Sonamarg
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Sonamarg () or Sonmarg (), known as Sonamarag (; ) in
Kashmiri Kashmiri may refer to: * People or things related to the Kashmir Valley or the broader region of Kashmir * Kashmiris, an ethnic group native to the Kashmir Valley * Kashmiri language, their language People with the name * Kashmiri Saikia Baruah ...
, is a
hill station A hill station is a town located at a higher elevation than the nearby plain or valley. The term was used mostly in colonial Asia (particularly in India), but also in Africa (albeit rarely), for towns founded by European colonialists as refuges ...
located in the
Ganderbal District The Ganderbal district, or more formally District Ganderdal, is a district in the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, India. Ganderbal town is administrative headquarters of district. It was formed in 2007 and has 6 subdistricts (tehsils): ...
of
Jammu and Kashmir Jammu and Kashmir may refer to: * Kashmir, the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent * Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), a region administered by India as a union territory * Jammu and Kashmir (state), a region administered ...
,
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
. It is located about 62 Kilometers from
Ganderbal Ganderbal is a town and a municipality committee in Ganderbal district in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. It is the headquarters of Ganderbal district.It is in Central Kashmir, it has an average elevation of 1,619 metres (5, ...
Town and northeast of the capital city,
Srinagar Srinagar (English: , ) is the largest city and the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It lies in the Kashmir Valley on the banks of the Jhelum River, a tributary of the Indus, and Dal and Anchar lakes. The city is known for its natu ...
.


History

Sonamarg had historical significance as a gateway on the ancient
Silk Road The Silk Road () was a network of Eurasian trade routes active from the second century BCE until the mid-15th century. Spanning over 6,400 kilometers (4,000 miles), it played a central role in facilitating economic, cultural, political, and reli ...
, connecting
Jammu and Kashmir Jammu and Kashmir may refer to: * Kashmir, the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent * Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), a region administered by India as a union territory * Jammu and Kashmir (state), a region administered ...
with
Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ) is a region in East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are some other ethnic groups such as Monpa people, ...
. Today, the
hill station A hill station is a town located at a higher elevation than the nearby plain or valley. The term was used mostly in colonial Asia (particularly in India), but also in Africa (albeit rarely), for towns founded by European colonialists as refuges ...
is a popular tourist destination amongst fishers and hikers, and following the
Kargil War The Kargil War, also known as the Kargil conflict, was fought between India and Pakistan from May to July 1999 in the Kargil district of Jammu and Kashmir and elsewhere along the Line of Control (LoC). In India, the conflict is also referr ...
with neighbouring
Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
in 1999, serves as a strategically important point for the
Indian Army The Indian Army is the land-based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head is the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), who is a four- ...
.


Geography

The hill station is situated in the
Kashmir Valley The Kashmir Valley, also known as the ''Vale of Kashmir'', is an intermontane valley concentrated in the Kashmir Division of the Indian- union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. The valley is bounded on the southwest by the Pir Panjal Range and ...
, at an altitude of and is close to some of the valley's tallest peaks, alongside the
Machoi Glacier The Machoi Glacier is a 9 kilometer long glacier in the Himalayan Range in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, India. Geography It is situated 30 kilometer west from Drass, Ladakh, India and 8 kilometers east from Sonamarg on the southern side o ...
,
Sirbal Peak Sirbal Peak is a mountain with a peak elevation of , in the Ganderbal district of the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, in the vicinity of Sonamarg. Sirbal Peak is part of the Himalaya Range, and is located between Sonamarg and Balt ...
,
Kolahoi Peak Kolahoi Peak (locally called 'Gashe-braer' meaning the goddess of light) is a mountain with a peak elevation of located in Anantnag district, Jammu and Kashmir, India. The mountain is the highest mountain in Kashmir Division. Kolahoi Peak is ...
,
Amarnath Peak Amarnath Peak is a mountain with a peak elevation of , in the Ganderbal district of the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, in the vicinity of Sonamarg. Amarnath Peak is part of the Himalayas, and is located south of Zojila and west of ...
and
Machoi Peak Mechoi Peak is a mountain with a peak elevation of , in Drass region of Ladakh,India. Mechoi Peak is part of the Himalaya Range, and is located between Amarnath cave and Zojila. It lies 105 km north east from Srinagar, 25 km from So ...
. Combined with the
alpine meadows Alpine tundra is a type of natural region or biome that does not contain trees because it is at high elevation, with an associated harsh climate. As the latitude of a location approaches the poles, the threshold elevation for alpine tundra gets ...
that bloom in the summer as well as rivers and lakes stocked with fish, Sonamarg is a notable tourist destination in
Jammu and Kashmir Jammu and Kashmir may refer to: * Kashmir, the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent * Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), a region administered by India as a union territory * Jammu and Kashmir (state), a region administered ...
. Sonamarg gives rise to the 'Three Sisters'—a group of rivers (the Lidder,
Sind Sindh (; ; ur, , ; historically romanized as Sind) is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the southeastern region of the country, Sindh is the third-largest province of Pakistan by land area and the second-largest province ...
and Neelum) that run parallel to each other and serve as
tributaries A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drainage b ...
for the major
Jhelum River The Jhelum River (/dʒʰeːləm/) is a river in the northern Indian subcontinent. It originates at Verinag and flows through the Indian administered territory of Jammu and Kashmir, to the Pakistani-administered territory of Kashmir, and then ...
that runs through the Kashmir Valley and into
Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
.


Climate

Given its high altitude and mountainous terrain, Sonamarg experiences the regionally-rare
humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freezing ...
(
Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...
: ''Dfb'') with significant rainfall. The average temperature in Sonamarg is , and nearly of precipitation falls annually (not counting the heavy snowfall that falls occasionally in winter).


Demographics

Sonamarg has no permanent settlement and is inaccessible during winter due to heavy snowfall and avalanches. Per the
2011 Census of India The 2011 Census of India or the 15th Indian Census was conducted in two phases, house listing and population enumeration. The House listing phase began on 1 April 2010 and involved the collection of information about all buildings. Information ...
, Sonamarg had a seasonal population of 392 (51% male, 49% female), excluding tourists and those working in the tourism industry.


Tourism

Sonamarg provides trekking routes leading to
Vishansar Lake The Vishansar Lake is an alpine high-elevation oligotrophic lake, situated near Sonamarg in the Ganderbal district of Jammu and Kashmir, India, at an elevation of . It has a maximum length of 1 km, and maximum width of 0.6 km. Etymol ...
,
Krishansar Lake The Krishansar Lake is an alpine high elevation oligotrophic lake situated near Sonamarg, in the Ganderbal district of Jammu and Kashmir in India at an elevation of . It is located less than one kilometer northwest of Vishansar Lake, and has a ...
,
Gangabal Lake The Gangabal Lake, also called Haramukh Ganga, is a lake situated at the foot of Mount Haramukh in Ganderbal district, north of Srinagar, in Indian-administered Kashmir. It is an alpine high altitude oligotrophic lake, home to many species of f ...
and
Gadsar Lake The Gadsar Lake, also called ''the valley of flowers'', is a picturesque, alpine high altitude oligotrophic lake is close to Sonamarg & Ganderbal town in Ganderbal district of Kashmir valley in Jammu and Kashmir, India at an elevation of . It ...
in the Himalayas, which are stocked with snowtrout and
brown trout The brown trout (''Salmo trutta'') is a European species of salmonid fish that has been widely introduced into suitable environments globally. It includes purely freshwater populations, referred to as the riverine ecotype, ''Salmo trutta'' morph ...
. The
Sind River The Sind River or the Sindh River is a river in the Ganderbal district of the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It is a major tributary of the Jhelum River and is 108 kilometres long. Geography The Sind River forms the Sind V ...
meanders here and abounds with trout and mahseer. Ponies can be hired for the trip up to Thajiwas glacier, a major attraction during the summer months. The
Yatra ( sa, यात्रा, 'journey', 'procession'), in Indian-origin religions, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism, generally means a pilgrimage to holy places such as confluences of sacred rivers, sacred mountains, places associated w ...
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 Leh () ( lbj, ) is the joint capital and largest city of Ladakh, a union territory of India. Leh, located in the Leh district, was also the historical capital of the Kingdom of Ladakh, the seat of which was in the Leh Palace, the former res ...
—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.


Access

Sonamarg is accessible by bus or car from
Srinagar Srinagar (English: , ) is the largest city and the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It lies in the Kashmir Valley on the banks of the Jhelum River, a tributary of the Indus, and Dal and Anchar lakes. The city is known for its natu ...
, the capital of
Jammu and Kashmir Jammu and Kashmir may refer to: * Kashmir, the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent * Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), a region administered by India as a union territory * Jammu and Kashmir (state), a region administered ...
, via
National Highway 1 The following highways are numbered 1. For roads numbered A1, see list of A1 roads. For roads numbered B1, see list of B1 roads. For roads numbered M1, see List of M1 roads. For roads numbered N1, see list of N1 roads. For roads numbere ...
(NH 1) and the Zoji La pass. During the winter, heavy snowfall and avalanches block the NH 1, meaning local traffic is only permitted up to Gagangear village, which is the last permanent settlement of this area. The
Z-Morh Tunnel The Z-Morh Tunnel is an under-construction 6.5 km long 2-lane road tunnel between Gagangair and Sonamarg in Ganderbal district of Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir in India. It is named after the Z-shaped stretch of road that the tunn ...
is being built to keep the road open year-round, and is due for completion in June 2021.


Gallery

File:Sirbal Sonamarg.jpg, Sirbal Sonamarg File:Sonamarg 7.jpg, A view of the Himalayas from Sonmarg valley File:Sonmarg Valley.JPG, A view of the mountains from Sonmarg valley File:Sonamarg Thajiwas glacier.jpg, Sonmarg Thajiwas glacier in May 2013 File:Thajiwas glacier parking.JPG, Parking at stage 1 of Thajiwas Glacier, 3 km from Sonmarg


See also

*
Dal lake Dal is a lake in Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir. It is an urban lake, the second largest lake in Jammu and Kashmir, and the most visited place in Srinagar by tourists and locals. It is integral to tourism and recreation in ...
*
Pahalgam Pahalgam (), known as Pahalgom (; in Kashmiri) 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. It is a popular tourist destination and hil ...
*
Aharbal Aharbal is a hill station in the south-western part of Kashmir Valley in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, south of the summer capital of Srinagar (Sub district: Damhal Hanjipora, District: Kulgam). Aharbal Waterfall is also kno ...
*
Gangabal The Gangabal Lake, also called Haramukh Ganga, is a lake situated at the foot of Mount Haramukh in Ganderbal district, north of Srinagar, in Indian-administered Kashmir. It is an alpine high altitude oligotrophic lake, home to many species of f ...
*
Kokernag Kokernag is a sub-district town and a notified area committee in Breng Valley (The Golden Crown of Kashmir), Anantnag district in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. The place is known for the botanical gardens, pristine freshw ...
*
Dachigam National Park Dachigam National Park is a national park located, from Srinagar city in Srinagar district of Jammu and Kashmir, India on the east side of Dal Lake. It covers an area of 161, 62.16(updated recently) by hgtian student SIJ. The name of the park ...
*
Verinag Verinag ( is a town named after and famous for the Verinag spring and Mughal garden, near Anantnag, Anantnag city in Anantnag district of the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), Jammu and Kashmir, India. It is a notified area ...
*
Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip Garden Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip garden, previously Model Floriculture Center, is a tulip garden in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), Jammu and Kashmir, India. It is the largest tulip garden in Asia spread over an area of about . It is ...
*
Kausar Nag Kausar Nag or Kausarnag (sometimes alternatively spelled as Konsarnag), is a high-altitude oligotrophic lake located at an elevation of above sea level. Kausar Nag is located in the Pir Panjal mountain range in Kulgam district of Jammu and ...
*
Zabarwan Range The Zabarwan Range is a short (20 mi (32 km) long) sub-mountain range between Pir Panjal and Great Himalayan Range in the central part of the Kashmir Valley in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir in India. Geography The Zabarw ...
*
Sheikh ul-Alam International Airport Sheikh ul-Alam International Airport also known as Srinagar Airport and Budgam Airbase, is an international airport serving Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It is owned by the Indian Air Force, and the Airports Autho ...
* Meenamarg *
Mughal Road Mughal Road is the road between Bufliaz, a town in the Poonch district, to the Shopian district, in the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, India. The 84-kilometre roadhttp://www.greaterkashmir.com/full_story.asp?Date=6_12_2008&ItemID=35& ...
*
Kolahoi Peak Kolahoi Peak (locally called 'Gashe-braer' meaning the goddess of light) is a mountain with a peak elevation of located in Anantnag district, Jammu and Kashmir, India. The mountain is the highest mountain in Kashmir Division. Kolahoi Peak is ...
*
Martand Sun Temple The Martand Sun Temple is a Hindu temple located near the city of Anantnag in the Kashmir Valley of Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), India. It dates back to the eighth century AD and was dedicated to Surya, the chief solar deity in Hinduism ...
* Amarnath Cave *
Kashmir Railway Kashmir () is the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term "Kashmir" denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal Range. Today, the term encompass ...
*
Kheer Bhawani Kheer Bhawani, Ksheer Bhawani or the Ragnya Devi temple is a Hindu temple situated at a distance of north-east of Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India, in the village of Tulmul in Ganderbal. It is dedicated to the Hindu goddess Kheer Bhavani co ...


References


External links

*

Cities and towns in Ganderbal district Hill stations in Jammu and Kashmir Tourist attractions in Ganderbal district