After breakfast in the morning, check-out from the hotel and proceed for a local sightseeing tour of Srinagar. Visit the famous Mughal Gardens, along with a visit to Shankaracharya Temple & Hazaratbal Shrine. All the gardens are situated on th...
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After breakfast in the morning, check-out from the hotel and proceed for a local sightseeing tour of Srinagar. Visit the famous Mughal Gardens, along with a visit to Shankaracharya Temple & Hazaratbal Shrine. All the gardens are situated on the bank of Dal Lake with the Zabarwan Mountains in the background. The distance from Srinagar to the gardens is about 12 to 15 kms respectively. Enroute, visit the carpet-weaving factory and old Srinagar city. Nishat Bagh is one of the most beautiful terraced Mughal gardens located at the side of the famous Dal Lake near Srinagar.
The Garden of Gladness or Nishat Bagh is the second largest Mughal garden in the Kashmir Valley located on the bank of the Dal Lake with the Zabarwan Mountains at the back and offers a magnificent view Pir Panjal mountain range. Shalimar Bagh is the largest mughal garden in India located at northeast of Dal Lake near Srinagar city along with other famous lake garden Nishat Bagh. The Bagh has Dal Lake in the background and considered to be very beautiful during the autumn and spring seasons. The Chashme Shahi is one of the beautiful mughal garden built around a spring in the Zabarwan Range. A fresh water spring, terraces, water pool and a large fountain makes it the most charming of the gardens near Srinagar along the banks of the Dal lake. Spread over an area of about 12 hectares, Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip Garden is Asia's largest tulip garden (only operational in April).
Indira Gandhi Tulip Garden is situated at the foothills of Zabarwan Range. Overlooking the iconic Dal Lake, the garden is opened in 2007. Adorned by 70 varieties of tulips, the garden is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Srinagar. To add more magnetism to the garden, several rose beds are also cultivated. Shankaracharya Temple is an ancient temple that finds its origin in the 4th century. Located on Gopadari Hill in the south-east of Srinagar, Shankaracharya Temple lies at a height of 1100 feet above surface level of the city. In 371 BC, the temple is said to have been built by Raja Gopadatya. At that time, the temple was named as 'Gopadari', after the name of the King.
It is believed that Shankracharya, the great philosopher, lived here during his trip to Kashmir. The legend left the place centuries ago, ever since, the temple came to be known as Shankaracharya Temple. The main shrine is in the shape of a circular chamber and provides a breathtaking view of the valley. The first work of renovation is considered to have taken place during the reign of Lalitaditya. When the temple got damaged in an earthquake, the second repairs were done by Zain-ul-Abideen, under the rule of Sheikh Mohi-ud-Din. The stone steps that lead to the main shrine, are known to be built by Maharaja Gulab Singh. The Hazratbal Shrine is set on the left bank of the Dal Lake.
The Hazratbal Shrine takes its name from Kashmiri language where the word 'Hazrat' stands for holy and 'bal' stands for place. The shrine is considered extremely sacred among the Muslims. Later, proceed towards Pahalgam via Pampore, Avantipura and the village of Bijbehara which remains famous as the bread basket of Kashmir.
We switch from the national highway 1A at Khanabal and drive through the second largest city of Anantnag. From here the road turns scenic as we drive parallel on the Lidder River flowing from the opposite direction. On arrival check in to hotel for an overnight stay in Pahalgam.
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