SRINAGAR TOURISM | TOURIST PLACES TO VISIT & TRAVEL GUIDE TO SRINAGAR

At a distance of 3 km from Srinagar Bus Station, Dal Lake is an urban lake located in Srinagar. Also known as the 'Jewel of Srinagar', it is the largest lake in Jammu & Kashmir and among the top places to visit in Srinagar.

Enclosed by splendid Pir Panjal mountains and Mughal Gardens, Dal Lake covers over an area of 18 square kilometers. It is on an average 5 ft deep and goes to a maximum of 20 ft at some places. Dal Lake is part of a natural wetland that covers 21 square kilometers including floating gardens. The wetland is divided by causeways into four basins- Gagribal, Lokut Dal, Bod Dal, and Nigeen. Lokut Dal and Bod Dal each have an island in the center, known as Rup Lank or Char Chinar and Sona Lank respectively.

According to legend, there are two theories for the origin of the lake. One states that it is a post-glacial lake that has undergone a lot of changes in size over the years whereas .....

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At a distance of 7 km from Srinagar Bus Station, Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip garden is a beautiful garden located in Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir. Previously Model Floriculture Center, it is the largest tulip garden in Asia and among the must include places in Srinagar packages.

Situated on the foothills of Zabarwan Range, the Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip Garden is opened in 2007 to boost floriculture and tourism in Kashmir Valley. Spread over an area of about 30 hectares, it is a seven-terraced garden built on a sloping ground overlooking the Dal Lake. The garden houses about 48 varieties of tulip flowers. When in the full bloom the tulips sprawl in about 12 hectares of area and provide a mesmerizing view. The garden also has several types of other flowers including daffodils, hyacinths, roses, narcissus, and other ornamental plants. The water channel running through the terraces adds more charm to the place and makes it a perfect .....

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At a distance of 8 km from Srinagar Bus Station, Chashme Shahi is a beautiful Mughal garden located in Srinagar. Situated near Raj Bhawan, it is one of the three Mughal Gardens in Srinagar, and among the Srinagar tourist places.

Located in the Zabarwan range & overlooking the Dal Lake, Chashme Shahi was built in 1632 AD by the Mughal Governor Ali Mardan Khan on the orders of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan for his eldest son Dara Shikoh. The garden is built around a freshwater spring that was unearthed by Rupa Bhawani, a renowned female Kashmiri saint from the Sahib clan of Kashmiri Pandits, and the garden was named Chashme Sahibi after the saint. Later, the name got corrupted and today the garden is known as Chashme Shahi which means the Royal Spring.

With 108 m long and 38 m wide, the garden is spread over an acre of land and is considered the smallest garden among the three Mughal gardens of .....

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At a distance of 13 km from Srinagar Bus Station, Shalimar Bagh is a beautifully laid out Mughal garden located in Srinagar. Situated at Shalimar, it is one of the popular gardens in India, and among the must-include places in Srinagar holiday packages.

Overlooking the scintillating waters of the Dal Lake, Shalimar Bagh was built in the year 1619 by the Mughal emperor Jahangir for his beloved wife Noor Jahan and was called 'Farah Baksh' ('the delightful'). Later in the year 1630, under Emperor Shah Jahan's orders, Zafar Khan the governor of Kashmir extended the garden and named it 'Faiz Baksh' ('the bountiful'). It then became a pleasure place for the Sikh governors of the province. It is now a public park and is also referred to as the 'Crown of Srinagar'. It is now a public park and is known as the 'Crown of Srinagar'.

Spread across a vast area of 31 acres, Shalimar Bagh is the largest of the three Mughal gardens in Srinagar, .....

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At a distance of 10 km from Srinagar Bus Station, Nishat Bagh is a terraced Mughal garden located in Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir. Popularly known as the 'Garden of Bliss', it is one of the most beautiful Mughal Gardens in India and among the best Srinagar places to visit.

Nishat Bagh is situated on the eastern shore of the enchanting Dal Lake. It is the second-largest Mughal garden in the Kashmir Valley while Shalimar Bagh is the largest, which is also located on the bank of the Dal Lake. In Urdu, Nishat Bagh means 'Garden of Joy', 'Garden of Gladness', and 'Garden of Delight'. 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 Kashmir Valley.

Nishat Garden was designed and built-in 1633 by Asif Khan, the elder brother of Noor Jahan. The then emperor of Mughal India, Shah Jahan .....

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At a distance of 7 km from Srinagar Bus Station, Nigeen Lake, also called Nageen Lake, is a splendid lake located in Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir. Situated adjacent to the Hari Parbat hillock, it is one of the major tourist places in Srinagar.

Nigeen Lake is renowned for its pristine waters and stunning ambiance. It is sometimes considered a part of the Dal Lake and is connected to it via a narrow strait. It is also connected to the Khushal Sar and Gil Sar lakes via a channel known as Nallah Amir Khan. Nigeen Lake is surrounded by a large number of willow and poplar trees. Hence, it has come to be referred to as a 'nageena', which means 'the jewel in the ring'. The word 'nigeen' is a local variant of the same word.

The water of this lake is crystal clear that the reflection of the edging trees and hills of Shankaracharya (Takht-e-Suleiman) in the south and Hari Parbat in the west can be mirrored. .....

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At a distance of 9 km from Srinagar Bus Station, Pari Mahal is a seven terraced garden located in the city of Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir. Situated near Chashme Shahi, it is one of the popular places of sightseeing in Srinagar.

Also known as the 'Abode of Fairies' or the 'Home of Angels', Pari Mahal was built by Mughal Prince Dara Shikoh in the mid-1600s. It served as a library and residence for the Mughal prince. It is believed that Dara Shikoh lived in this area in the years 1640, 1645, and 1654. Later, it was used as an observatory, useful for teaching astrology and astronomy. Shortly after India's independence in 1947, the garden became the property of the Jammu & Kashmir Government. At present, Pari Mahal is administered by the Archaeological Survey of India and happens to be a popular tourist destination in Srinagar.

Depicts an example of traditional Islamic architecture, the breathtaking .....

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At a distance of 5 km from Srinagar Bus Station, Hari Parbat is a magnificent mountain overlooking Srinagar city in the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir. Also called Koh-i-Maran, it is one of the popular places of pilgrimage in Jammu & Kashmir, and among the must-visit places in Srinagar sightseeing packages.

Hari Parbat lures a huge number of visitors owing to its historical and religious significance. It is the site of several important edifices, which include the Durrani Fort, Parvati Temple, a Gurudwara, and shrines of Akhund Mullah Shah and Khwaja Makhdoom Sahib. The first fortifications on the site were constructed by the Mughal emperor Akbar in 1590 who built an outer wall for the fort as part of his plans for a new capital at the site of modern-day Srinagar in Kashmir. However, the fort was never completed. The present fort was built in 1808 under the supervision of Atta Mohammed Khan, the Governor of Kashmir Province .....

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At a distance of 6 km from Srinagar Railway Station, Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Botanical Garden is a botanical garden located in Srinagar, Jammu, and Kashmir. Situated near Tulip Garden, it is one of the must-visit tourist attractions in Srinagar.

Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Botanical Garden lies in the foothills of the Zabarwan mountain range and overlooks the picturesque Dal Lake. This well-manicured garden covers an area of around 80 hectares, of which 17 hectares are occupied by a beautiful lake. This garden was built in the year 1969 in the fond memory of the first Prime Minister of India Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. The major aim of creating this garden was to promote the beautiful flora of Kashmir Valley. This well-planned garden is maintained and administered by the Indian Forest Department.

The garden is divided into four main divisions namely Plant Introduction Centre, Research Section, Recreational .....

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At a distance of 5 km from Srinagar Bus Station, Badamwari Garden or Badamwari Park is a municipal park and garden in Srinagar. Situated at the foothills of Hari Parbat, it is one of the least crowded places to visit in Srinagar.

Sprawling over the hills of Koh-i-Maran, Badamwari Garden is a piece of heaven tucked away in Srinagar. The park is known for the early bloom of stunning almond flowers. These flowers bloom around March, marking the arrival of the spring season in Kashmir bidding farewell to the harsh winters. Though there was no record to suggest who laid the garden historians say it existed even before the rule of Sultan Zain-ul-Abidin in the 14th century. The park was revived and opens to the public in 2008 by the Jammu & Kashmir Bank.

The garden is spread over more than 300 kanals of land and replete with vibrantly blooming bushes and shrubbery. It houses a magnificent dome named after an Afghan ruler, Warris Shah at the center. The park also has trails carved .....

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At a distance of 4 km from Srinagar Bus Station, Jamia Masjid is a religious mosque located in Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir. Situated at Nowhatta, also called as Downtown, Jama Masjid is the biggest mosque in Kashmir Valley and amongst the top places to visit during your Srinagar trip.

Lying in the heart of the Srinagar city, Jamia Masjid happens to be one of the most ancient places to visit in Srinagar. This majestic mosque was built by Sultan Sikandar Shah Kashmiri Shahmiri in 1394 CE, under the orders of Mir Mohammad Hamadani, who was the son of Said-ul-Auliya Mir Sayyid Ali Hamadani and was completed in 1402 CE. Later on, Zain-ul-Abidin, the son of Sultan Sikandar extended the mosque by adding a turret in the primary structure. This colossal structure has been damaged by fire thrice, but luckily restoration work was carried out after each mishap to correct the damaged portions. The existing construction was erected by Emperor .....

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At a distance of 8 km from Srinagar Bus Station, Shankaracharya Temple or Jyeshteshwara Temple is an ancient Hindu temple situated in Srinagar, Jammu, and Kashmir. Perched on the top of Shankaracharya Hill, it is one of the popular Hindu twmples to visit in Kashmir, and among the must visit Srinagar tourist places.

Placed at a height of 1,000 feet, Shankaracharya Temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva and is one of the oldest shrines in Kashmir. Also known as Jyeshteshwara Temple, the temple is named after the great philosopher Shankaracharya. It is believed to be the place where Adi Shankaracharya attained spiritual enlightenment. After this, he formed the four Hindu schools of Advaita or the philosophy of non-dualism. The Shivaling he worshipped is now placed inside the temple.

The Shankaracharya Temple dates back to 200 BC, but the present-day .....

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At a distance of 8 km from Srinagar Bus Station, Hazratbal Dargah is a holy Muslim shrine located at Hazratbal locality of Srinagar city in Jammu & Kashmir. Popularly called Dargah Sharif, it is one of the popular places of pilgrimage in India, and among the best places to visit as part of the Srinagar tour.

Situated on the banks of the famous Dal Lake, Hazratbal Dargah is considered to be Kashmir's holiest Muslim shrine. The major attraction of this majestic shrine is a unique relic called Moi-e-Muqaddas which is believed to be the holy hair from the beard of Prophet Muhammad. The hair is well-preserved inside the structure and is presented before the devotees only on special Islamic occasions like Shab-e-Meraj. The mosque derives its name from two Kashmiri words, 'Hazrat' which means 'holy', and 'bal' which stands for 'place'.

According to legend, the relic was first brought .....

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At a distance of 3 km from Srinagar Bus Station, Dastgeer Sahib is a sacred Sufi shrine located in the Khanyar locality of Srinagar. Surrounded by a large market, it is one of the famous mosques in Kashmir and among the best Srinagar places to visit.

Dastgeer Sahib is a 200-year-old shrine dedicated to Sheikh Syed Abdul Qadir Jelani. The shrine is known for housing the hair strand of Abdul Qadir Jelani, locally called Mouia Pak, and the old Quran written by Ali Ibn Abi Talib AS. According to history, the holy relic belonging to the renowned Sufi saint Syed Abdul Qadir Jelani was presented to the Sardar Abdullah Khan, the then governor of the state by an Afghan traveller on a visit to Kashmir. The relic was deposited with Syed Buzargh Shah, a prominent Qadri order Sufi of that time. A shrine was constructed at Khanyar in 1806 AD, and from where the relic was displayed on various religious festivals. The shrine was enlarged in 1877 AD by Khwaja Sanaullah Shawl.

Spread over an .....

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At a distance of 3 km from Srinagar Bus Station, Shri Pratap Singh Museum, commonly known as SPS Museum, is a heritage museum located in Srinagar. Situated in Lal Mandi, it is one of the best museums in Kashmir and among the must-visit places as part of Srinagar tour packages.

Shri Pratap Singh Museum provides an insight into the history and traditions of Kashmir. In 1889, a proposal for the foundation of an archaeology museum in the Indian city of Srinagar was formulated by Amar Singh and S.H. Godmerry. The pair produced and submitted a memorandum to Pratap Singh, the then ruler of Srinagar. The Maharaja accepted the proposal and agreed to allow for the establishment of the museum. The museum was set up in a state building in Srinagar under the supervision of Sir John Marshal from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). Later, the museum was opened to the public in 1898. Later in 2017, the Government decided to raise a new modern building to house the museum in line with modern .....

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