MUGHAL GARDEN IN SRINAGAR – SHALIMAR BAGH
Our second day trip in Srinagar starts with Shalimar Bagh, which is a 15 minutes’ drive from the hotel we stayed.
Shalimar Bagh is the most famous Mughal garden built by Emperor Jahangir for his wife Noor Jahan. Yet, another exquisite craftsmanship of Mughal architecture is evident here…
Colorful roses, vibrant poppies glowing in sunshine, birds fluttering their wings cheerfully in the fountains, a well-manicured lawn, the snow-clad Himalayas peeking at the backdrop, and a 400-year old huge chinar trees with its dense shade shelters petite shop renting out Pheran attire for a picture, that’s Shalimar Garden in a Nutshell.
The trip to Kashmir would be incomplete without trying out Pheran! If there’s a beautiful spell that would turn you into a Kashmiri with a swish of the wand, then it would be Pheran – the traditional ethnic dress of Kashmir. A bright colored heavy robe with exquisite zari work adorned with oxidized silver jewelry momentarily turns you into a gorgeous Kashmiri.
Additionally, we spent an hour roaming in and around the garden clicking out some selfies.
Undeniably, Shalimar Garden epitomizes the grandeur of the Mughal era and tells us why it’s called ‘An Abode of Love’, but over years, it has lost its charm!
And, with the sun blazing down and gleaming off the manicured lawn, it’s high time we moved from here. We headed to Nishat Bagh, which is in the closer vicinity of Shalimar Bagh. Moreover, it’s just 3 km from the Shalimar Garden.
Nishat Bagh – Mughal Garden of Delight
Nishat Bagh is an attractive terraced garden with exceptional Mughal Architecture offering a splendid view of Dal Lake and the snow-clad mountains. With 12 terraces representing 12 Zodiac signs, it stands out distinctively portraying the Mughals love for architecture!
A well-manicured landscape with a bounty of flourishing colorful Pansies and Geraniums offers a pleasant sight as you cross over each terrace. With water spilling from the terrace over the canal and the mighty Dal Lake from behind, nestled strikingly in the Zabarwan Mountains it makes an unbeatable stopover to click a picture. 🙂
Indeed, it lives up to its name! ‘Garden of Delight’ is a place of serene beauty.
Despite carrying a stole to keep off the scorching sun, I ended up with lots of sun-tan. To avoid frying yourself at 42*c, carry sunscreen or hat! When you’re travelling during winter, then it’s better to skip the Mughal Gardens.
Post lunch, we started to Dal Lake for a Shikkara Ride.
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With luv,
