A beautiful hill station located in Baramula district in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir is Gulmarg, the meaning of which is €Meadow of Flowers'. Gulmarg is located about 52 kms from Srinagar and is located at an altitude of 2,690 meters. This majestic hill station was earlier known as Gaurimarg, where Gauri stands for Goddess Parvati, the wife of Lord Shiva. This name was given by King Yousuf Shah Chak.
Gulmarg is considered a spectacular picnic spot surrounded by the marvelous Himalayas that allures all kinds of tourists. With the beautiful gardens and lush green backdrop, amazing landscapes and serene lakes coupled with the pleasant climate, this town is sure to mesmerize you. During the ancient years, Gulmarg was used as a pleasure resort by Yousuf Shah Chak and the royal family members. Jahangir the emperor was also a frequent visitor. Apart from that Sir Marc Aural Stein, the Central Asia explorer would come here and rest between his expeditions. This depicts that Gulmarg was one of the most sought after destination, then and now as well.
Gulmarg is bestowed with all its showers of beauty and tranquility, making it one of the best places to visit. It also boasts of having the longest and highest cable car project in Asia. A ride on these cables is breathtaking and really memorable. A pleasant meadow carpeted with flowers along with dense and aromatic pine trees and fir trees on all sides gives you the perfect picture of a holiday vacation away from all stress. The sceneries from atop the hill points are just amazing! This is just the beginning of what's to come your way. With the sloppy hills of Khilanmarg to the majestic Nanga Parbat Peak, tall coniferous trees to the perfect weather, Gulmarg has it all.
If you're up for some adventure and natural sports, then Gulmarg offers a variety of them like skating, skiing, ski bobbing. This is because Gulmarg offers a soft and thick blanket of snow, that are ideal skiing slopes. Another sport that Gulmarg offers is golf. Gulmarg has one of the world's largest international golf courses.
Being a hilly region, the vehicle that can ride best over its terrains is the jeep. The best time to visit Gulmarg is during summers. The way to Gulmarg is as enchanting as reaching there. One can truly capture the beauty of the mountains and the ridges, streams and the meadows, only when you travel by road. Therefore most of them prefer to take a taxi which can be taken from Srinagar, about two hours from Gulmarg. Don't forget the pony rides from Tangmarg to Gulmarg which is quite a fun thing to do.