INDIA KASHMIR SRINAGAR (PART 2)

HARI PARBAT

Hari Parbat is situated to the south west of Nagin Lake, overlooking its calm waters. Crowned by a Mughal fort, it has a popular Shakti temple dedicated to Sharika Mata on its western slope and the Muslim Shrines of Khwaja Makhdoom Sahib and Akhund Mullah Shah on its southern slope. Gurudwara Chatti Patshahi, built to commemorate Guru Hargobind’s visit to Kashmir, is at the foothills of Hari Parbat in an area called Rainwari . This mélange of structures from different histories and religions give the hill a unique character.

Legend has it that this area was once a huge lake inhabited by the demon Jalobhava. The hill grew when Parvati dropped a small pebble into the waters , which began to expand until it had formed the Hari Parbat and crushed the demon.

SHANKARACHARYA HILL

Approached from the Boulevard, Shankracharya hill, 355 m above Srinagar city, overlooks the Dal Lake, commanding breathtaking views of the city. The near  360 degree view maps the city so clearly that you will find yourself trying to spot your hotel or houseboat!The views of snow clad mountains further away are even more awesome.

Accessed by a winding 5.5km road , the Shiva temple on its summit is believed to be the oldest in Kashmir, though the present structure was rebuilt in the 9^th century. The great savant Adi Shankaracharya is said to have preached here in the 8^th century. Photography is not allowed at the temple.

To get to the shrine, visitors must brave over 200 stone steps leading up from the parking lot. At the end of the climb is a single celled shrine enshrining the linga. According to an inscription etched on the walls, the ceiling was built by Shahjahan in 1644 AD.

The Shankaracharya temple is also held by Buddhists, who call it Pas Pahar. The 14^th century Islamic preacher Shah Hamdan , meanwhile ,named the hill Takht-I Sulaiman or Throne of Solomon.

HAZRATBAL MOSQUE

Hazratbal , with its brilliantly white marble structure topped by a bulbous dome and rising minaret , stands on the western banks of the Dal, its pristine elegance reflected in the waters belwo. Housing the Moie Muqqadas or a sacred hair of the Prophet Muhammad, Hazratbal is considered the holiest Muslim shrine in Kashmir.

Thronged by devotees every Friday, it is particularly crowded on the rare occasions when the Moie Muqqadas is displayed to the public. Remarkable for being the only domed mosque in Srinagar 9 the others having distinct pagoda like roofs) it is popular with people of all faiths and a must visit for any visitor to the valley. The construction of the present marble structure was started by the Muslim Auqaf Trust in 1968 and completed in 1970.

MUGHAL GARDENS

Kashmir is blessed with both abundant water and distinct seasons. Gentle summers and crisp autumns conspire to fill the land with bursts of colour twice a year. Punctuated by winters that give the earth weeks of snowbound rest. The Mughal rulers of medieval Agra and Delhi had built many oases of shade and green in their marble and sandstone capitals, but it was in Srinagar that emperors and their gardeners were able to let their imaginations flower.The great gardens of Srinagar –known collectively as the Mughal gardens –are arranged around the massive Dal Lake and it was here that Mughal kings and nobles would find peace and rest. Today, these form an inextricable part of the lives of Srinagar’s inhabitants.

Overlooking the Dal from the northeast are Shalimar Bagh derives its name from an ancient resting house built by the king Pravarsena II and named Shalimar or “ the hall of love “. When the Mughal emperor Jahangir came to Kashmir in the early 17^th century, he built a garden here, which was named “ Farah Baksh” or “ delightful”.

Shalimar Bagh was built in 3 stages -the Diwan –e Aam, for the emperor’s Public audiences; the Diwan –e- Khas , where he would hold more private meetings ; and a section walled off especially for the royal zenana. A central canal flowed through spacious lawns leading to pleasant, airy pavilions of which one survives today, together with exquisite decorations and gold flowers and geometrical designs on its walls and ceilings.

In the warm months, Shalimar Bagh’s flower beds are rich with gorgeous roses, massive dahlias, deep red coxcomb and the air carries the delicate perfume of magnolia blossoms, while in autumn , the centuries old chinar trees burst into glorious shades of orange and gold. In winter, the grounds are covered in snow.

NASIHAT BAGH

It is just 2.5 kms south of Shalimar, is the largest of Srinagar’s gardens, spread across a magnificent 20 hectares. It is also, arguably, the most dramatic with the waters of the Dal spreading out to the west and the Pir Panjal range rising to its east. The garden is built in terraces originally; there were 12 which create the illusion that the mountains border the bagh, though in fact they are quite a distance away.

Nishat Bagh was the creation of Asaf Khan, Emperor Shahjahan’s prime minister and uncle. Despite such close bonds, the emperor could not suppress a feeling of envy when he visited Nasihat Bagh in comparison, it seemed ,even the imperial Shalimar was wanting.

Today, Naishat Bagh epitomizes what the National Geographic called the “nearly perfect marriage of art and nature’ in Srinagar’s gardens. Water still flows down the central channel collecting in a large pool near the entrance from which pigeons drink. Flower beds are palette of purples and red, yellow and pink;but nothing , perhaps , matches Naishat in the autumn, which “lights up the poplars in clear gold and the big chinars burn red” – and all who visit linger or unconscious of time’s passing.