Nishat Bagh in Srinagar, Kashmir || A Splendid Garden with a Breathtaking View of the Dal Lake beneath Pir Panjal Mountain Range
Nishat Bagh is a Mughal Garden built facing the Dal lake, with the back drop of Zabarwan Range. Nishat Bagh provides the view of Dal Lake at the foot of Pir Panjal Range. This was the first garden we visited in Srinagar right after the Tulip Garden. The garden is huge and we were tired after an early morning travel and the flight, so weren't really in the best of our forms. But we tried to do our best.
The garden is built in the style of Persian Gardens. However, the style had to be adapted to the hilly terrain and, therefore, instead of a central water source, the water source here is on the top terrace from where it flows down to the bottommost terrace.
In the traditional Persian design, four arms of water channels radiate from a central water source and supply water to the garden. And therefore, the gardens are usually square in design. However, in hilly terrain, this kind of a square plan isn't feasible, so the Mughal Gardens here are rectangular in plan and have just one central water channel running from the top-most terrace to the bottommost one.
The garden has a lush green cover and a tall green canopy owing to the cypress and chinar trees. The garden has well-planned areas of shade and sun that make it a perfect place for all seasons. the central water channel also helps in providing comfort during the warm summer months.
The garden was designed and built in 1633 by Asif Khan, the elder brother of Nur Jahan. when Emperor Shah Jahan saw the beautiful Garden, he expressed his appreciation of the garden's gradeur thrice to his father-in-law Asif Khan, apparently in hopes of receiving the garden as a gift. However, when that did not happen, the Emperor stopped the water supply to the garden.
Asif Khan was heartbroken and seeing his state, one of his loyal servants turned on the water supply from Shalimar Garden. Afraid that the Emperor will get offended by this, Asif Khan immediately asked for the supply to be shut down. However, the loyalty of the servant managed to touch Shah Jahan's heart and he not only forgave this act, but also officially restored the water supply to the garden.
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The garden has several fountains on each terrace and also beautiful and ornate cascades through which the water travels from the topmost terrace to the bottommost one. Overall it is a pleasant area to spend a few hours with your family and friends.
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