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Tourism in Jammu and Kashmir

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Kashmir Valley in the spring

Jammu and Kashmir is home to several valleys such as the Kashmir Valley, Chenab Valley, Sindh Valley and Lidder Valley. Some major tourist attractions in Jammu and Kashmir are Srinagar, with its renowned Dal Lake and Mughal Gardens, Gulmarg, Pahalgam, Patnitop and Jammu. Every year, thousands of Hindu pilgrims visit holy shrines of Vaishno Devi and Amarnath which has had a significant impact on the state's economy.[1]

Kashmir Valley is one of the top tourist destinations of India.[2] Gulmarg, one of the most popular ski resort destinations in India, is also home to the world's highest green golf course.[3] Tourism has declined in the past thirty years.[4]

Jammu and Kashmir also has flower gardens and apple orchards. It attracts tourists for its handicrafts and the Kashmiri shawls.

Major attractions

Gulmarg

This section is an excerpt from Gulmarg § Tourism.[edit]
Domestic tourists at Gulmarg

According to CNN, Gulmarg is the "heartland of winter sports in India" and was rated as Asia's seventh best ski destination.[5][6] 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.[7][8][9] Winter sports like skiing, tobogganing, snowboarding and heli-skiing take place on the slopes of Mount Apharwat reachable by a Gondola lift.[10]

Jammu

View of Jammu city and Tawi river
This section is an excerpt from Jammu § Tourism.[edit]
Tourism is the largest industry in Jammu city. It is also a focal point for the pilgrims going to Vaishno Devi and Kashmir valley as it is second last railway terminal in North India. All the routes leading to Kashmir, Poonch, Doda and Laddakh start from Jammu city. So throughout the year, the city remains full of people from all the parts of India. Places of interest include old historic palaces like Mubarak Mandi Palace, Purani Mandi, Rani Park, Amar Mahal, Bahu Fort, Raghunath Temple, Ranbireshwar Temple, Karbala, Peer Meetha, Old city.

Pahalgam

View of the Lidder Valley at Pahalgam
This section is an excerpt from Pahalgam.[edit]

Pahalgam (Urdu pronunciation: [pɛhɛlɡɑːm]), known as Pahalgom (Kashmiri pronunciation: [pəhəlʲɡoːm]; lit. 'village of shepherds' in Kashmiri)[11] is a town and a notified area committee, near Anantnag city in the Anantnag district of the Indian-administered union territory of Jammu and Kashmir.[12][13][14][15][16] It is a popular tourist destination and hill station. Its lush green meadows and pristine waters attract thousands of tourists from all over the world each year.[17] It is located 45 kilometres (28 mi) from Anantnag on the banks of Lidder River at an altitude of 7,200 feet (2,200 m). Pahalgam is the headquarters of one of the eleven tehsils of Anantnag district.

Pahalgam is associated with the annual pilgrimage to the shrine Amarnath Yatra. Chandanwari, located 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) from Pahalgam. The town is the starting point of the yatra that takes place every year in the months of July–August, receiving hundreds of thousands of tourists. Because of its religious significance and role as a base camp, the town attracts 70% of visitors to the valley.[18] This flood of tourists overwhelms some of the local infrastructure, especially waste management in the town.[18]

Sonmarg

This section is an excerpt from Sonamarg § Tourism.[edit]

Sonamarg provides glaciers like kalahoi Peak & trekking routes leading to Vishansar Lake, Krishansar Lake, Gangabal Lake and Gadsar Lake in the Himalayas, which are stocked with snowtrout and brown trout.[19] The Sind River meanders here and abounds with trout and mahseer. Ponies can be hired for a trip up to Thajiwas glacier, in the summer. The Yatra to the nearby Amarnath Temple begins in Sonamarg.

Baltal, 15 km east of Sonamarg, is a valley that lies at the foot of the Zoji La pass. Trekkers can also reach the city of Leh—known as "the rooftop of the world"—by crossing over the Zoji La.

The Jammu and Kashmir tourism department organizes river rafting tournaments at Sonamarg throughout the year, which has recently seen the participation of teams from abroad.[20]

Srinagar

Panorama of Srinagar
Houseboats on Dal Lake
This section is an excerpt from Srinagar § Tourism.[edit]

Srinagar is one of several places that have been called the "Venice of the East".[21][22][23] Lakes around the city include Dal Lake – noted for its houseboats – and Nigeen Lake. Apart from Dal Lake and Nigeen Lake, Wular Lake and Manasbal Lake both lie to the north of Srinagar. Wular Lake is one of the largest fresh water lakes in Asia.

Srinagar has some Mughal gardens, forming a part of those laid by the Mughal emperors across the Indian subcontinent. Those of Srinagar and its close vicinity include Chashma Shahi (the royal fountains); Pari Mahal (the palace of the fairies); Nishat Bagh (the garden of spring); Shalimar Bagh; the Naseem Bagh. Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Botanical Garden is a botanical garden in the city, set up in 1969.[24] The Indian government has included these gardens under "Mughal Gardens of Jammu and Kashmir" in the tentative list for sites to be included in world Heritage sites.

The Sher Garhi Palace houses administrative buildings from the state government.[25] Another palace of the Maharajas, the Gulab Bhavan, has now become the Lalit Grand Palace hotel.[26]

The Shankaracharya Temple lies on a hill top in the middle of the city.[27]

Verinag

This section is an excerpt from Verinag.[edit]
Snow-clad view of Verinag Garden

Verinag (/ˈveɪriːnɑːɡ/) is a town named after and famous for the Verinag spring and Mughal garden, near Anantnag city in the Anantnag district of the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It is also called "gateway of Kashmir" and is a notified area committee with tehsil status (Shahabad Bala Verinag) and is about 26 kilometers away from Anantnag and approximately 78 kilometres south-east from Srinagar which is the summer capital of the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. Verinag is also the first tourist spot of Kashmir Valley when travelling by road from Jammu, the winter capital of the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir towards Srinagar. There is an octagonal stone basin at Verinag Spring and an arcade surrounding it which were built by Mughal emperor Jahangir in 1620 A.D. Later, a beautiful garden next to this spring, was laid out by his son Shah Jahan. This spring is known to never dry up or overflow. Verinag Spring is also the major source of river Jhelum. Verinag Spring and Mughal Arcade surrounding it is officially recognized by Archaeological Survey of India as a Monument of National Importance.[28]

Verinag spring is the main source of River Jehlum, (vyeth in local Kashmiri language) which flows throughout the valley of Kashmir and finally enters into Pakistan-administered Kashmir.

Gurez

This section is an excerpt from Gurez.[edit]

Gurez, or Gurais[29] (Guráai in the local Shina language),[30] is a valley located in the high Himalayas, about 86 kilometres (53 mi) from Bandipore and 123 kilometres (76 mi) from Srinagar, to the north of the Kashmir valley. At about 2,400 metres (8,000 ft) above sea level, the valley is surrounded by snow-capped mountains. The fauna include the Himalayan brown bear and the snow leopard. The Kishanganga River flows through the valley.[31]

The valley lies near the Line of Control, which separates it from the Astore and Neelum districts of Pakistan-administered Kashmir. It is very close to the Burzil Pass, which leads into Astore, and the inhabitants are ethnic Dards/Shins. They speak the Shina language and have the same styles of dress and culture as their kinsmen in Pakistani-administered Gilgit-Baltistan.[32]

Dawar is the central township in the area. The population of the area is estimated to be about 30,000, and is scattered among fifteen villages.

Due to heavy snowfall (around 2 metres (7 ft)) and closure of Razdan Pass in winter, the valley remains cut off for six months of the year.[33]

Gurez is 143 km from Srinagar.

Doodhpathri

This section is an excerpt from Doodhpathri.[edit]
Doodhpathri (transl. Valley of Milk; Urdu pronunciation: [d̪uːd̪ʱ pət̪ʰɾiː]; Kashmiri pronunciation: [dɔdɨ patʰɨr]) is a tourist destination and a hill station located in the Khansahib tehsil of the Budgam district of Jammu and Kashmir, India.[34][35] Situated at an altitude of 2,730 metres (8,960 ft) from sea level, it is located at a distance of 42 km (26 mi) from Jammu and Kashmir's summer capital, Srinagar, and 30 km (19 mi) from its district headquarters, Budgam.

Adventure tourism

Skiing

  • Gulmarg
  • Patnitop
  • Sanasar
  • Jai Valley: The Jai Valley at a height of 7000 ft. located 32 km from Bhaderwah, and 232 km (approx.) from Jammu is an extremely beautiful region spread over 6 km receives ample snow to attract ski-lovers & Snow-boarding surfers.

Rafting

  • Sonamarg- river rafting tournaments are held by tourism department.
  • The Reasi- Dera Baba Banda Bahadur stretch of 12 km (approx.) houses rapids up to 3rd grade and is ideal for amateurs and joy rides.

Para-gliding

  • Sanasar, 19 km west of Patnitop & 130 km from Jammu. The picturesque cup-shaped meadow is ideal for enjoying the thrilling ride and relishing the aerial view of 9-hole golf course of Sanasar.

Camping

Rock Climbing

Trekking

[36]

Transport

View of Sheikh ul-Alam International Airport

The primary methods of transport in Jammu and Kashmir are by road and air. It has access to the rest of India through the Banihal road tunnel near Qazigund on national highway NH 1A Now known as NH 44 and through NH 1B that passes through Sinthan pass and Kishtwar.

Jammu and Kashmir has 2 civil airports. The Jammu Airport and the Sheikh ul-Alam International Airport in Srinagar. They receive direct flights from New Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru.

Jammu and Kashmir has a 119 km (74 mi) long modern railway line that started in October 2009 and connects Baramulla in the western part of the valley to Srinagar and Qazigund. It further links the Kashmir Valley to Banihal across the Pir Panjal mountains through the new 11.215 km (6.969 mi) long Pir Panjal Railway Tunnel or Banihal rail tunnel from 26 June 2013. Banihal railway station will be linked to the rest of India in another few years as the construction of the railway line from Jammu to Banihal progresses steadily.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Amarnath Board to study yatra impact on Kashmir economy". Online edition of The Hindu. Chennai, India. 13 September 2007. Archived from the original on 9 November 2012. Retrieved 6 June 2009.
  2. ^ "Foreign tourists flock Kashmir". Online edition of The Hindu. Chennai, India. 18 March 2009. Archived from the original on 9 November 2012. Retrieved 18 March 2009.
  3. ^ Cris Prystay (26 October 2007). "Fairway to Heaven". The Wall Street Journal.
  4. ^ "Tourists arrival gives boost to J-K economy". Sify. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011.
  5. ^ "Kashmir ski paradise beckons". CNN. Archived from the original on 7 March 2012.
  6. ^ "Gulmarg rated Asia's seventh best ski resort". Daily Bhaskar.
  7. ^ Mitra, Swati (2013). Jammu & Kashmir: Travel Guide. Eicher Goodearth Limited. pp. 30–36. ISBN 978-93-80262-45-1.
  8. ^ Chaturvedi, B.K. (2002). Tourist Centers Of India. Diamond Pocket Books (P) Ltd. p. 82. ISBN 978-81-7182-137-2.
  9. ^ Lovell-Hoare, Sophie; Lovell-Hoare, Max (1 July 2014). Kashmir: Jammu. Kashmir Valley. Ladakh. Zanskar. Bradt Travel Guides. pp. 208–11. ISBN 978-1-84162-396-2.
  10. ^ "Gulmarg". Official Website of Jammu and Kashmir Tourism. Archived from the original on 6 February 2015. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
  11. ^ Betts, Vanessa; McCulloch, Victoria (2014). Footprint Delhi & Northwest India. Footprint Travel Guides. p. 158. ISBN 9781910120866.
  12. ^ "Vale of Kashmir | valley, India". Encyclopædia Britannica. Archived from the original on 16 July 2015. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
  13. ^ "Jammu and Kashmir | union territory, India". Encyclopædia Britannica. Archived from the original on 19 June 2015. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
  14. ^ "Jammu and Kashmir summary". Encyclopædia Britannica. Archived from the original on 4 November 2021. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
  15. ^ "Kashmir | Region, Indian subcontinent". Encyclopædia Britannica. Archived from the original on 17 June 2015. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
  16. ^ "Kashmir summary". Encyclopædia Britannica. Archived from the original on 21 November 2021. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
  17. ^ "Pahalgam: Valley of paradise". Bangalore Mirror. 24 June 2010. Archived from the original on 1 May 2013.
  18. ^ a b Bashir, Subzar; Goswami, Subhrangsu (1 January 2016). "Tourism Induced Challenges in Municipal Solid Waste Management in Hill Towns: Case of Pahalgam". Procedia Environmental Sciences. Waste Management for Resource Utilisation. 35: 77–89. Bibcode:2016PrEnS..35...77B. doi:10.1016/j.proenv.2016.07.048. ISSN 1878-0296.
  19. ^ Petr, T., ed. (1999). Fish and fisheries at higher altitudes : Asia. Rome: FAO. p. 72. ISBN 92-5-104309-4.
  20. ^ "International Rafting Championship at Sonmarg". groundreport.com. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
  21. ^ "The Sydney Morning Herald – Google News Archive Search". google.com. Archived from the original on 17 November 2015. Retrieved 15 November 2015.
  22. ^ Holloway, James (13 June 1965). "Fabled Kashmir: An Emerald Set Among Pearls". Pqasb.pqarchiver.com. Archived from the original on 25 October 2012. Retrieved 26 July 2010.
  23. ^ The Earthtimes (24 September 2007). "Can Kashmir become 'Venice of the East' again? | Earth Times News". Earthtimes.org. Archived from the original on 14 September 2012. Retrieved 26 July 2010.
  24. ^ "Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Botanical Garden". discoveredindia.com. Archived from the original on 31 December 2014. Retrieved 21 July 2014.
  25. ^ "Places of Interest". Government of Jammu & Kashmir. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
  26. ^ Saxton, Aditi (25 August 2011). "One hundred years of splendour". India Today. Archived from the original on 24 November 2011. Retrieved 24 November 2011.
  27. ^ "Shankaracharya Temple". jktdc.in. Archived from the original on 31 December 2014.
  28. ^ "List of Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Jammu & Kashmir – Archaeological Survey of India". asi.nic.in. Archived from the original on 7 May 2012. Retrieved 3 February 2017.
  29. ^ Spelt گُریز in Kashmiri and گورأى in Shina
  30. ^ Schmidt, Ruth Laila; Kaul, Vijay Kumar (2008). "A comparative analysis of Shina and Kashmiri vocabularies". Acta Orientalia. 69: 231–303. doi:10.5617/ao.7372. In this orthography áa represent a long a with a high falling pitch.
  31. ^ Benanav, Michael (17 September 2018). "A Journey to Kashmir's Gurez Valley". The New York Times.
  32. ^ "Gurez an introduction". 4 January 2008. Archived from the original on 10 July 2009.
  33. ^ Kumar, Sonali; Kumar, Prasenjeet (27 May 2017). The Outsider's Curse: A Memoir of the First "Outsider" Lady IAS Officer.
  34. ^ "Doodhpatri: A new travel destination in Kashmir". ThePrint. 16 September 2022.
  35. ^ ":: District Budgam (Official website)". budgam.nic.in. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
  36. ^ "Directorate of Tourism Jammu, J&K".
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Jammu and Kashmir.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tourism in Jammu and Kashmir (union territory).

[[Category:Tourism History of Jammu and Kashmir]} [1]

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