Гулмарг: Цветочная Долина Кашмира

Hill Station in Jammu and Kashmir, India

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 from Baramulla and from Srinagar. The town is situated in the Pir Panjal Range in the Western Himalayas and lies within the boundaries of Gulmarg Wildlife Sanctuary.

Kashmir has many summer retreats suffixed with the word marg: Sonamarg, Tangmarg, Gulmarg, Khilanmarg, Youmarg, and Nagmarg. Gulmarg is one of the Margs that has historical importance for Kashmiris. Gulmarg is a compound word or portmanteau of two Persian words, Gul and Marg. Gul means flowers and Marg means meadow.

Yousuf Shah Chak, who ruled Kashmir from 1579 to 1586, frequented the place with his queen Habba Khatoon and renamed it '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. Central Asian explorer Aurel Stein also visited Gulmarg during this period. Thereafter, Indian counterattacks pushed the tribesmen back many towns, including Gulmarg, were recaptured. In 1948, 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 to transform Gulmarg into a world class ski destination. Gulmarg became a centre for skiers from Asian nations. In the mid 1980s, heli skiing was introduced in Gulmarg. In 2014, Government of Jammu and Kashmir drafted a Master Plan–2032 for Gulmarg. The plan includes development of a solid waste treatment plant on 20 acres of land close to Gulmarg.

At the 2011 Indian census, Gulmarg had a total population of 1,965 over 77 households. The male population in the town stood at 1,957 while there were only eight females and no children between the ages of 0 and 6 years. Gulmarg had an average literacy rate of 99.24%. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes constituted 0.61% and 0.15% of the population respectively. Gulmarg has few permanent residents with most residents being tourists or those involved in the tourism industry. The town is accessible from Srinagar by road via Tangmarg. The road climbs uphill in the last 12 kilometres to Gulmarg passing through forests of pine and fir. The two stage ropeway ferries about 600 people per hour between Gulmarg and a shoulder of nearby Apharwat Peak The first stage transfers from Gulmarg at to Kongdoori at The second stage which has 36 cabins and 18 towers, takes passengers to a height of on the Apharwat Peak A chair lift system connects Kongdoori with Mary's shoulder for taking skiers to higher altitudes. The high inflow of tourists has had an effect on the fragile eco system of Gulmarg and activists have demanded tighter regulation to save the environment of the area from over tourism. An accident occurred on 15 June 2017 due to an enormous pine tree being uprooted by a gust of wind and breaking the perspex windows on one of the gondola cabins, causing it to swing violently and its seven occupants to fall 100 feet (30 m) to the ground.

In February 2022, the world's largest igloo cafe was opened in Gulmarg. It was made with a height of 37.5 feet and a diameter of 44.5 feet. Around 40 people can eat there at a time. In 2023, a glass igloo restaurant was developed by Kolahoi Green Heights, a hotel in Gulmarg.

Maharani Temple (commonly known as Shiv Temple of Gulmarg) was built by a Hindu ruler Maharaja Hari Singh for his wife Maharani Mohini Bai Sisodia who ruled until1915. This temple was considered as the stately possession of the Dogra kings. The temple is dedicated to Shiva and Parvati. This temple is visible from all corners of Gulmarg.

St Mary's Church is located in the valley of Shepherds in Gulmarg. It was built in 1902, during the period of British rule, and was constructed in a British style. Made of grey brick with a green roof and decorated wooden interior walls, it has been described as a "Victorian architectural wonder". In 1920 the church saw the wedding of the brother of Bruce Bairnsfather; Miss Eleanor Hardy Tipping married Capt. T. D. Bairnsfather, with newspapers describing the church as "very prettily decorated" and with the service conducted by Rev Canon Buckwell in the presence of both organ and a full choir. St Mary's was closed for years but was renovated and reopened in 2003, holding its first Christmas service there for 14 years. The church belongs to the Diocese of Amritsar, Church Of North India.

The first ever Khelo India Winter Games were held from 7 March at Gulmarg in Jammu and Kashmir. Around 955 participants took part in the 5 day event. Organised by Jammu and Kashmir Sports Council in collaboration Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, the Games included various sports disciplines at the ski resort of Gulmarg in north Kashmir from 7 to 11 March.

In 2008, an American avalanche forecaster named Brian Newman began an NGO named Gulmarg Avalanche Center. The purpose of this organization was to dispense daily avalanche risk bulletins to visitors entering the unmanaged backcountry surrounding the Gulmarg ski area. The center provides avalanche education including a free weekly avalanche awareness talk during the winter season.

An annual three day Gulmarg Winter Festival is held in March. Budding artists in the fields of music, films and photography are given an opportunity to showcase their work during the festival.

Gulmarg has been the shooting location many Bollywood films like Bobby, Aap Ki Kasam, Jab Tak Hai Jaan, Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, Highway, Phantom, Haider, etc.