South East Asia Travel Blog

You Are Here: CushTravel > srinagar

Shankaracharya Temple in Srinagar

By Leave a Comment

On a hill near Srinagar’s Dal Lake is a shrine dedicated to the Lord Shiva: Shankaracharya Temple, one of the oldest temples in the region.  The temple as it is now is said to have been constructed around the year 800 AD, although its origins, strictly speaking, go back further than that.  In fact, various estimates have it that the first temple on this precise location was erected around 2000 BC.

shankaracharya temple, india, srinagar
Shalimar Bagh of Srinagar

The Shankaracharya Temple as it is now is very likely quite different from what it was back then, of course, and not just because of recent renovations done on it.  For something this literally ancient, dozens of repairs, renovations, and modifications would have …

Roza Bal: The Most Controversial Shrine in the Kashmir

By Leave a Comment

In Khanyar, one finds a place with an intriguing name indeed.  This is Roza Bal, also transliterated as the one-word Rozabal, which stands for “Honoured Tomb”.  People of all faiths come here because of the identity of the sage said to be buried in it: Yuz Asaf, also identified as one of the bodhisattvas of Buddhism and Jesus of Nazareth of the Christian faith.  The name might sound a touch distant at first to English-speaking audiences, but one must recall that Jesus Christ is merely an anglicised form of the man’s original name, which would be nearer “Yeshua”, “Isa”, and “Yuza”.

roza bal, india, srinagar
Roza Bal Shrine in Srinagar

The allegation of Jesus’ burial having been at this site in India depends on an alternative view of Jesus’ life that says he went to India …

An Introduction to Srinagar’s Nagin Lake

By Leave a Comment

Nagin Lake, while often treated as a separate lake on its own by the inhabitants of Srinagar, is in fact part of the larger Dal Lake of the city, which is so large that it is subdivided into no fewer than four basins (each one called a lake).  Nagin is one of the most picturesque of the basins, with its single-lane (and single-wheel vehicle) causeway and the Zabarwan Mountain looming over it.  It is also right next to the famous Shankaracharya Hill as well as within view of the the local Mughal Fort on Sharika Hill.

nagin lake, srinagar, india
Beautiful Nagin Lake

Nagin Lake is considered one of the quieter spots of Dal Lake, perhaps because of its relative isolation from the other lake basins.  There is an air of calm serenity here, and common photos of the lake include ones of the treeline, where water meets the banks lined …

Manasbal Lake and What It Offers to the Eager Traveller

By Leave a Comment

One of the most beautiful of the Kashmir’s lakes is undoubtedly Manasbal Lake, just a little away from Srinagar.  The lake is bounded by mountains and a triad of villages also surrounds the lake: Ganderbal, Kondabal, and Jarokbal.  It is alleged that the lake is the one with the greatest depth in the Kashmir, at a depth of about 13 metres at its deepest point.  It is fairly well-known for being a calm lake, on the whole, and one that is accented by the sound of birdcalls.

manasbal lake, india, srinagar
Manasbal Lake in Srinagar

Birdwatchers come here often, as do tourists eager to waterski.  The place is obviously popular, although locals come here too for water for use in agriculture and horticulture, as well as for tending to their fish farms.  It is not necessarily a busy lake-at least, not …

The Kheer Bhawani Shrine of Srinagar and Its History

By Leave a Comment

About 22.5 kilometres from Srinagar is one of the most important shrines of the community known as the Kashmiri Pandits, a shrine that even now persists in inspiring tales of magical springwaters and accounts of devotion.  This is the Kheer Bhawani shrine, which is dedicated to Bhawani, also known as Maharagya Devi, Rhagnya Bhagwati, and supposed to be a form of the goddess Durga.

kheer bhawani, india, srinagar
Kheer Bhawani Shrine

The shrine as it appears now was constructed in 1912 by one of the most well-known of the warrior maharajas of the Kashmir, …

The Jhelum River of Srinagar

By Leave a Comment

The largest of the five rivers of the region that straddles the line between Pakistan and India is the Jhelum River, which is a tributary of the Chenab, itself a tributary of the Indus.  While it is now more popularly referred to as the Jhelum River, Westerners who have taken up world history should be more familiar with its old Greek name, which was Hydaspes.  The Jhelum River is none other than the site of one of Alexander the Great’s most brilliant battles in what was a generally brilliant career.

jhelum river, srinagar, india
Jhelum River

The Jhelum River is not a small river: this body of water runs its course for a full length of approximately 813 kilometres in all.  Its …