Today is our day around Sringar by tuktuk, starting with the Khanqah Shah-i-Hamadan mosque in the old city, dating from the 1730s. It is a beautiful spired building decorated with papier mache and wood panelling.
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- Srinagar’s old city has plenty of character with its wooden buildings.
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- Srinagar’s old city has plenty of character with its wooden buildings.
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- Srinagar’s old city has plenty of character with its wooden buildings.
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- Khanqah Shah-i- Hamadan mosque.
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- Entrance to the Khanqah Shah-i-Hamadan mosque.
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- Hanging high above the entrance to Khanqah Shah- i-Hamadan mosque.
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- Inside Khanqah Shah- i-Hamadan mosque.
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- Khanqah Shah-i-Hamadan mosque is richly decorated outside.
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- Khanqah Shah-i-Hamadan mosque is richly decorated outside.
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- Khanqah Shah-i-Hamadan mosque’s exterior ceiling is richly decorated.
Next was the plainer but larger Jama Masjid from 1672 which has four sides organised around a large courtyard in its centre. The covered areas were supported by 372 plain wooden pillars.
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- Jama Masjid (mosque).
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- Inside Jama Masjid (mosque).
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- Jama Masjid (mosque) as viewed from the courtyard inside with a temporary colourful canopy.
We then headed out of town to a couple of Mughal gardens. First was Nishat Bhag, a large terraced garden looking out towards Dhal Lake.
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- Nishat Gardens, one of the Mughal gardens of Srinagar.
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- Nishat Gardens, one of the Mughal gardens of Srinagar.
After a snack-lunch we continued to uphill to Pari Mahal, causing the tuktuk to overheat. These gardens provide a great panorama over the Srinagar area.
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- Shikaras have heart-shaped paddles; all the roofs are old Nokia posters.
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- Pari Mahal gardens overlooks the whole of the Srinagar area.
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- Pari Mahal gardens overlooks the whole of the Srinagar area.
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- Pari Mahal gardens.
We skipped the Shalimar Gardens which is supposedly under renovation. From the book, it is historically more significant but less impressive visually; it was a gift from Jehangir (builder of the Taj Mahal) to Nur Juhan (whose body is entombed in the Taj).