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              SRINAGAR TRAVEL GUIDE

Srinagar  is the summer capital of the state of Jammu and Kashmir. he city lies on
both banks of the Jhelum River, a tributary of the Indus River. The city is famous for
its lakes and houseboats floating on them. It is also known for traditional Kashmiri
handicrafts and dry fruits. Srinagar is 876 km north of Delhi. The headquarters of the
Srinagar District are situated in the city.

Etymologically Srinagar is composed of two Sanskrit words, namely, Sri (meaning
abundance and wealth) and Nagar, which means a city. Thus, the word Srinagar
signifies a place of wealth and abundance. Sri is also the name of a goddess of
Hindus.

A legend, as incorporated in Nila’s Nilmatapurana, states that the Kashmir valley
was a vast lake. A Hindu sage named Kashyapa drained out the water, and there
emerged the beautiful valley of Kashmir.

The city was founded by the King Pravarasena II over 2,000 years ago, and the city of
Srinagar has a long history, dating back at least to the 3rd century BC. The city was
then a part of the Maurya Empire, one of the largest empires of the Indian
subcontinent. Ashoka introduced Buddhism to the Kashmir valley, and the adjoining
regions around the city became a centre of Buddhism. In the 1st century, the region
was under the control of Kushans and several rulers of this dynasty strengthened
the Buddhist tradition. Vikramaditya (of Ujjain) and his successors probably ruled the
regions just before the city fell to the control of the Huns in the 6th century, and
Mihirkula was the most dreaded ruler of the city and the valley.

The Hindu and the Buddhist rule of Srinagar lasted until the 14th century, when the
Kashmir valley, including the city, came under the control of the several Muslim
rulers, including the Mughals. It was also the capital during the reign of Yusuf Shah
Chak, a ruler who was tricked by Akbar when he failed to conquer Kashmir by force.
Yusuf Shah Chak remains buried in Bihar in India. Akbar established Mughal rule in
Srinagar and Kashmir valley.


GENERAL INFORMATION


Time zone             IST (UTC+5:30)
Area                        105 km² (41 sq mi)
Elevation               1,730 m (5,676 ft)
Climate                 ETh (Köppen)
Precipitation         658 mm (25.9 in)
Temperature          
Summer                 22 °C (72 °F)
Winter                     4 °C (39 °F)
Region                   Kashmir
District(s)               Srinagar
Language(s)         Kashmiri, Urdu


PLACE TO VISIT

Dal Lake - is a famous lake in Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir, in India. The lake
itself is connected to a number of other lakes of the Kashmir valley. It is well known
for its approximately 500 Victorian-era wooden houseboats, originally built as
vacation homes for landless British administrators during the Raj. The lake covers
18 square kilometers, and is divided by causeways into four basins

Shalimar Gardens - are the largest of the three Mughal gardens built by the
Mughal emperor Jahangir. Jahangir built the gardens for his beloved and talented
wife, Mehrunissa, titled Nur Jahan. The other two gardens are Nishat Bagh and
Chashma Shahi.

The gardens comprise four terraces, containing a canal supplied with water from the
Harwan reservoir nearby. The top garden, unseen from below, was reserved for the
ladies of the court. The garden is considered to be very beautiful during the Autumn
and Spring seasons due to the colour change in leaves and the blooming of flowers.

Ziarati Hazrati Youza Asouph -  in the Khanyar area, about 150 meters
NW of Dastgir Saheb mosque & shrine. This tomb, also known as Roza Bal, is
believed by some to be the tomb of Jesus (part of the larger theory that he survived
the crucifixion and made his way to Kashmir where he lived until at least the age of
100). It has been made popular by recent books such as Jesus Lived in India by
Holger Kersten among others. It's down a little side road - ask around, pretty much
anyone in the area can point you in the right direction.

Nishat Bagh - is one of the three Mughal gardens on the edge of Dal Lake in
Srinagar, India. The garden was built for a brother of Mughal emperor Nur Jahan.
From the lake edge, Nishat Bagh rises through 12 terraces along a broad central
canal toward the nearby mountains. Chadars, sloping chutes, funnel water through
each terrace to rectangular pools studded with fountain jets.

Shankaracharya temple - and Shanakracharya is believed to have visited
the place and meditated there. Most of the Kashmiris know this place by the name of
"Sulaiman Teng". The historians believe that before the temple was built on this site,
their used to be a mosque, which was later removed by the Hindu rulers.

Kheer Bhavani shrine -  located about 26 km from Srinagar is one of the
most revered Hindu Shrines of Kashmir. It has a spring which changes colours
indicating the fortunes of people.

Hari Parbat hill -  situated in the centre of Srinagar, is the site of a Durrani fort,
Sufi saint Sheikh Hamza Makhdoom's Shrine, an ancient Hindu temple to the
goddess Sharika Devi(Parvati).



HOW TO REACH

By air - Flights are operated by Jet Airways, Air Deccan, SpiceJet,Kingfisher
Airlines and Indian Airlines from Delhi to Srinagar, or with a stopover at Jammu. The
frequency is once or twice a day by each airline. The cost is approx Rs. 2,500 from
Jammu and approx Rs. 2,500-5,000 from Delhi one way. The airport is still quite
small and all flights originate in Delhi, pick up passengers and then return. It is also
still heavily fortified and expect to see many soldiers with guns. Winter flights can
easily be canceled and leave you stranded. Tickets are easy to purchase in town, but
the airport requires a ticket for entrance. A taxi into town should be Rs. 350 and direct
to Gulmarg is 1,200-1,500.

By taxi - Hiring a TATA Sumo SUV (fits up to 9 people, or 5 comfortably plus
luggage) from Jammu costs approximately Rs.1,900-2,700 depending on time of
year or even time of day. To reduce costs many people choose not to take an
exclusive taxi, and share the Sumo taxi with other travellers. This costs about Rs.
150-400 per person. For a comfortable trip, try for a seat in the middle row - the front
bucket seat is (sometimes uncomfortably) shared by 2 people, and the far back is for
the "vomiters".

By bus - J&K SRTC operates fairly comfortable buses from Jammu costing
around Rs 150 and do the journey in around 12 hours.

2 day buses run between Srinagar and Leh staying overnight in Kargil.