This sight is located in Srinagar, India. For travel information about Srinagar, read the Srinagar Travel Guide and Kashmir Travel Guide. To prepare for a trip to India, read also the India Travel Guide. Looking for budget accommodation there? Use AsiaExplorers Budget Accommodation Guide, the no-frills website to cover your budget accommodation needs.
Srinagar is the capital of the state of Jammu & Kashmir in northern India. This is one of the more out-of-the-beaten-path destinations that we are describing in AsiaExplorers. It's hard to describe Srinagar though. To me, it is like a mediaval city that dropped out of a storybook. A place that has been left behind by time. Srinagar is located in the heart of the Kashmir valley at an altitude of 1,730 m above sea level, spread on both sides of the river Jhelum. The Dal and Nagin lakes enhance its picturesque setting, while the changing play of the seasons and the salubrious climate ensures that the city is equally attractive to visitors around the year.
Street corner at Srinagar.
Kashmir has a turbulent history, with Srinagar in the midst of it all. Everywhere we went, we saw soldiers with machine guns. Coming in from the airport, we passed through several checkpoints, and even before we could board the plane, our luggage underwent several checks.
The city was founded by Pravarasena-II, and Hiuen Tsang, who visited Kashmir in 631 AD, found it at the same site as it is today. The most famous ruler of Kashmir was Laltaditya Muktapida during the Hindu period, which ended in 1339 AD. King Zain-ul-Abidin (1420-70 AD), popularly known as "Budshah", was a great patron of Sanskrit. Akbar captured Kashmir valley for the Mughals, who endowed Srinagar with beautiful mosques and gardens.
The Sikhs overthrew the last Muslim ruler in the reign of Maharaja Ranjit Singh in 1819. In 1846 the Dogras secured the sovereignty of Kashmir from the British under the Treaty of Amritsar, and in 1947 the state of Jammu and Kashmir with Srinagar as its capital, became part of the Indian Union.
Srinagar Photo Album
A crowded bazaar in the middle of Srinagar. Note that most shophouses have their signs in English.
Spice market.
Narrow alleyways characterize the cityscape of Srinagar.
Street of Srinagar, with a mosque in the background.
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