Srinagar Travel Information Guide

What to see, where to eat and where to shop in Srinagar.

While other holiday destinations have a tourist season and an off season, Kashmir has a ?stone-pelting season? and a season when people are not chucking stones at each other. The latter period is when you can consider visiting the place? one needn?t worry about the weather because the place is beautiful throughout the year. (And the Kashmiris are very charming and hospitable ? when they are not angry, that is.)

In spring, you will find the valley splashed with colours- yellow from the mustard fields, pink from the blossoms of plums and white from the blossoms of almonds and apples. The maple trees, the willows and the pines are fresh green; and the mountains stand purple against the blue sky. And then there are the flowers? tulips (wild ones in Pampore and the nicer ones in the Tulip Garden in Srinagar city); magnolias, roses, dahlia, marigold, daffodils, roses, pansies? if you?re a flower lover you can collect some and gift yourself a bouquet, like I do.

In autumn, when the Maple leaves turn a rusty red and fall, the walks and gardens in the city get carpeted with them and it?s lovely to walk over them and hear the crunch under your feet. That?s when, in Pampore especially, you?ll find fields full of Saffron flowers (which are purple by the way).

Winter is about skiing in Gulmarg, or enjoying snowfall in general. Even if it doesn?t snow, the valley is a pleasant sight, bare with shades of grey and brown, contrasting with its ambiance in spring.

At the heart of Srinagar city is the Dal lake, with is lotuses, water lilies, floating vegetable gardens and a host of Houseboats and shikaras. The lake has its own market area which can be reached through a ride in the shikara-boats. Boating in the lake is a luxurious experience, especially in a shikara with its roof like that of a four poster bed complete with flowery curtains (which will be drawn open, of course, so you can see outside). The cushiony seat installed in the boat is like a huge sofa. If you take your shoes off and sit with your legs stretched before you, your feet will still be on it. And then you?ll have the boatman sitting at the farthest corner of the boat with an oar which has a heart shaped paddle. I love the sound when the oar dips into the glass-like surface of the lake (?glupp!?) and then comes out with a patter of water droplets falling back in.

In the middle of the lake is a tiny island called Char Chinar because there are four Maple trees on it. You can take the shikara there, or towards the Kabutar Khana, the former King Hari Singh?s entertainment quarters, or through the market area and out at Nehru Place. If you like you can even rent one of the houseboats to stay in, instead of online hotel reservations.

The lake offers a great view of the Shankaracharya hill with its stony temple dedicated to lord Shiva on top, the Hariparbat fort on its own hill, the Pari Mahal and the Hazratbal Mosque. It stretches on all the way to the Mughal gardens at the other end. There are apple orchards and golf courses on its shore. Then there?s online hotel booking Centaur by the lake side where one can put up. There?s also a tulip garden I mentioned before, which was developed a few years ago.

For a panoramic view of the city and surrounding areas one can go up the Shankaracharya hill. When you drive towards the top through its jungle area you get different views of the lake. Once on top you need climb up around three hundred stairs surrounded by pine trees until you reach the tiny temple. Standing at the temple?s parikrama is like standing in the sky with nothing between you and the sun and the city stretched out below. You can see all the way till the end of the flat valley where the mountains stand like a great wall. It?s a nice and quiet place to meditate, when it?s not crowded with visitors.

For the most breathtaking view of the lake go to Pari Mahal, an old fort sitting on a mountain slope which was built by Aurangzeb?s brother Dara. The road that leads to it starts by the lake side. On your way up you?ll see the Chashma Sahi (literally: royal spring) garden famous for its spring water (which is rumored to have medicinal properties). Then, through the forest area again, the road will take you to Pari Mahal. If the season is right, you will be greeted with the scent of flowers from the Kikar trees in the area.

You can also visit the three Mughal gardens- Nishat, Shalimar and Harvan. Nishat and Shalimar are terraced gardens beginning from the lake side and going uphill in steps. They are lined by chinar trees at their sides and have a stoned canal each (with fountains) in the middle. It?s futile to describe them? one can only experience being there and repeat ?Gar firduas ruhe zami ast, hami asto, hami asto, hami asto?. ..(if there?s a paradise on earth, it is here). Harvan is a city of Maple trees and of course no Mughal garden is complete without running water and Harvan has its share of it.

After all this roaming about one is bound to get hungry. One decent restaurant on the lake side is Shamiana (towards the dal gate). Or you could go to Alka Salka on the residency road. If you prefer Indian cuisine (vegetarian) and you could drop in at Krishna dhabaat Durga Nag, near Burn Hall school (a rather funny name for a school). It is an economical place and the food is good. Srinagar doesn?t have many great places where you can eat, so I?ve mentioned only the best ones I could recall. Mughal Darbar and Jee Enn bakeries at polo view are quite decent too.

Polo Viewoffers a good shopping experience. In that area my favourite shop for kashmiri clothes and furnishings is G.M. Shah?s and for dry fruit I?d go to Amin Bin Khalik. For papier- mache, Lambert lane is a nice place to explore in make my trip.

All said and done, for me, the lake area is the place to be in Srinagar. I can spend all day by the lake, watching it reflect the sky and mountains around it? watching it shimmer when the sun is high in the sky and mirroring the orange glow of sunsets. At night when the house boats light up, the lake doubles their brightness by making their radiance dance in its dark waters.

Well that?s all for now? I?ll come back with more on Kashmir next time. india tour packages

P.S. The ugly side of this fairy tale is that the lake is slowly being choked, due to pollution (sewerage) and encroachment. However, ?efforts? are being made to save it from turning into a weedy horror.