Sights in Srinagar
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Dal Lake
Dal Lake is Srinagar's jewel, a vast, mirror-flat sheet of water reflecting the carved wooden balconies of the houseboats and the misty peaks of the Pir Panjal mountains. Flotillas of gaily painted shikaras (gondola-like taxi boats) skiff around the lake, transporting goods to market, children to school and travellers from houseboat to shore. If you want to photograph the lake, bring a long lens and a polarising filter to cut down the glare from the water.
Most visitors to Srinagar stay out on Dal Lake in one of the delightful houseboats left behind from the Raj, but landlubbers can hire shikaras for tours around the lake, visiting floating gardens and the floating flower…
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Pir Dastgir Sahib
The large, fanciful green-and-white Sufi shrine Pir Dastgir Sahib has a spired tower and wooden filigree work outside. The colourfully faceted interior has some beautiful papier-mâché work around a series of graves that flash gaudily with fairy lights.
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Khanqah of Shah-i-Hamadan
With frontage and interiors covered in elaborately coloured wood carvings and papier-mâché reliefs, this distinctively spired 1730s Khanqah of Shah-i-Hamadan is Srinagar’s most beautiful historic building. Non-Muslim visitors can peek through the door but may not enter. The building stands on the site of one of Kashmir’s first mosques, founded by Persian saint Mir Sayed Ali Hamadani. Nicknamed ‘Shah’, Hamadani had arrived in 1372, one of 700 refugees fleeing Timur’s conquest of Iran. He is said to have converted 37,000 people to Sufi Islam, and it’s also likely that his retinue introduced Kashmiris to the Persian art of fine carpet-making.
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Makhdoom Sahib Shrine
Hindus believe that towering Hari Parbat Hill was the island where Sharika (Durga) defeated the lake demon Jalodabhava, while Muslims pay homage at the vast Makhdoom Sahib Shrine, dedicated to a Sufi saint who helped the spread of Islam in Kashmir. A flight of stone steps climbs up to the shrine and descends towards Dal Lake, passing the ruined mosque of Akhund Mulla Shah, built by Shah Jahan's son Dara Shikoh in 1649.
The hill is topped by the imposing Hari Parbat Fort, now occupied by the Indian Army. Around the base of the hill are the remains of the old city walls, built by Akbar in the 1590s.
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Hari Parbat Hill
Hindus believe that towering Hari Parbat Hill was the island where Sharika (Durga) defeated the lake demon Jalodabhava, while Muslims pay homage at the vast Makhdoom Sahib shrine, dedicated to a Sufi saint who helped the spread of Islam in Kashmir. A flight of stone steps climbs up to the shrine and descends towards Dal Lake, passing the ruined mosque of Akhund Mulla Shah, built by Shah Jahan's son Dara Shikoh in 1649.
The hill is topped by the imposing Hari Parbat Fort, now occupied by the Indian Army. Around the base of the hill are the remains of the old city walls, built by Akbar in the 1590s.
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Tomb of the Mother of Zain-ul-Abidin
Hidden away in the bazaar streets between Zaina Kadal and the river, this unusual brick mausoleum, the Tomb of the Mother of Zain-ul-Abidin marks the final resting place of the favourite wife of Sultan Sikander, built over the ruins of a Hindu temple destroyed by Sultan Sikander. There's an interesting medieval cemetery behind the shrine.
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Pari Mahal
Pari Mahal is set amid palace ruins high above the lakeshore. Viewed from afar the ensemble looks especially intriguing when floodlit at night. By day it’s worth the long, steep autorickshaw ride for the fabulous lake views more than for the gardens themselves. Bring ID for serious police checks on your way.
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Jama Masjid
Srinagar’s principal mosque, the mighty 1672 Jama Masjid has room for 33,000 devotees. Each of the 378 roof-support columns was fashioned from the trunk of a single deodar tree. Monumental brick gatehouses mark the four cardinal directions. Bags and cameras are prohibited.
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Shankaracharya Hill
The forested Shankaracharya Hill, also known as Takht-i-Sulaiman (Throne of Solomon), has been considered sacred since at least 250 BC. Accessed by a winding 5.5km road, the hill is topped by the 11th-century Shankaracharya Mandir, a tiny Shiva temple.
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Sri Pratap Singh Museum
You’ll need your passport to get into Sri Pratap Singh Museum, accessed by a footbridge across the Jhelum River. Mughal papier-mâché work, weaponry and traditional Kashmiri costumes are among the highlights, but the stuffed animals look like they died of fright.
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Hazratbal Mosque
On the lakeshore north of the Old City, the modern Hazratbal Mosque was the setting for a notorious standoff between armed militants and Indian police in the 1990s. Today it has returned to its peaceful purpose - enshrining a hair of the Prophet Mohammed.
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Tulip Garden
Just behind the Botanical Garden is Asia’s biggest Tulip Garden which attracts crowds in April. Its long, straight rows of blooming tulips would look like a typical Dutch flower farm but for the backdrop of mountains.
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Naqshband Sahib
The beautifully proportioned but uncoloured 17th-century shrine Naqshband Sahib was built in Himachal Pradesh style with alternating layers of wood and brick to dissipate the force of earthquakes.
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Botanical Gardens
Srinagar is a city of gardens, many dating back to the Mughal era. Down on the lakeshore are the sprawling Botanical Gardens, a favourite snoozing and promenade venue for local families.
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Pathar Masjid
Facing Shah-i-Hamadan on the opposite side of the river, the peaceful Pathar Masjid is a more conventional stone mosque built by Jehangir's wife Nur Jahan in 1623.
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Nishat Bagh
Nishat Bagh is more impressive than Shalimar Bagh with its steeper terracing and a lovely lake-facing panorama.
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Shalimar Bagh
Built for Nur Jahan by her husband Jehangir, Shalimar Bagh is the most famous garden.
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Botanical Garden
The Botanical Garden is extensive and not quite formal.
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Cheshmashahi Garden
En route to Pari Mahal is the modest Cheshmashahi Garden.
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