probably, the Indian film units would have continued to come to Gulmarg and other parts of Kashmir but for the violence in the region which scared away these units. We tried our best to motivate them to come back after 2003 but they didn’t feel confident enough. Now, the tourism department has been trying again with meeting good success,” says Ashraf. In recent years, the efforts have paid off and many films like Rockstar, Jab Tak Hai Jaan, Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, Highway, Haider etc. have been shot there.

“This year also, we ushered the new year with ‘Jashn-e-Chillai-Kalan’ (festival of severest and harshest period of 40 days of winter in Kashmir) at Gulmarg,” informs Talat Pervez, director, Tourism Kashmir. This is an annual feature in Gulmarg.

The place  also houses the Indian Institute of Skiing and Mountaineering which was set up by the department of tourism, Government of India, in 1969 aiming at  encouraging adventure sports among the youth and to promote the tourism industry. The Institute imparts technical training and conducts various courses in Snow Skiing from mid December to early April. The Institute has qualified ski Instructors most of whom have had advance training abroad.

Tourists coming to Gulmarg are offered  a 30 per cent discount by the J&K Tourism Development Corporation (JKTDC)-run hotels and huts. Besides Jashn-e-Chillai Kalaan, more festivals and winter sports-related events are on the cards throughout January depending on the amount of snowfall received.