Syed Wasim Shah, creator of the igloo, claimed it was the world’s largest cafe of its kind and can seat 40 guests
An igloo café, which came up at the famous ski-resort of Gulmarg in Jammu and Kashmir for the first time last year has grown bigger this year. Café has become a centre of attraction for tourists coming to this snow paradise. Café serves hot food and drink on tables made of ice and snow.
With a height of 37.5 feet and a diameter of 44.5 feet, Syed Wasim Shah, creator of the igloo, claimed it was the world’s largest cafe of its kind. Last year this igloo was 26 feet around and 15 feet high.
Shah’s igloo café is the only of its kind in India and is inspired by similar attractions in the Northern parts of Europe such as Sweden, Norway, Finland, Austria and Switzerland. Domestic tourists seem to have more fascinated with this café as it is something unique for them.
“I saw this concept in Switzerland 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 the igloo café which he created last year was Asia’s biggest. “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. Shah is the owner of Kolahoi hotel chain.
The World's Largest Igloo Cafe Opens In Gulmarg, Kashmir, With Snow Chairs And Ice Tables pic.twitter.com/Zk4rPjvcmB
— Basit Zargar (باسط) (@basiitzargar) February 5, 2022
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.
Staff at Kolahoi Green Heights hotel took inspiration from Arctic shelters and added a few local touches – an arched door and patterns on the curved walls last year too.
Guests can sip a cup of kahwa seated on snow benches inside the café, as the meal is served. Each bench is covered in animal hide to keep it warm.
This year, 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.
Since last year’s igloo was smaller, it took them 15 days to create it and it survived till February last. Last year was a learning experience and Shah and his team hope to refine their creation every year.
After the uneasy calm in the valley since last three years and then the COVID pandemic has badly affected the local tourism industry. Therefore, attractions like this café have become a centre of attraction for local people as well as tourists thronging the resort.
With hope of tourism becoming normal gradually, igloo café can attract a few foreign tourists as well from next year.