About Srinagar

Srinagar  the capital of Jammu and Kashmir during Summer. It is located in Kashmir Valley on the banks of river Jhelum which is a tributary of the Indus. This beautiful city is popular its houseboats, lakes and gardens. The dry fruits and traditional Kashmiri handicrafts are also quite popular in Srinagar.

History of Srinagar

Around 960 CE., Srinagar was made the capital of Kashmir. The history of Srinagar is vast with it being ruled by many rulers and empires. Following are the list of rulers that ruled Srinagar.

• King Pravarasena II
• Mauryan Empire King Ashoka
• Kushans
• Vikramaditya
• Huns - a nomadic tribe- Mihirkula 
• Yusuf Shah Chak
• Akbar
• Aurangzeb
• Durrani Empire
• Maharaja Ranjit Singh of Punjab
• Gulab Singh
  

Read More Here.

Geography of Srinagar

The location of the city is such that both the sides of Srinagar has Jhelum river passing through it. Also Srinagar has many lakes which are Wullar lake, Dal lake and Anchar lake. The climate of is a humid subtropical climate, thus is generally much cooler than rest of India. This is also due to its location in North. Srinagar is surrounded by Himalaya mountains.


The temperatures during winters are mostly below freezing point with it witnessing snowfall as well. However, it is best to visit this place during summers when the average temperature is around 24.1 °C . The average annual rainfall received by this city is around 710 millimetres. Autumn is the driest season while Spring is the wettest season. Read More........................

Tourism in Srinagar

The beauty of Srinagar is such that it has been called the "Venice of the East". This " Venice of Kashmir" has Dal Lake as a major landmark and a top tourist attraction which is located in the heart of the city . It is quite popular for its house-boats. Srinagar also has many beautiful garden and religious shrines. Other attractions in the city are as follows:

• Mughal Garden
• Shalimar Ghat
• Chashma Shahi Garden
• Hariparbat Fort
• Nagin Lake which is linked to the Dal Lake by a causeway.
  
• Botanical Garden
• The Lalit Grand Palace
• Wular lake, one of the largest fresh water lakes in India
• Manasbal Lake
• Pari Mahal
• Nishat Bagh
• Shalimar Bagh
• Naseem Bagh.
• Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Botanical Garden

Srinagar also has many religious holy places which includes:

• Hazratbal Shrine, also known as Dargah Sharif which is a domed mosque unique in this city.
• Jama Masjid, Srinagar, one of the oldest mosques in Kashmir
• Aali Masjid, in Eidgah Locality
• Kheer bhawani in Ganderbal
• Sharika Mata temple
• Shankaracharya temple
  
  

Also Read
Tourism in Srinagar | Hotels in Srinagar

Culture of Srinagar

The culture of Srinagar is very rich and traditional. The kashmiri handicrafts are quite popular in the entire country. The music form that is practised in this city is the Sufiyana music and Chakri. The culture of Srinagar has the essence of Himalayan culture with Upper Western and Lower Northern India's cultures. You can find a form of paintings in Srinagar which is  now known as Garhwal Paintings. People usually speak  Hindi, Garhwali, English and Punjabi in Srinagar. Bhand Pather, is the tradition folk dance practiced in Srinagar which involves the depiction of evils in a play and dance form.

Food in Srinagar

You would find a lot of rice varieties in Srinagar. People of Srinagar prefer eating a lot of Non veg which includes Mutton, chicken or fish Srinagar also hosts many bakeries serving delicious varieties of breads and pastries. You can find many bakeries at Shervani Road and Dalgate. 'Sheermal' and 'Baqerkhani', are varieties of bread without which no Kashmiri breakfast is complete. All the good hotels in Srinagar mostly have in house restaurants serving Kashmiri, Continental and cuisine. Most of the restaurants in Srinagar are located on the Lal Chowk , Boulevard, Lambert Lane and Shervani (Residency) Road.

Transport in Srinagar

The transport in Srinagar is extremely good as it is the capital city of the state. The city is connected to other major cities via  National Highway 1A and National Highway 1D. Also  Srinagar has an Airport with regular domestic flights to Delhi, Leh, Chandigarh and Jammu. Also it has occasional international flights connecting Saudi Arabia and many other countries.



Srinagar has a railway station and there are trains connecting this city with Baramulla and Banihal. This city also has cable cars, one which is run on Hari parbat to reach Sufi saint Makhdum sahib. Other cable car in the city is Gulmarg Gondola. Also Shikaras are used for transportation n Dal lake which also forms a important part of tourism.


As rightly said, Kashmir is heaven on Earth and the journey for heaven begins in Srinagar. Make sure you indulge yourself in the mesmerising beauty of this place.