Exploring Srinagar

Nishat Bagh - Glimpse of a mughal era garden

2012-09-10T01:33:00.000-07:00

Nishat Bagh

Visit to Nishat bagh was merely a coincident. Me and my friend was very tired of everyday schedule and we just wanted to cheer off a little bit. We took a walk off to Dal Lake after having our lunch. The weather was good to have a walk then we noticed a taxi there going to Nishat bagh. We instantly took decision that we have been to Dal lake a many times lets check out Nishat Bag this time. We took the taxi and reached to Nishat bagh. It took us about half an hour to reach Nishat bagh from Dal Gate. We took the tickets and entered Nishat Bagh. It was a splendid entrance built of grey sandstones surrounded by fountains and flowers showing the glimpse of Mughal Architecture. Mesmerising fountains and amazing water system were far more than fascinating. There is dal Lake in front of the Nishat Garden and a mountain range is in the backdrop of the Nishat Bagh which was surrounded by clouds that day. The view was amazing and it could not have been a better day to visit Nishat Bagh. A mixture of persian architecture and horticulture it reminded me of the breathtaking scenes in the video game "Prince of Persia" which i have played several times. After the visit of Nishat bagh i could only imagine the beauty of "Hanging Garedens of Babylon". I wished that if i could live in that time when the kings reigned over the kingdoms and life was much less busier than today.

Nishat Bagh , is a terraced Mughal Garden built on the eastern side of the Dal Lake, close to Srinagar in the state of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It is the second largest Mughal garden in the Kashmir Valley. The largest in size is the Shalimar Bagh, which is also located on the bank of the Dal Lake. ‘Nishat Bagh’ means "Garden of Joy", "Garden of Gladness" and "Garden of Delight."

Located on the bank of the Dal Lake, with the Zabarwan Mountains as its backdrop, Nishat Bagh is a garden of bliss that commands a magnificent view of the lake beneath the snow capped Pir Panjal mountain range that stands far away to the west of the valley. The Bagh was designed and built in 1633 by Asif Khan, elder brother of Nur Jehan.

The view of the mountains at the entrance

Entrance gate in Persian Architecrure

Serene view of fountains in Dal Lake

The view of fountains at entrance

A waterfall in Nishat Bagh

Zabarwan mountains as backdrop

Whole view of the Nishat bag with Zabarwan mountains as backdrop

View of Dal Lake from the third terrace

A tree fallen in the park

A view of Dal Lake from second terrace

Shalimar Bagh - Glimspse of a Mughal Garden

2012-09-08T22:36:00.001-07:00

Shalimar Bagh

On the eve of September 7th, 2012 i visited Shalimar Bagh. The weather was perfect to have an outing. Sky was filled with black dense clouds and it had rained last evening. I had a friend with me. We booked a car to the Shalimar Bagh from Dal Gate and when we reached Shalimar Bagh we took tickets which cost us only 20 rupees. When we entered the Shalimar Bagh in front of us we found a colourful mughal era garden standing right in front of us with a series of fountains which were preserved by Jammu and Kashmir Tourism Department. It was merely a glimpse of a Persian era horticulture. Some views were awe inspiring. But i found Shalimar bagh less taken care of as compared to Nishat Bagh. Neverthless this Mughal garden was also those vivid and grand representation of Persian Effect on Indian art and architecture. I took some pictures of the Shalimar Bagh which are a mere representation of the beauty that we witnessed out there. I should inform you that these pictures are taken by a Mobile Camera not by a digicam. But i hope That my efforts to bring you the best pictures will not disappoint you.

Shalimar Bagh, is a Mughal Garden linked through a channel to the northeast of Dal Lake, on its right bank located near Srinagar City in the Jammu and Kashmir. Its other names are Shalamar Garden, Shalamar Bagh, Farah Baksh and Faiz Baksh, and the other famous shore line garden in the vicinity is Nishat Bagh. The Bagh was built by Mughal Emperor Jahangir for his wife Nur Jahan, in 1619. The Bagh is considered the high point of Mughal horticulture. It is now a public park.

Entrance of the Shalimar Bagh

A small waterfall in the garden

A series of water fountains representing Persian architecture

Another view of the fountains

A resting spot in the garden

Fountains surrounded by beautiful flowers

This picture is dedicated to all my viewers

Random clicks of Srinagar

2012-09-02T10:41:00.001-07:00

Random clicks of Srinagar

These are some of the pics taken by me of the mesmerising srinagar. I have been fascinated by the beauty spread everwhere in the srinagar. Shalimar bagh, Nishat bagh, Dal Lake, Jhelum river and many more places are here which give this city a amazing feel which cannot be described by words. I have been here almost a month and i have never felt anything dangerous here. The people are warmhearted and helpful. Even the majority is muslim but being hindu you'll never face a problem or discrimination here. The rumours about terrorism are false and this is one of the most peaceful place i have ever seen. Even though security is very tight here. You can find CRPF bunker's after every 100 meters. Everyone should have a ID card with him when he is travelling here. This is the only precaution i suggest people should take when they are in Srinagar.

A view of Srinagar from Hariparbat fort

Baadamvadi

Jhelum River

A view from balcony of my flat

Another view from my balcony

A street in front of my flat in Rajbagh

Hariparbat fort - Srinagar, Kashmir

2012-09-01T13:25:00.002-07:00

Hariparbat fort - Srinagar, Kashmir

The Mughal fort situated on the banks of the Dal Lake of Srinagar, it is positioned on top of the Sharika Hill. Originally, it was built during the reign of Akbar but its present structure owes itself to the Afghan governor of Kashmir in the 18th century. It has a Parvati temple on the western slope and the Muslim shrines of Khwaja Makhdoom Sahib and Akhund Mullah Shah on the southern one. On the southern side of the outer wall there is a Guru Dwara, which commemorates the visit of Guru Hargobind Singh. Presently the fort is under army occupation. According to the local legend, this hill was once a lake as large as a sea and was inhabited by the abominable demon known as Jalobhava. The inhabitants called on Goddess Sati, spouse of Lord Shiva for her help. She took the form of a bird and dropped a pebble on the demon's head, which kept on increasing in size until the demon was crushed by it. Hari Parbat is revered as that pebble and it is said to have become the home for all 33 crore gods of the Hindu pantheon.

Stairway to heaven

The holy kund and masjid in the fort

The view of kund along with the mountains and clouds

The back wall of the fort

Another view of the kund

A day spent at Dal lake, Srinagar

2012-08-31T15:21:00.001-07:00

Images at Dal Lake taken by me

Dal Lake is a lake in Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir. The urban lake, which is the second largest in the state, is integral to tourism and recreation in Kashmir and is nicknamed the "Jewel in the crown of Kashmir" or "Srinagar's Jewel".The lake is also an important source for commercial operations in fishing and water plant harvesting.

The shore line of the lake, about 15.5 kilometres , is encompassed by a boulevard lined with Mughal Era gardens, parks, houseboats and hotels. Scenic views of the lake can be witnessed from the shore line Mughal gardens, such as Shalimar Bagh and NIshat Bagh built during the reign of Mughal Emperor Jahangir and from houseboats cruising along the lake in the colourful Shikara.During the winter season, the temperature sometimes reaches −11 °C (12 °F), freezing the lake.

Shikara's alligned in dal lake

An air ballon above dal lake

A mesmerising view of mountains and dal lake

Evening starts to fall

What can be more beautiful than this