Nearby Places
Dal Lake
Spread over 15km around, Dal Lake is Srinagar's jewel, a vast sheet of water reflecting the carved wooden balconies of the houseboats and the misty peaks of the Pir Panjal mountains. Flotillas of gaily painted shikaras (gondola-like taxi boats) skiff around the lake, transporting goods to market, children to school and travellers to delightful houseboats inspired by originals from the Raj era. The lake is probably at its most beautiful when the lotus flowers bloom in July and August. The floating gardens, known as "Rad" in Kashmiri, are one of the stranger aspects of Dal Lake. They're composed of matted vegetation and earth, which are cut away from the lake bottom and towed to a convenient location where they are moored. Tomatoes, Cucumbers and Melons all grow amazingly well in these gardens, if one look underneath one can see that they do literally float on the lake. One can also approach the floating gardens by road; the boulevard runs along the eastern edge of the lake, providing fine views all the way. One will often see weeds being pulled up out of the lake - this serves a double purpose. The lake waterways are kept clear and the weeds are rotted until they form excellent compost for the gardens. The shallowness of the lake and its heavy growth of waterweeds is probably the main reason there are so very few powered boats on the water. Dal Lake would be nowhere near as pleasant if there were powerboats rushing back and forth across its tranquil surface.
Shankar Acharaya Temple
On top of thickly forested Shankaracharya Hill, this small Shiva temple is built from hefty blocks of visibly ancient grey stone. Previously known as Takht-i-Sulaiman (Throne of Solomon), it’s now named for a sage who reached enlightenment here in AD 750, but signs date the octagonal structure as 5th century and the site is even older. Some claim, very controversially, that a previous temple here was once renovated by Jesus and St Thomas.
Access is by a winding 5.5km road from a checkpoint near Nehru Park (₹300 return by autorickshaw). Walking up is not recommended as there are bears living in the intermediate forest. The road ends at another police checkpoint, where you must leave phones and cameras before climbing five minutes up a stairway to the temple and its panoramic views of Srinagar and Dal Lake.
Pari Mahal
Pari Mahal (literally 'Palace of the Fairies') is a 17th-century folly of arched niches and stone walls set high above the lake shore, about 9km from Nehru Park. The multilevel terraced ensemble looks most intriguing when viewed floodlit at night from a distance. By day, the long, steep autorickshaw ride is worthwhile more for the lake views than for the gardens themselves. Bring ID for police checks en route.
Chashma Shahi
Laid out by Shah Jehan, the Garden of Chashma Shahi, so named because of a mountain spring that waters it. The Garden include three terraces, an aqueduct, waterfalls and fountains. The fresh water spring in these pleasant, calm gardens is renowned to have medicinal values. There is also a small shrine, the Chasma Sahibi, close to the gardens, which also has a fresh water spring.
Char Chinar
Dal Lake is marked by an island which houses ancient and beautiful Chinar trees. Char Chinar, also sometimes rendered Char Chinari, Ropa Lank, or Rupa Lank, is an island in Dal Lake, Srinagar. The island located on the Bod Dal is known as Rupa Lank (Silver Island), it is marked with the presence of majestic Chinar trees at the four corners, thus known as Char-Chinari (Four Chinars). Murad Baksh, the brother of the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, constructed the Rupa Lank. Dal Lake also houses 3 island 2 of which are marked with four Chinar trees at the four corners, thus are known as Char Chinar.The Dal Lake the prime attraction of Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir, actually consists of 4 lakes connected by an intricate network of canals. The 4 lakes are namely Gargabal, Bod Dal, Lokut Dal & Nagin. First, of the Char Chinar island is located on the Bod Dal and is known as Rupa Lank (Silver Island). The second Char Chinar Island, known as Sona Lanka (Gold Island), is located on the Lokut Dal, and over looks the holy shrine of Hazarat Bal.
Tulip Garden
Kashmir is home to a magnificent garden that’s alive with colors as far as the eye can see. Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip Garden Srinagar is Asia’s largest such garden. It’s awash with dozens of varieties of tulips and other flowers like daffodils. With its terrific location – at the foothills of the Zabarwan Range – Tulip Garden in Srinagar is a veritable Eden. It doesn’t bloom all-year-round, however, so you need to plan your vacation carefully. The best time to visit Tulip Garden in Kashmir is from March to May. Srinagar Tulip Garden Srinagar is Asia’s largest such garden
Tulip Garden Srinagar opened to visitors back in 2007. The aim was to boost tourism and floriculture in the region and the undertaking was a success. In fact, the garden was ranked among the top 5 tulip destinations in the world at the Tulip Summit in Canada in 2017. While the garden itself is a sight to behold and you could spend hours just exploring it and admiring the flowers, the highlight is the annual festival that runs in spring, between March and May, depending on when the flowers bloom. This year, Tulip Garden Kashmir 2018 was held from March 25th onwards.
Nishat Bagh
Located in Srinagar, Nishat Bagh was built by Asaf Khan, Empress Nur Jahan's brother. Nishat is celebrated for its stately chinar (plane) trees, imported to Kashmir from Persia by the Mughals. Among these, many of the giant chinar trees have been planted by the Mughal Emperors. Nishat has 12 terraces representing the 12 signs of the zodiac, which seems to gradually descend and merge in the Dal Lake's periphery. The terraces viewed along with the bed of flower, a mosaic of bright and beautiful colours, creates an unforgettable sight. Also found within its surroundings are some remnants of Mughal era buildings including a double storey pavilion enclosed on two sides latticed windows.
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