Shalimar Bagh is the grandest of Srinagar's Mughal gardens, laid out in a formal terraced design along a central water channel that steps down through four progressively more private garden levels, from public reception…
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—Suggested visit
—Entry (Indian)
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Introduction
Shalimar Bagh is the grandest of Srinagar's Mughal gardens, laid out in a formal terraced design along a central water channel that steps down through four progressively more private garden levels, from public reception areas to what was once the emperor's private pavilion. Chinar trees, many of them centuries old, line the garden's avenues, turning brilliant shades of orange and red each autumn and drawing visitors specifically for the seasonal colour.
Built as a pleasure garden for Mughal emperor Jahangir and his wife Nur Jahan, Shalimar Bagh remains the most visited of Srinagar's garden trio, its scale and the elegance of its stepped water channels offering the clearest surviving example of the classical Mughal garden aesthetic applied to Kashmir's mountain setting. Evening light, when the fountains are illuminated, is a particularly popular time to visit.
History
Constructed in 1619 under the patronage of Emperor Jahangir, Shalimar Bagh was intended as a royal pleasure garden and remains one of the finest surviving examples of Mughal garden architecture anywhere in the subcontinent.
Best time to visit
April to October, especially autumn for chinar colours.
