Budgam – Erakina

Budgam–A History 

• According to journalist Khawaja Azam Demari, the area was known as Deedmarbag and was densely populated.
• The population is said to be so overcrowded that when a goat climbs on the roof of a house, south of the settlement, it descends to the north and closes a distance above the surrounding villages.
• Many people believe in Budgam(the Big City) because of its dense population.
• The famous warrior, Mehmood Ghaznavi, made two clever attempts to invade Kashmir in the 11th century through Poonch Gali, on the border of present-day Budgam district in the Khag region.
• In 1814 A.D, the Sikh Emperor, Ranjit Singh, also made his first attempt from here to capture Kashmir.
• The famous Chinese explorer, Hien Tsiang, while visiting the Poonch, also took the route.
• One of the tallest people in Kashmir, Sheikh Noor-ud-din, better known as Alamdar-e-Kashmir, traveled extensively in the present province of Budgam and meditated on a few places here.
• The prominent Agag family of Kashmir belongs to the Budgam family. According to the account, the famous Hakeem Syed Hyder came here to settle about 150 years ago.
• The family has produced a great religious man in the Aga Syed Yusuf Al-Mousavi, who died in 1982. The main market in the city of Budgam is named after him.
• The region of Budgam has produced many poets and writers of the Kashmir language.

Budgam Tourism Authority

The vision of the Forum is to provide for the economic development of the region.

They aim to bring new guest locations to the tourist map and provide recruiting for participants.

The idea is to create opportunities to make money and train local youth who are trained in the hotel business, guides, and pony wallas. So, this authority is considering creating a better environment for visitors. This means that the Authority is responsible for building an environmentally friendly infrastructure, etc.

Objectives of Budgam Tourism

• The aim is to establish tourism as a strategy to reduce poverty.
• The official intends to develop Budgam as a pioneer in nature tourism.
• Conservation and cultural consolidation to boost the tourism industry in the region is a major focus of tourism in Budgam.
• Budgam Tourism aims to build infrastructure that will serve tourists such as public places, Shelter Shed, Bedroom Budget, Basic Health Centers, signs, and other roadside amenities.
• It aims to attract tourists to new tourist destinations to reduce the rush to Gulmarg, Pahalgam, and other popular gardens in Srinagar.

The mission of Budgam Tourism

• The goal of tourism in Budgam is to focus on infrastructure that emphasizes accessibility.
• There is a goal to establish public relations between Tourism, Forest, Social Forestry, and Wildlife to promote regional tourism.
• Budgam’s visit will therefore introduce ‘projects and schemes’ that require significant investment through a transparent public-private partnership program.
• It aims to achieve this without adversely affecting the natural resources and culture of existing communities.
• It emphasizes projects and programs that will not only inspire natural tourism but also ensure that tourism development is translated into measurable benefits for local communities.

Jewels Of Budgam