Gulmarg: Echoes of a Longing Valley
V.K. Sanju
Meadows I cover with flowers for you,
Come, let me gather fresh jasmine for you,
Lilacs have bloomed by the river for you,
Still no answer from you, and my green garlands wither away...
— Habba Khatoon (Kashmiri Poetess)
She who gazed at the sky from the mountain slopes alongside her lover who cherished flowers; she who named those slopes Gulmarg; and she who later wandered there singing of him when the world lay fast asleep in deep slumber.... If you lend an ear to the cold breeze of Gulmarg, you might still hear the sorrow-laden songs of Habba Khatoon.
In the late sixteenth century, Habba's beloved was the Sultan of Kashmir- Yusuf Shah Chak. When the throne of the Kashmiri Sultanate crumbled before the onslaught of the Mughal invasion, Yusuf Shah was imprisoned within the dungeon of Emperor Akbar. Yet, the Mughal sovereign did not dare to correct the Queen of Kashmir who had lovingly renamed the Meadow of Gauri as the Meadow of Flowers (Gul means flower and Marg means meadow). The name Gulmarg was etched onto the crown of Kashmir forever; and alongside it, Habba became immortal as the Nightingale of Kashmir.
Habba Khatoon did not merely give a random name to that valley; Gulmarg is, in the truest sense, a valley of flowers. However, the mountain slopes that beckoned travelers during spring and summer would cloak themselves in layers of snow so harsh that winters grew forbiddingly difficult. Once upon a time, the enchanting beauty of snow-clad Gulmarg was accessible only to the most daring adventurers. Yet today, those snowy peaks—which once demanded a grueling four- or five-day trek—can be reached in a mere 25 minutes by cable car. The Gulmarg Gondola is the second-longest cable car in the world, spanning nearly five kilometers across two stages. It is a journey rising to an altitude of roughly 14,000 feet. Below lie velvet-green meadows and pine forests that challenge the clear blue sky.
The first stage, spanning four kilometers, takes just ten minutes. From there, the second stage to the Apharwat Peak is a single kilometer, yet the journey takes fifteen minutes. Even in the height of summer, halfway through this stretch, swirling mountain mists envelop the gondola so thickly that the surroundings vanish from sight. The crest of Apharwat Peak towers above the gathering clouds. From up there, on a clear day, one can catch sight of Nanga Parbat and Harmukh. To the southwest lie the Pir Panjal ranges, bordering the Kashmir valley. Yet, the very peak named after Habba Khatoon alone remains hidden from view.
This journey took place at the dawn of autumn, just as spring and the monsoons had faded. The trees were only just beginning to shed their leaves. Greenery stretched everywhere, and save for distant glaciers, there was no sign of snow. Yet, as the gondola glided past the veil of mist toward Apharwat, it felt like a pilgrimage into the heart of winter. Up on the mountain, the breeze was biting. Large red flowers blossomed wildly upon unfamiliar, tiny plants. Far away, the upper ridges of the peaks lay barren. An ethereal beauty hung all around like the spirit of the Himalayas.
It felt as though your footsteps could no longer find a firm hold on the ground. As if the entire body had grown weightless. At an altitude of nearly 4,000 meters above sea level, atmospheric pressure drops sharply, reducing bodily equilibrium. Yet, it feels as though flowers have blossomed throughout your soul....
This ropeway was originally envisioned to offer tourists an unforgettable visual spectacle. However, Gulmarg's ascent to the status of a world-class center for adventure and winter sports was built squarely upon the steel pylons of this very cable car. The technical backing provided by the French ropeway engineering firm Poma (Pomagalski) gave the government the strength to turn the Gondola project into a reality.
Back in the 1980s, when engineers first arrived to survey the site for the project, they were greeted by sub-zero temperatures and treacherous, unforgiving terrain. Those were days when the very feasibility of the project was cast into doubt. It was an era when the political instability and uncertainty remained a hallmark of Kashmir. Even experts worried over how heavy construction materials could possibly be hoisted up those rugged mountain trails.
Yet, weathering years of waiting and harsh weather, the first phase of the gondola was completed in 1998. When the far more challenging second phase was also realized in 2005, Gulmarg was unveiled to the world as Asia's highest ski hub. Thus, Gulmarg-once exclusively a summer destination-transformed into a premier center for winter tourism and winter sports.
The journey through the sky, drifting over dense forests and meadows, reveals the remote huts of shepherds down below—rare, indigenous dwellings whose rooftops are layered with soil where wild plants thrive and creep. Their narrow footpaths, trodden as they still drive their flocks across the hills, remain visible below like the enduring pathways of history. After all, a journey through the sky can never quite erase the footprints of time.
On the way back down, the power seemed to fail. The gondola shuddered to a halt. A sudden jolt, followed by a gentle, pendulum-like sway. Glancing forward and back, other gondolas hung suspended and rocking in the air, so there was no need to panic! The hands of my fellow traveler, gripping tightly onto my knee, were trembling slightly. As the swaying subsided, the gondola resumed its steady motion. Just below lies the station nestled between the two stages. There are no proper platforms to halt for boarding or alighting-you simply leap in or leap out, that is the only way. Stepping down there to warm up with a cup of traditional Kashmiri Kahwa, putting out the inner hearth of fear, we continued our descent. Somewhere down below, a thrill-seeker terrified of heights was waiting without having dared to board the gondola; I needed to head down and share the tale with him at last....