Kashmir Valley

Icy River In Kashmir Valley, India

The Kashmir Valley  or Vale of Kashmir is a valley located between the Karakoram and the Pir Panjal Range in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. No part of the valley lies in the area currently administered by Pakistan. It is around 135 km long and 32 km wide, formed by the Jhelum River. Kashmir Valley is one of the three administrative divisions in Jammu and Kashmir state and consists of Anantnag, Baramulla, Budgam, Bandipore, Ganderbal, Kupwara, Kulgam, Pulwama, Shopian and Srinagar districts.
Mughal emperor Jahangir called it "Paradise on Earth."

Kashmir valley is a popular tourist destination for domestic (Indian) and foreign tourists. Among the popular tourist places in the valley are Gulmarg that has a ski resort, Dal Lake that has popular house boats, Pahalgam and Amarnath Temple.
Before insurgency intensified in 1989, tourism formed an important part of the Kashmiri economy. The tourism economy in the Kashmir valley was worst hit. Thousands of Hindu pilgrims visit holy shrine of Amarnath every year and this significantly benefits the state's economy. But this yatra has put Kashmir on the verge of ecological disaster .
Tourism in the Kashmir valley has rebounded in recent years and in 2009, the state became one of the top tourist destinations of  Gulmarg, one of the most popular ski resort destinations in India, is also home to the world's highest green golf course.However with the decrease in violence in the state has boosted the states economy specifically tourism. It was reported that 736,000 tourists including 23,000 foreigners visited Kashmir in 2010.