Main
Attraction
Dal Lake, Nagin Lake, Mughal Gardens, The Islands, The Bund,
Sri Pratap Singh Museum, Nasim Bagh, Pari Mahal, Hari Parbat
Fort, Burzahom.
Best Time
In Summer - June To Early November
In Winter - December To February.
About Srinagar
The capital of Jammu and Kashmir and the largest city in the
state, Srinagar (1,730m) is famous for its canals,
houseboats and Mughal gardens. The city itself is quite
unlike most other large Indian cities for here you are much
more in Central Asia than on the sub continent. It's a city
full of intriguing alleyways and curious buildings. A place
where it's very easy to spend a few hours simply wandering -
particularly along the old city streets near the Jhelum
river.
About Houseboats
If one is longing for the delights of a houseboat holiday,
then check out lakes of Srinagar to try one. Srinagar is a
unique city because of its lakes - the Dal, Nagin and Anchar.
The River Jhelum also flows through a part of the city.
Most houseboats on the Nagin and the Jhelum are situated on
the banks of the lake, and can be accessed directly from
land without the help of a Shikara. While all those on the
Dal require a Shikara to get to and from them. Most
houseboats on the Dal are situated in long straggling rows;
some face the boulevard, Srinagar's exciting address, while
others are situated singly or in groups of two and three.
Shikaras
The best-known Kashmiri transport is, of course, the Shikara.
These are the graceful, long boats, which crowd the Srinagar
lakes. They're used for getting back and forth from the
houseboats or for longer tours. Officially there is a
standard fare for every trip around the lake and these are
prominently posted at the main landings.
Prime Attractions of Srinagar
Dal Lake
Dal Lake is, initially, one of the most confusing parts of
Srinagar for it's not really one lake at all, but three.
Further more much of it is hardly what one would expect a
lake to be like - it's a maze of intricate waterways and
channels, floating islands of vegetation, houseboats that
look so firmly moored they could almost be islands and
hotels on islands which look like they could simply float
away.
Nagin Lake
Known as the 'Jewel In The Ring', Nagin is generally held to
be the most beautiful of the Dal lakes. Its name comes from
the many trees, which encircle the small, deep blue lake.
Nagin is only separated from the Larer Dal lakes by a narrow
causeway and it also has a number of houseboats moored
around its perimeter.
Hari Parbat Fort
The 18th century fort tops the Sharika Hill, which is
clearly visible, rising to the west of Dal Lake. The fort
was constructed by Atta Mohammed Khan from 1776 but the
surrounding wall is much older, it was built between 1592
and 1598 during the rule of Akbar.
Hazratbal
Mosque
The most important Muslim shrine of Kashmir, that commands
the reverence of the people beyond measure, is undoubtedly
the Hazratbal Shrine, which is situated on the left bank of
the famous Dal Lake in Srinagar. This unmatched reverence is
anchored in the love and respect for the Prophet.
Mughal Gardens
Set some distance back from the lake, but reached by a small
canal, the Shalimar were built by Emperor Jehangir for his
wife Nur Jahan, 'light of the world' in 1616. The Nishat
Bagh is another lovely garden with its 12 terraces
representing the 12 signs of the zodiac, which descend
gradually and seem to almost merge into the lake. Smallest
of the Srinagar Mughal gardens, measuring just 108 metres by
38 metres, the Chasma Shahi, or 'Royal Spring', are well up
the hillside, above the Nehru Memorial Park.
Shankaracharya Hill
Rising up behind the boulevard, beside Dal Lake, the hill
was once known as Takht-i-Sulaiman, the throne of Solomon.
The philosopher Shankaracharya stayed at this place when he
visited Kashmir ten centuries ago to revive "Sanatan
Dharma".
Pari Mahal
The old Sufi college of Pari Mahal, the 'palace of the
fairies', is only a short distance above the Chasma Shahi
gardens. One can easily walk from the gardens up to the Pari
Mahal then follow a footpath directly down the hill to the
road that runs by the Oberoi Palace Hotel. The Pari Mahal
consists of a series of arched terraces. Recently it has
been turned into a very pleasant and well-kept garden with
fine views over Dal Lake. It's attractively sited on a spur
of the Zabarwan Mountains. The gardens are beautifully kept
even today and a Son Et Lumiere show is put on here every
evening during the May to October tourist season.
How To Get There - Srinagar
By Air
Various airlines fly to Srinagar from New Delhi, Chandigarh,
Amritsar, Jammu and there are flights operating from
Srinagar to Leh and back. Flights are more frequent during
the summer Tourist Season; at that time there will probably
be several flights a day between Delhi and Srinagar. Some
services are direct, while others operate via Chandigarh,
Amritsar or Jammu. Flight time duration from Delhi on the
direct flights is about an hour and ten minutes.
By Road
Srinagar is connected by an all weather road to Jammu, which
in turn is connected to many parts of North India. One can
catch buses from Delhi but people making the trip by road
should take up the route via Chandigarh, Amritsar or from
the Himachal Pradesh hill stations. |
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