Mughal
Gardens - Kashmir
Terraced lawns, cascading fountains, paint-box
bright flower beds with the panorama of the
Dal in front of them. The three Mughal Gardens
of Cheshmashahi, Nishat and Shalimar are the
Mughal emperors concept of paradise and are
today very popular places for picnics.These
gardens are traditionally patterned in the
formal gardens of Central Asia , Persia and
Turkistan.
Cheshmashahi is the first Mughal Garden
you will pass after Nehru Park. Built at
a  height
above the city , its views are as stupendous
as its layout. The smallest of Srinagar's
Mughal gardens, Cheshmashahi has only three
terraces in addition to a natural spring
of water enclosed in a stone pavillion.
Nishat, built by Empress Nur Jahan's brother
Asaf Khan. The largest of the gardens, Nishat
has seven terraces. These terraces rise
dramatically off the maountains from the
eastern part of the lake, and these together
with the flower-beds, a riot of brilliant
colors, present an unforgettable sight. |
Shalimar,
the gardenn of love,  was
built by Emperor Jehangir, whose love for
the Kashmir was legendary. Shaded by magnificient
chinar trees, the Shalimar is a series of
stones of pavillions and flowerbeds. 
Pari Mahal, Initially a garden built by
Dara Shikoh for his sufi teachere, Mulla
Shah, and decorated with several springs
that have dried up, the Pari Mahal gardens
are now proudly maintained by thestate government.
Built around a small spring, they house
exotic flowering plants laid out in terraces
surmounted by the ruined arches of a once
beautuful building. Pari Mahal is illuminated
at night, and can be seen, located on the
on the spur of a hill, most places in Srinagar.
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