The Land of Extended Gardens - Kashmir
Kashmir, befittingly famed as the paradise on land is famous for its praiseworthy Mughal Gardens - with vast picturesque hillsides, excellent waterbodies and packed flowering shrubs and trees, laid in decorous quadrangles by the Mughal emperors, whose love fro the land was illustrious.
Formally laid out lawns, vibrant flower beds, earthward fountains, surrounded by the vista of Dal lake in front of them, the gardens in Kashmir are captivating and delightful. The harmonious amalgam of designs; creative use of the landscapes & plantings and the miscellaneous mixture of colours, textures and plants presents a sense of bliss to the beholders. The Mughal gardens of Shalimar, Nishat, Chashmeshahi and others like Pari Mahal and Harwan are like exquistely carved lawns with stepped terraces and rich waterbodies.
The Gardens you can spot in Kashmir :
Shalimar Garden
Located in Srinagar, Shalimar Gardens or Shalimar Bagh was laid out by Emperor Jehangir for his wife Nur Jahan in 1616. Shalimar Gardens are the magnum opus of Srinagar's many gardens and parks.
This beautiful garden was originally named the Farah Bakhsh or 'delightful garden', but today it is known as the 'garden of love'. The garden features a canal, lined with polished stones and is supplied with water from Harwan runs through the middle of the garden. The fourth terrace was once reserved for royal ladies. It represents a pavilion built of black stone in the centre of the tank, which was used as a banquet hall. Shalimar Bagh has an air of solitude and quietude, and its rows of amazing fountains and shaded lined trees seem to retire towards the snow dressedmountains. A sound and light show is held here every evening between May to October in the tourist season.
Nishat Bagh
Nishat Bagh is smaller than Shalimar Garden, but is more movingly beautiful. 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.
Gardens of Chashma Shahi
Laid out by Shah Jehan, the gardens of Chashma Shahi, so named because of a mountain spring that waters it. The gardens include three terraces, an aqueduct, waterfalls and fountains.
Cheshmashahi is the Ist Mughal Garden you will come across after Nehru Park. Smallest of the Srinagar Mughal gardens, the Chasma Shahi, or 'Royal Spring', are well set up the hillside, above the Nehru Memorial Park. 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.
Pari Mahal
Pari Mahal was initially a garden founded by Dara Shiko, Mughal Emperor Shah Jehan's eldest son for his Sufi teacher, Mulla Shah. Once dotted with numerous springs, which have dried up now, the Pari Mahal gardens are now the treasure possession of the state. Pari Mahal is bedazzling with radiant lights at night, and though located on the spur of a hill, can he seen from most places in Srinagar.
Pari Mahal, once a Buddhist monastery, was converted into a school of astrology by Dara Shikoh. Pari Mahal gardens are now fully maintained by the state government.
Harwan
South of the village Harwan, on the hillside, one can see some remarkable remains of ancient ornamented tile pavements of the Buddhist era. The tiles depict the dresses of the people of that time, such as loose trousers, Turkoman caps or close fitting turbans and large ear-rings which presents the central Asian influence.
Gardens in Kashmir, Ladakh and Kashmir Tour Reservation Form
