Pahalgam

Pahalgam, today one of Kashmir’s most famous resorts, began as a small shepherds’ village at the meeting of the Lidder River and its mountain streams. The very name is often linked to “Pahalwan/Pahlu + gam (village)” or to “village of shepherds,” reflecting its long association with Gujjar and Bakarwal pastoral communities who brought their flocks here each summer to graze in the high meadows. For centuries, the valley was a quiet pastoral landscape of wooden houses, terraced fields and forest trails, with only small local bazaars and shrines.

Pahalgam’s wider valley lay on old routes towards high passes and glaciers, but it remained relatively remote until the late 19th–early 20th century, when improved roads and colonial-era interest in Kashmir’s “hill scenery” slowly brought officials, hunters and early travellers into the area. After Independence, as road connectivity from Anantnag and Srinagar improved, Pahalgam started transforming into a tourist hill station, known for pine forests, riverside walks, pony rides and nearby spots such as Aru, Betaab Valley and Chandanwari.

Its importance is also religious: Pahalgam is one of the traditional bases for the Amarnath Yatra, with pilgrims moving from here towards Chandanwari, Sheshnag and the sacred cave. Thus, Pahalgam’s modern identity combines pastoral roots, pilgrimage traffic and leisure tourism in one mountain valley.