J&K Visit: Gulmarg

Gulmaarg means Meadow of flowers, so named after the naturally colourful wild flowers that grow in profusion in the Gulmarg valley.En route there are apple orchards with apples abounding on every branch.

The climb to Gulmarg begins at Tang Marg (Pronounced Tung Murg) which means Pearl Meadow. You need to hire a guide at Tang Marg mainly to protect you from the attack of the horsemen who will force you to hire their horses. At Gulmarg the main attraction is the Gondola ride. The ride consists of two stages. The first stage takes you up to 10500 ft above mean sea level. Thereafter, the Second stage takes us to 13500 ft! Yet higher up at 14000 ft, snow is present throughout the year.

This costly climb of almost Rs. 1000/- per person is well worth it for the panoramic view of the Kasshmir Valley that it affords.I realized that at this altitude thoughts are clear and pure. As I gazed around me at the magnificent snow-tipped mountains rearing up above and the beautiful Baramullah valley far far below, I felt that life is best understood as a lesson. Every opportunity to learn should be fully exploited for its possibilities.

Sitting high up above the world there at Gulmarg, I learnt valuable lessons from the mountains. The value of patience and the willingness to accept the present moment as the will of God and as the best of all possible outcomes that were meant to happen.

The futility of worry and tension. The value and Power of Silence. It is better to be like these tall mountains, silent. In this silence there is a grandeur and majesty that no amount of speaking can produce.

Finally I learnt Humility, because at 13500 feet, I was still at the foot of the Himalayas! The utter insignificance of humanity as a whole can be truly perceived only at the feet of these giantswho were there, are there and will be there for a long time to come.

After our descent back, we went on Horse-back around the Gulmarg valley. The notable sights are the Golf Course, the Rani Temple and Bobby house where the movie, Bobby was shot.

On our return to Srinagar in the evening, we vuisited two of the famous Mughal Gardens: ChesmaSahi and Shalimar. Chesmasahi built by Akbar, though small is the best. The Shalimar Gardens are badly lit and poorly maintained. The route to the Gardens takes us around the Dal Lake. In the middle of the lake is an island with four Chinar trees.

Thee night was spent in a Boat House. The boathouses that line the waterways connecting the lakes are charming. Richly decorated and fully furnished with ornate sofas, kaskmiri carpets, mahogany tables and mughal miniature paintings.

The sit out or Balcony, looks out on to the Dal Lake where w e canm sit and chat. Shopkeepers keep coming in on small canoe-like shikaras to show thjeir wares and make sales. s