Jammu Kashmir Gardens

Impressed with abundant natural beauty, Mughals loved this place so much that they have contributed many beautiful gardens to the city of Srinagar. Well-planned and vast, these gardens are home to a variety of flora and delightful water systems. They retain something of the elaborately planned Persian gardens and are mostly terraced to suit the environs of the mountainous slopes.


Shalimar Garden
Emperor Jehangir built this beautiful Garden for his beloved wife Nur Jehan. It has four terraces and stretches across 539 by 182 meters, watered by the Harwan through canal lined with beautiful fountains. The fourth terrace is the best one and was once reserved for royal ladies and innumerable varieties of flowers bloom in spring and autumn.


Chashmashahi
Shah Jehan laid the Chashmashahi or the Royal spring in Srinagar in 1632. Renowned for the spring of refreshing digestive mineral water, this terraced garden has fountains in the middle and houses multiple kinds of fruits and flowers plants. The tall trees of Chinar can also be seen here. The picnic delights and long walks in the gardens, strolling hand in hand with your partner and treating all your five senses with the unforgettable pleasures are just a modest account of the place.


Nishat Garden
The brother of Mughal Empress Nur Jehan, Asif Khan laid the Garden in Srinagar in 1633. Set on the banks of world famous Dal Lake, in the backdrop of Zabarwan hills, this terraced garden offers some magnificent views of the lake. The Garden has a beautiful water channel flowing right through its middle. Not a minute in the garden can be dull with its gorgeous Shikara rides up to the Nehru Park from here. The favorite picnic spot of the natives, a long walk amidst the lush greenery of this well-planned Garden refreshes oneself. There are also some shopping stalls opposite the garden.

Harwan
Located in Srinagar, Harwan is a huge garden with a beautiful canal passing through its heart. Lined with flowerbeds and massive Chinar Trees, the canal is fed from a beautiful lake, which lies just behind the garden. Purposefully kept devoid of fanciful things and artificial fountains, the abundant natural beauty of the place complete with vast big green-carpeted lawns, makes it an ideal spot for picnics and excursions. Besides the delightful long walks in the Garden itself, it is also a take-off point for visiting Wild life sanctuary of Dachi Gam and a starting point of trekking up to Mahadev Mountain.


Pari Mahal
The erstwhile royal observatory, Pari Mahal boasts of a well planned and is just a five-minute drive from Cheshmashahi. The place also houses a Buddhist monastery of the olden times, converted later to a school of astrology by Dara Shikoh, the eldest son of Mughal Emperor Shah Jehan. This ancient monument retains a dream-like quality, illuminated at nights and placed on the very edge of a mountain casting its reflection in the waters of the Dal Lake with a well-laid spacious garden in front.