MUGHAL GARDENS ( All garden's made by mughal's )

 
 

Shalimar Garden

Emperor Jehangir got the Shalimar Garden built for his wife Nur Jahan in 1616. A second garden Faiz Baksh, (The Bountiful) was added to it later during the reign of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan (1628-1658). Covering an area of approximately 539 m by 182 m, the Shalimar garden offers an amazing view over the other gardens, lakes and shallow terraces. Also known as the "garden of love", the Shalimar Mughal Gardens has four terraces, rising one above the other. The fourth terrace of the garden was, at one point of time, reserved for royal ladies. There is also a canal lined with polished stones running through the center of the Shalimar Bagh. The canal is responsible for supplying water to the garden from Harwan.

 The top terrace of the Shalimar garden was reserved for the Mughal Emperor and the royal ladies of the court. In fact, the top terrace was the most wonderful one out of all the terraces. The terrace has a tank with a black stone pavilion in its middle. The pavilion, which once served as a banquet hall, is supported by fluted pillars made up of black marble. Other attractions of the Shalimar Bagh of Kashmir include a number of fountains, shaded trees and innumerable varieties of flowers that blossom in spring and autumn. Last but not the least, a light and sound show organized in the garden every evening, during the period of May to October, is simply superb.

The top terrace of the Shalimar garden was reserved for the Mughal Emperor and the royal ladies of the court. In fact, the top terrace was the most wonderful one out of all the terraces. The terrace has a tank with a black stone pavilion in its middle. The pavilion, which once served as a banquet hall, is supported by fluted pillars made up of black marble. Other attractions of the Shalimar Bagh of Kashmir include a number of fountains, shaded trees and innumerable varieties of flowers that blossom in spring and autumn. Last but not the least, a light and sound show organized in the garden every evening, during the period of May to October, is simply superb.

Nishat Garden

Nishat garden is the largest one of the Mughal gardens in Kashmir. It is situated on the banks of the picturesque Dal Lake. Also known as "the garden of bliss", the Nishat gardens have the Zabarwan Mountains forming its backdrop. Asaf Khan, the brother of Nur Jahan, designed the Kashmir Nishat Bagh in 1633 AD. Within the garden are ruins of some of the buildings dating back to the Mughal period. One of them is a double story pavilion enclosed on two sides with latticed windows. There is also a small spring behind the garden, known as Gopi Tirth. It is a source of supply of crystal clear water to the garden.

Nishat Bagh of Kashmir, India, offers a splendid view of the Dal Lake as well as the snow capped Pir Panjal mountain range. The garden has terraces, each representing a different Zodiac sign. There is also a beautiful water channel flowing right in the middle of the garden. Other attractions of the Nishat garden of Kashmir include its blooming flowerbeds, trees, fountains, etc. You can also take a shikara ride at the Nehru Park from the garden. A famous picnic spot, Nishat Bagh also offers shopping facilities to its visitors. There are a number of shopping stalls situated opposite the garden.

Chashmashahi

Chashmashahi is the smallest of the three Mughal gardens of Kashmir. Meaning Royal Spring, this garden measures 108 m by 38 m and is above the Nehru Memorial Park. Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan set up the Kashmir Chashma Shahi Mughal Gardens in 1632 AD.

 The garden is quite famous for spring of energizing digestive mineral water inside it. Chasma Shahi Garden of Kashmir, India, offers a striking view of the scenic Dal Lake and the neighboring mountains. The garden has a number of terraces, with several fountains built right through its center.

Apart from the three terraces and fountains, the other attractions of Chashmashahi include an aqueduct and some waterfalls. The water for the fountains comes from the spring. This water then goes through the floor of the pavilion and falls over to the lower terrace, over a polished black stone chute. Also, a number of fruits, flowers and chinar trees grow in the garden, adding to its appeal. Near the garden is a small shrine, the Chasma Sahibi with a fresh water spring. The Chashmashahi garden is amongst the few others that charge an entrance fee. Recently, a number of extensions were made to the garden.

Harwan Garden

Harwan Garden is situated in the district of in Srinagar. A beautiful and massive garden, Harwan is a popular picnic spot. A beautiful canal, fed from a lake just behind the garden, passes through its center. The canal is bordered with blossoming flowerbeds and chinar trees. Kashmir Harwan Garden does not have the usual terraces, artificial fountains, etc, like the other gardens of Kashmir. It has been deliberately kept devoid of these man-made things. The main attraction of the Harwan garden of Kashmir, India, is its natural beauty that is present in plenty. The big lawns, carpeted with green grass, draw people automatically towards this place. An ideal spot for picnics and excursions, Harwan is the perfect place to take long walks in the lap of nature. It also serves as a take-off point for visiting Dachi Gam Wild life sanctuary and a starting point of a Mahadev Mountain trek.

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DAL LAKE

 
                                                                         
                       

The Dal Lake which has the length of 8 Km long and a width of 4 Km, spreads over a total of 26 Sq. Km. The fascinating Dal Lake is divided into two smaller ones the Lokut (small) and Bod (big) Dal. The south western part of the lake has a maximum depth of approximately 12 M. the Dal Lake gets some of its water from spring but is also supplemented by water from the mountain lake, Mar Sar. In the western part of the Lake one can glimpse a few islands, some bigger, some smaller. Its shores are very fertile and surrounded by willows. Potato, tomato, pumpkin, cucumber, radish and lots of other vegetables are grown here cultivation of the floating gardens which also lie in this part of the lake is another interesting feature. These gardens consist of reed rafts of different lengths and a width of approximately one and a half by three meters and are covered by 1020 CM thick layer of earth and mud. Vegetables and melons are grown on these artificial floating islands.

Dal Lake is, initially, one of the most confusing parts of Srinagar for it's not really one lake at all, but three. Further more much of it is hardly what one would expect a lake to be like - it's a maze of intricate waterways and channels, floating islands of vegetation, houseboats that look so firmly moored they could almost be islands and hotels on islands which look like they could simply float away.

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SRINAGAR INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

             
                           



                    

United Progressive Alliance  chairperson, Sonia Gandhi  said on Saturday that those believing in violence should learn a lesson from the faith the people of Jammu and Kashmir  have in democracy.

Inaugurating the new terminal for the Srinagar  international airport from where the first direct flight to Dubai was undertaken, Sonia Gandhi said, " The people of Jammu and Kashmir have shown their faith in democracy by an overwhelming participation in the recently held assembly elections in the state. This should be a lesson for those who believed in violence. They must also join the democratic process."

Gandhi also flagged off the train from central Kashmir's Mazhom rail station to Baramulla. The train will now run from south Kashmir Anantnag to north Kashmir Baramulla district. The UPA chairperson also said those "sowing the seeds of hatred among members of different communities in the country where not the well-wishers of the people at all."

She said the global economic crisis had not so much impacted India "because of the policies of the UPA government at the centre. "We have in fact provided relief to the people by reducing the prices of oil and LPG," she said.

She said the starting of the direct flights from Srinagar airport would help employment and also open new avenues of tourism for the state.

Civil aviation minister, Praful Patel, union railway minister, Lalu Prasad Yadav , union minister for water resources, Saif-ud-Din Soz, state chief minister Omar Abdullah  and former chief ministers, Ghulam Nabi Azad and Dr. Farooq Abdullah  where present at the inaugural function.

The new integrated terminal building having an area of 19700 square metres,  is made of glass and steel structure having modern passenger friendly facilities like a central heating system, central air conditioning, inline x-ray baggage inspection system integrated with the departure conveyor system. The airport also has inclined arrival baggage claim carousal,escalators, public address system, flight information display system, CCTV's for surveillance.

The airport apron has also been expanded to cater for the parking of 9 aircrafts from existing capacity of four. The airport will now handle 500 domestic passengers and 450 international passengers at a time.

In his message the prime minister, Dr.Manmohan Singh said that the prosperity of Jammu and Kashmir and it development was "very important to us. The two projects will go a long way in integrating Jammu and Kashmir with the country and the World, thus facilitating its economic development."

Sonia Gandhi later received the first international flight from Dubai which arrived at the newly refurbished Srinagar International airport.

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The Asia's Largest Flower Garden in Srinagar

THE TULIP-GARDEN


















The Tulip garden in the foothills of Zabarwan hill range on the banks of Dal lake in the city was today thrown open to tourists for the fourth season as visitors were mesmerized by the over-15 lakh flowers in full bloom.

"The Tulip garden was thrown open to visitors today and the response has been overwhelming," said Javed Ahmad Shah, in charge of Tulip Garden, which has been named after former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

Although the regular tourist season in Kashmir valley starts late in April or early May, the addition of the Tulip garden on the list of must-see destinations in the Valley has successfully advanced the season by at least one month.

"The garden has become a big attraction for tourists as well as local residents of the Valley. Red, yellow, variegated, pink, white, orange, light blue, and magenta are the main colours of tulips that are in bloom right now," Shah said.

The Floriculture department has brought more acreage under the Tulip cultivation in the garden as nearly eight hectares are covered by the flowers presenting rainbow-like formation.

The garden was initially started over five hectares of land but new terraces are added every year.

"We have been adding extra terraces year after year. Besides Tulips, Hyacinths have been cultivated too this year and these flowers bloom in February, a month before the tulips," he said.

Shah said several varieties of annual bulbs including phlox, candytuft, antirrhinum and pansies have also been sown in the garden this year in order to prolong the blooming period.

"Tulips have a life span of just two to three weeks depending upon the temperature. Higher the temperature, lesser the life of the tulips. This year the temperature has been higher than normal .. so we are using new methods to keep the garden attractive for a longer period," he added.

Shah said over 15 lakh Tulips of 72 varieties are presently on display.

The officer said the department was planning to keep the garden open for a longer period and the efforts are likely to succeed as the requisite facilities are being acquired in near future.

Meanwhile, with the arrival of tourist season, the Floriculture department has undertaken the task of upgrading almost all the gardens in the Valley to attract tourists.

The tulip garden spread over an area of 5 hectares and earlier known as Siraj Bagh has also been rechristened Indira Gandhi Tulip Garden.

Around 1.2 million tulips of 60 varieties have been grown in this garden this year.

However China has a much larger Tulip garden.

The Shanghai flower port in Nanhui district of eastern China boasts of 28 hectare Tulip Park, which is five times larger than the Tulip garden in Kashmir.

Kashmir’s Tulip garden is far from attaining the status of being Asia’s largest park, although it can be termed as South Asia’s largest such park.
More than 3.2 million tulips of around 300 varieties are in bloom at the park as compared to Kashmir’s 1.2 million tulips of 60 varieties.

When it comes to world’s largest Tulip park, nothing beats famous Keukenhof Tulip Park of the Netherlands.

The 32-hectare park is the world's largest tulip garden.

Every year, from March to May, Keukenhof Park hosts a flower show with over seven million tulips in blossom.

Though the authorities here claim that the park will ultimately cover 50 acres of land, but that is couple of years into the future.

The authorities are unable to meet the needs of tulips bulbs.

Like in 2007 this year too authorities had to import majority of tulip needed for the park.

A 900,000 tulip bulbs out of 1.2 million were imported from Holland in 2008.

Both the Dutch Tulip Park and Chinese Tulip Park attract 700,000 and 600,000 tourists annually.

Kashmir too is lured to this massive inflow and is getting encouraging results.

In 2007, 30,000 tourists visited the garden.

Last  year about 200,000 visitors were expected.

There has been another surprise as the Tulip garden was unexpectedly renamed from Siraj Bagh to Indira Gandhi Tulip Park.

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