Srinagar
Srinagar
The summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, Srinagar, is the crown of the state. Formerly assailed by politically-motivated upheavals, Srinagar is now returning to its former status as one of India’s most viewed pieces of jewelry—that is, as one of the country’s greatest tourist draws.
The attractions of Srinagar are considerable. Dal Lake and its peripheries alone can draw thousands of tourists each year. The lake is in fact called the jewel of Srinagar, a superbly scenic tourist spot surrounded by a dozen other scenic tourist draws. Tourists come here to ride in the bright shikaras, to take in the local houseboats, to visit imperial Mughal gardens harking back to the time of Jahangir. Both the Shalimar Bagh and Nishat Bagh are situated on the lake’s banks, and the relentless geometrics of their design is sufficient to take the horticulture enthusiast’s breath away. Just as well that the healing waters of Chasme Shahi and the sacred temples of Shankaracharya and Hazratbal are nearby too, to offer possible avenues of recovery from that breathlessness. And besides that, there is even an entire Mughal Fort to explore.
But stunning as the array of sights at Dal Lake may be, they are not the be-all and end-all of Srinagar’s tourist experience. Srinagar also offers controversies and mysteries like the Roza Bal, said by some to be the tomb of Jesus Christ; rugged adventures such as treks along the Kashmir Valley, where one may see some spectacular lakes at high altitudes; and even amazing shopping, with the many genuine pashmina and traditional carpet vendors in the area.
Srinagar is a land that the roads of tourism are only now beginning to rediscover, a once-summer-mecca for holidaymakers in the Jammu and Kashmir that is now starting to find its place on India’s tourist map again. Every tourist of the country should make a point of visiting it now, before its popularity truly takes off again and takes away some of its current charm by choking it with visitors like other tourist hubs.
