World’s Largest Igloo Cafe Opens in J&K’s Gulmarg, Mesmerises Tourists With Its Dreamy Pics

The construction of this year's Igloo was done by a team of around 20 members, headed by Syed Waseem Shah and the Kolahoi group team working in shifts.

An igloo cafe opened in Jammu and Kashmir’s Gulmarg has become a new tourist attraction in the union territory.  The cafe named ‘Snowglu’ has been set up at the famous ski resort of Gulmarg in Jammu and Kashmir and is 37.5 feet tall and 44.5 feet in diameter.

Syed Wasim Shah, the creator of the igloo, claimed it was the world’s largest cafe of its kind. “I saw this concept in Switzerland a few years back where they have such hotels, which are equipped with sleeping facilities as well. I thought Gulmarg sees a lot of snow and why not start this concept here,” Shah said.

He said he had created an igloo cafe last year as well and claimed it was Asia’s biggest.

Snowglu opens in Gumarg (Picture credit: ANI)

Snowglu opens in Gumarg (Picture credit: ANI)

“This year, I made the world’s highest and its height is 37.5 feet and its diameter is 44.5 feet,” Shah, a hotelier, said.

He said the biggest igloo cafe, according to the Guinness Book of World Records, is in Switzerland, and its height is 33.8 feet and diameter 42.4 feet.

“So, this is larger than that,” Shah added.

He said last year’s cafe had four tables, and 16 people could eat at a time, but this year, they have placed 10 tables.

“We have created it in two steps with a staircase. Forty people can eat at a time,” he said.

It took 64 days to complete it with 25 people working day and night, Shah said, adding that it took 1,700 man-days to complete the project.

“It has a thickness of five feet. We hope it stands till March 15, after which we will close it for public,” he said.

The cafe has become a centre of attraction for local people as well as tourists thronging the resort.

Dozens of people booked tables for Friday’s opening and the cafe is likely to remain functional till the end of February.

A guest can spend about one hour inside the Igloo or till he/she feels cold. To give it a traditional touch, Kashmiri art works with hand engraved copper samovar have been placed inside.

The management claims that this is the biggest igloo cafe in the world and they have applied for the Guinness World Record.

An igloo is a snow house or a snow hut built of snow. Air pockets trapped inside the snow act as insulators to prevent the igloo from becoming intolerably cold.

(Agency inputs included)