Gardens of Srinagar: Jewels of Mughal Era
Hello all,
I love mythology and History. Even today, if I get diverted from my reading streak, my first book will be romance or mythology fiction. Shaurya also loves History. So when we visited Kashmir this August, we loved reading histories of Mughal Gardens of Kashmir.
Srinagar is home to some beautiful Mughal Gardens in India, built during the Mughal era. The gardens were made based on Persian gardens with terraced layouts with water canals, fountains pools, and varieties of flowering trees with some giant trees along the water canals and fruit-giving trees. The primary aim of the channels was to get the reflection of a beautiful mountain’s sky. And when we see the blue sky with fluffy white clouds in water with greens of tall trees, it is magical! Most of the gardens were built during the era of Jahangir and Shah Jahan with utmost perfection, blending perfectly in the surroundings of Dal Lake. The gardens are so stunning that even after these many years, we feel awestruck by their beauty.
Shalimar Baug
This is the most extensive Mughal garden of not only Srinagar but the entire Kashmir. When we went to Kashmir, the park was under maintenance in parts with some repair work going on. But that didn’t lessen any beauty of this place.
Emperor Jehangir built this enigmatic garden for his beloved Queen Nur Jehan around a palace built by King Pravarsena II on the banks of the Dal Lake. The king has given the name Shalimar to his court, and Jahangir has retained the title. It is one of the favourite summer places for Emperor Jahangir. It is attached to another beautiful garden named Faiz Baksh, built by Shah Jahan. The main feature of the park is that it is linked through a channel to the northeast of Dal Lake. It is also known as the ‘house of love’ and was initially called ‘Farah Baksh,’ which translates to ‘delightful.’
What caught our attention in the garden was the gigantic Chinar trees, which are hundreds of years old…sitting under the tree and reading the stories of the park, we felt as if the trees were natural storytellers and were mere listeners.
Architecture of Shalimar Bagh
This central channel, known as the Shah Nahar, is the central axis of the garden. It runs through three terraces.
It is divided into 2 sections; the lower three terraces are known as Diwan-e-aam (pink pavallion), while the upper two terraces are Diwan-e-khas (black pavallion).
The lower terraces were for the common people, while the upper ones were for the Emperor and his courtiers. The final deck was the zenana for the queens and women.
It has four radiating arms from a central water source with water canals, pools, and fountains on the edge of each terrace, which are lined on both sides by tall chinar trees.
Best Time to Visit Shalimar Garden
From May to October when the weather is salubrious. But I think the garden’s beauty will be unmatched in autumn due to the colour changes of orange to red to yellow in the leaves of the centuries-old Chinar trees. In spring and summer, the garden is ornamented with gorgeous roses, beautiful dahlias, and other beautiful flowers with fragrant perfume in the air.
Timings :
from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm every day except Friday.
On the top terrace of Shalimar Baugh, there is an inscription written in Persian that says:
“Agar firdaus bar roo-e zameen ast,
Hameen ast-o, hameen ast-o, hameen ast!
(If there is a paradise on earth, it is this, it is this, it is this).
Many people say that Jahangir himself said it, but it was written by a Persian poet, Orfi Shirazi.
For this reason, he built this magnificent garden, and we still cherish this treasure. They were so amazed by the beauty of Kashmir that they moved to Srinagar from Delhi at least 13 times on elephants crossing mighty Himalayan passes with their full-court court during summer. This garden was their imperial summer residence and the Royal Court. The peculiarity of the park is that it was one of the gardens where the court was held during the scorching summer heat of the plains. It is an example of the lavish lifestyle of Emperor Jahangir, who believed in pleasure and enjoyment.
When Jahangir was on his deathbed and was asked about his cherished desire, he said, “It is Kashmir. The rest is worthless.”
Nishat Bagh
It is also known as A garden of bliss, joy, and delight. We felt it is more picturesque and serene than Shalimar Baug because it is located at the eastern bank of the Dal Lake with a backdrop of the magnificent Zabarwan mountain range.
History:
It was built by Asaf Khan, brother of emperor Jahangir’s wife Nur Jahan. On witnessing this stunning garden, Emperor Shah Jahan was so stunned that he expressed his gratitude to Asaf Khan three times with his secret wish to have this garden to himself. But Asaf Khan didn’t acknowledge it, and the Emperor envied him, so he ordered to stop the water supply to the park. The garden began to lose its charm, and Asaf Khan was heartbroken and devastated. One of his loyal servants could see his condition, and he started the water supply source from the Shalimar Bagh. Once Asaf Khan heard the sound of water, he immediately ordered to stop the water supply due to fear of the Emperor. When Shah Jahan heard about this incident, he was impressed by the servant’s loyalty and ordered to restore the water supply of the garden. Such is an interesting story behind this miracle garden[
The architecture of Nishat Bag
it is influenced by Persian architecture. It has a beautiful central water canal with 12 terraces decorated with beautiful flowers, and each deck represents a zodiac sign. It is a lovely amalgamation of flower beds, fountains, and patios.
Visiting Hours
Between 9:00 am and 7:00 pm.
Best Time to Visit
From May to October, summer and spring are flowering seasons, but again, I can’t stop imagining the beauty of the garden in Autumn because of the golden yellow of poplars and burnt red of chinars!
Today, Nishat Bagh epitomizes what National Geographic called the ‘nearly perfect marriage of art and nature’ in Srinagar’s gardens. Water still flows down the central channel, collecting in a large pool near the entrance from which pigeons drink. Flower beds are palettes of purple and red, yellow and pink, but nothing, perhaps, matches Nishat in the autumn, which ‘lights up the poplars in clear gold and the big chinars burn red’ – and all who visit linger on, unconscious of time’s passing.
Chashma Shahi
This garden was built by Ali Mardan Khan under the rule of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan for his eldest and favorite son, Dara Shikoh, in 1632 on the slopes of the Zabarwan Mountains. It is the most miniature Mughal garden in Kashmir, but It is famous for its natural spring. The spring water is believed to have medicinal properties. And it is always cold no matter the season.
There is an exciting story about this spring. When Mumtaz Mahal, wife of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, fell ill, someone gave her this natural spring water, and she recovered. After this incident, the royals believed this to be a miracle spring and started using its water regularly.
The royals were under the impression that, if taken regularly, it works wonders for the skin. True to its Mughal heritage, Chasme Shahi displays. To the east of the Chasme Shahi lies the Pari Mahal, where Dara Sikoh used to learn astrology and was later killed by his usurper brother Aurangzeb.
Architecture of Chashme Shahi
This natural spring is located on the first terrace of the garden, extending into the second and third terraces. The park was built with a combination of Persian art and architecture.
Timings:
Open all days of the week except Fridays –9 am to 7 pm
Best time to visit:
Late afternoons and evenings, mainly during sunset.
Pari Mahal
Prince Dara Shikoh built this in 1650 AD on top of the Zabarwan Mountain on the top of the ruins of a Buddhist Monastery.
It has seven terraces and surprisingly has no water fountains like the other Mughal gardens in Kashmir. It is called Pari Mahal because it looks like a fairy castle., while some say that Dara Shukoh named it after his wife Nadira Begum, also known as Pari Begum.
Prince Dara Shikoh dedicated this place to his teacher, Mulla Shah, for the astronomy and astrology lessons. Prince Dara Sikoh was killed by his younger brother Aurangzeb at this place only.
Before entering the premises of Pari Mahal and Chashme Shahi, you must undergo a security check-in of your car as there is a campsite of the Indian Paramilitary unit in the vicinity.
Timings: Open all days except Friday (9:30 am to 5:30 pm)
We visited all these four gardens during our visit to Srinagar and were awestruck by the stunningness of all! But above all this, what amazed us the most was the period during which the gardens were built with such foresight.
So, Don’t miss these unique places if you are visiting Srinagar.
This is my last post about Kashmir. We hope to visit this amazing state soon. Until then we can definitely enjoy these! and this was from our trip in August.