The capital of Jammu and Kashmir and the largest city in
the state, Sri nagar
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. The city has long been a center of art and
leaning. 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
Geography of Srinagar
The weather of Srinagar may be generally described as
alpine. The city has mild summers during the months of
April-June, and cold winters of November-February. The
city generally gets heavy snowfall from December to
February.
The city is located on both the sides of the river
Jhelum, which is called Vyath in Kashmir. The river
passes through the city and meandering through the
valley, moves onward and deepens in the Wular Lake The
city is famous for its nine old bridges, connecting the
two parts of the city.
Tourist Attractions of Srinagar
Mughal Gardens
Another distantive feature of Kashmir is
its
mugal gardend.These are the historic gardens made by the
mughals for their luxsury and confort.
Shalimar Garden
Built by emperor jehangir for his wife nure jehan,
Shalimar, is a beautiful garden with sweeping vistas
over lawns & lakes, and shallows terraces. The garden is
539mx182m and has four terraces.rising one above the
other. A canal lined with polished stones & supplied
with water from Harwan runs through the middle of the
garden. The fourth terrace, by far the best, was once
reserved for royal ladies.
Nishat bagh
Situated on the banks of the Dal lake, with the Zabarwan
mountains as its backdrop, this ‘ garden of bliss’
commands a magnificent view of the lake and snow capped
pir panjal mountain range which stands for away to the
to the west of the valley. Nishat was designed in 1633
AD by Asaf Khan, brother of Nur jehan.
Tulip Garden
The sprawling Asia's biggest tulip garden in Jammu and
Kashmir’s summer capital Srinagar holds thousands of
flowers impart a mesmerising ambience to this 90-acre
tourist attraction in the Valley.
Nearly 1.3 million tulip bulbs comprising 70 varieties
of various colours have been grown in the garden,the
vast tulip garden overlooking the Dal Lake in the city.
Located close to the famous Mughal gardens of Chashma
Shahi, Nishat and Shalimar, the Kashmir tulip garden is
seen as a milestone in making holidays memorable for
thousands of domestic and foreign tourists who come to
the Valley each year
Cheshma shahi
At Chesma shahi, is
a
tastefully laid garden in terraces, which commands a
magnificent view of the Dal Lake below and surrounding
mountain ranges. The cool water of the spring is highly
refreshing and digestive. The original garden was laid
out by Shah jehan in 1632 AD.
Harwan
Located in srinagar,Harwan is a huge garden with a
beautiful canal passing through its heart. Linked with
flowerbeds and massive chinar Trees, the canal is fed
from a beautiful lake, which lies just behind the
garden. Purposefully kept devoid of fanciful things and
artificial fountains, the abundant natural beauty of the
place complete with vast big green –carpeted lawns,
makes it an ideal spot for picnics and excursions.
Besides the delightful long walks in the garden itself,
it is also take off point for visiting wildlife
sanctuary of Dachi Gam and a starting point of trecking
up to Mahadev mountain.
Pari mahal
Once the royal observ atory,
pari mahal has a charmingly laid out garden and is a
five-minutes drive from cheshma shahi. A Buddhist
monastery at one time, it was converted into a school of
astrology by Dara shikoh, mughal emperor shah jehan’s
eldest son. Situated on the spur of mountain over
looking the Dal, the ancient monument, with a well-laid
spacious garden in front, is connected to cheshma shahi
by road. It is illuminated at night.
The Temple of Shankaracharya
The temple of Shankaracharya is another important place
to visit in Srinagar. Jaluka, the son of emperor Ashoka,
built it in the 3rd century BC.
How to Reach Srinagar
By Air
There is a domestic airport in Srinagar, which has
regular flights to important cities like Delhi, Mumbai,
etc. A number of private and public airlines operate out
of Srinagar.
By Rail
The railway station nearest to Srinagar is that of
Jammu. Jammu station is connected to almost all the key
cities of India.
By Road
Srinagar has an extensive and good road network
connecting it with the major cities in Jammu and Kashmir
and North India |