25-Aug (Sat)
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Srinagar
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Gulmarg
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Srinagar – Gulmarg – Srinagar
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6.25 AM
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6 PM
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110 KMS
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It
was a day trip to Gulmarg. Even though we had plans of moving into Pahalgam,
and had checked out all our luggage, the Almighty had a different plan for us.
Drive to and back from Gulmarg was an uneventful one.
After we reached Gulmarg, decided to spend
half day in the pony ride till the Glacier on top and use the next half of the
day to drive to Pahalgam. Had to negotiate cut throat to get a discount of Rs
100. We landed up spending Rs 1100 per pony. Pony ride for 4 hrs and at this
gradient was a new experience to all of us. The other option for us was to take
a gonDOla ride till stage 2 and then walk till glacier. We decided on
the pony as it would be a complete trip of all places at Gulmarg. The other
humanitarian view was that it would help the shepherds to make their daily
living as this area is open only for 6 months for ponies.
4
Ponies were led by 2 shepherds with whom we had a chat all way through. It was
during this chat , I realized that there is a day in the calendar dedicated to
SNOW ! (http://world-snow-day.com/en/wsd/Event_Locator/India/Gulmarg/World_snow_Day). We had kept
our cameras ready to capture the breathtaking beauty of Gulmarg all through the
Pony ride. As you keep on climbing the beauty of Gulmarg unfurled every moment,
which one would surely like to cherish later on.
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| Gulmarg: View of Glacier in the Background, Golf course next to the road |
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| Gulmarg: SKIING School |
The beauty of Gulmarg changes every hour. On a
bright day, you will be enchanted with it's changing beauty every hour. We were
mesmerized by the sheer changing beauty of the place the few hours we spent
there. Few pictures shared at the end is only an indicator. However, Gulmarg (Meadow
of Flowers) is equally popular in winter as it is the SKIING capital of the
country. Many foreign tourist flock this place during winter. Google for
GULMARG IN WINTER and the view of the pictures online are mind-blowing. This is
certainly not going to be my last trip to Gulmarg. The place is so beautiful
one must spend at least day here just watching the changing beauty of Gulmarg!
Originally called ‘Gaurimarg’ by shepherds,
its present name was given in the 16th century by Sultan Yusuf Shah, who was
inspired by the sight of its grassy slopes emblazoned with wild flowers.
Gulmarg was a favourite haunt of Emperor Jahangir who once collected 21
different varieties of flowers from here. Today Gulmarg is not merely a mountain
resort of exceptional beauty- it also has the highest green golf course in the
world, at an altitude of 2,650 m, and is the country’s premier ski resort in
the winter.
Shiva Temple: The Shiva temple was actually the
royal temple of Dogra kings of Jammu and Kashmir. Also known as “Rani Temple”
or “Maharani Temple”, this is situated on a small hillock in the centre of
Gulmarg. The unique thing about this royal temple is the fact that it can be
seen from all the corners of Gulmarg. The Maharani temple also known as
Mohineshwar Shivalalaya was built by Mohini Bai Sisodhia, the wife of the
erstwhile ruler of Kashmir Maharaja Hari Singh (the last king of Kashmir) in
1915. Mohini Bai Sisodhia was the daughter of Maharaja Mohandev of Dharampur.
When the last Dogra king was spending his time in Gulmarg in his royal palace,
a couple of kilometers from the temple, his queen used to come here to worship
Lord Shiva. Infact, she stayed here for months and worshiped Lord Shiva in this
temple. The temple remains open every day from 6am to 9pm. Jai jai shiv Shankar
song was shot at this temple.
Indian Institute of Skiing &
Mountaineering, was the next landmark on our way to Khilanmarg. Its shares its
campus right in the centre of a 18 hole golf course. The next was the HAWS
(High Altitude Warfare School).
Climb up from here till Glacier was pretty
treacherous on our thighs and calf muscles. We spent good time in photography
on top of the glacier. We could see the Pakistan Occupied Kashmir peaks from
the top of the glacier. Ride down till the base camp was a bumpy ride
personified. At some places we were at a gradient of 35 – 40 Degrees where you
repeatedly remember your favourite God.
As we came down we had to stretch for a while
to come out of cramps. As we drove back, we were caught up in heavy rains.
Stopped at a Kashmiri Cloth Shop (who also runs his business at Brigade Road,
Bangalore). Did some shopping before we stopped for our lunch at 5.00 PM!
Avinash updated us that as he is pretty much early to Pahalgam, he would catch
up with us at Srinagar. We decided to re route ourselves to Srinagar.
As we met Avinash at our Hotel, it was time
for him to share his experiences and adventure of driving via Kishtwar. Search
on YouTube for driving videos and you can have a firsthand description. His
experience was no different from the video that you may come across. My
recommendations
from Wanderers:
From HVK
Rested for the night as we had to prepare for a longer drive
tomorrow.
Some more pictures from the day :
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| Gulmarg: Entry to Khillanmarg |
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| Gulmarg: Water crossing at Avalanche Zone |
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| Gulmarg: Under the Glacier Arch |
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| Gulmarg: View of Gulmarg base camp from Glacier |
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| Gulmarg: one of the 45 Deg Gradient paths |
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