SRINAGAR

Few pictures and notes from my solo trip to Srinagar in September 2022.

Srinagar from the air

An aerial shot of Srinagar. The concrete buildings that we see in Delhi fade away and transition into vast landscapes and houses with sloped roofs

Dal Lake

Dal lake is a huge water body right in the middle of Srinagar. From the map, I saw two other large lakes, but none as big as Dal. To reach Dal lake from the airport, I had to cross the main city of Srinagar, which I observed is along the South East of Dal lake. There was scattered military presence throughout the journey, with the frequency increasing along the Boulevard road (road along the Eastern periphery of the lake).

The houseboats have taken over the entire peninsula like portion of the southern end. When seen from the Shankaracharya temple, the portion looks like a large parking lot.

There is extensive commerce on Dal lake, with vendors on their shikaras selling anything and everything from fruits to jewellery and souvenirs.

A shikara carrying tourists on Dal lake
The Dal Lake parking lot as seen from the Shankaracharya temple.
A houseboat selling fruits and chaat on Dal lake; the Shankaracharya temple and the TV tower can be seen in the background on the hill.
Vendor selling trinkets from his shikara
Random shot of the lake with the houseboats

Shankaracharya Temple

A temple on a hill dedicated to the Hindu saint, Shankaracharya.

There are around 200 steps to be climbed from the base point of the temple to the shrine. There is again a solid CRPF presence at the base where the devotes and tourists are checked. This is apart from the initial security check by them at the base of the hill itself.

Mughal Gardens

There are six major Mughal Gardens in Kashmir, of which I managed to visit two – Nishat Bagh and Shalimar Bagh. Both are excellent examples of Mughal landscape architecture, with Shalimar Bagh having also been the summer palace of the Mughal kings.

Nishat Bagh

A hot day in Srinagar
Pathway towards the mountains
A view from a pedestal towards Dal lake

Shalimar Bagh

Shalimar Bagh once acted as the summer palace of the Mughal royalty. On the image here, we see the Diwan – e – Aam, the hall where the Mughal emperor received the common subjects of his empire.

A view towards the Diwan – e – Aam
The Diwan – e – Aam, with the fountains which are still run by gravitational pressure, and not pumps.
A massive Chinar tree

Diwan – e – Khaas

The Diwan – e – Khaas is where the King met the administrative heads/other royalty.

View towards the Diwan – e – Khaas
The Diwan – e – Khaas

Zero Bridge

A pedestrian wooden bridge spanning across the Jhelum.

Walking along the banks of the Jhelum river

The buildings along the banks of the Jhelum river are all old and still maintain portions of the original architecture of Kashmir. Most of these have been expanded and modified significantly from the original Dhajji Diwar style of construction.

Fishermen can be found everywhere along the Jhelum banks

Jalali Heritage House

An excellent example of Taq architecture still present in Srinagar. Probably the last standing complete Taq structure anywhere in the Kashmir valley today.

Hari Parvat