Chasmashahi in Srinagar
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The meaning of the name of the garden Chasmashahi in Srinagar is ‘Royal Spring’, and a visit to this garden, will make you believe that the name given to it by its builder Shah Jahan, holds so much truth. The Chasmashahi in Srinagar is the smallest of all the three Mughal gardens that are present in Kashmir. It is 108 m by 38 m in measure and is located above the Nehru Memorial Park. You will find a small shrine, the Chasma Sahibi, near the garden and this shrine also has a fresh water spring in front of it. Chasmashahi at Srinagar proves the fact that a garden needs to be beautiful and have a strategic location and not really need to be large to attract the attention of the visitors.
Chasmashahi in Srinagar that was commissioned by Shah Jahan in the year 1632 is also famous for the springs which have good quality digestive mineral water. The surrounding has equally breathtaking beauty. Chasmashahi of Srinagar is located high up in the mountain and from there you can see the lotus adorned and shikara filled Dal Lake and the other mountains. Though the garden is small, yet it is no less in charm than all the other Mughal gardens. You will find lots of terraces around and beautiful springs in the center of the garden. You will find a beautiful spring bubbling in a stone vase in the hall of the upper pavilion of the garden. In front of this building you will find that the garden which has an oblong shape and spreads for about an acre is divided into two terraces. At the upper terrace, there is a stone chabutra having a fountain basin. In the lower terrace you will find a tank at the center with a jet fountain. There is a black stone built water chute through which the water of the fountain trickles down. The architecture of these terraces will remind you of old Afghan stone buildings.
As you walk in the hall in the upper garden terrace enjoying the view of the Dal Lake from the arched openings besides the walls that have black marble rails, all of a sudden, as if from nowhere, you get to see the lower garden. This enclosure is around half the size of the upper garden. Here also you will find a reservoir at the center along with five jet fountains. The reservoir is bordered with beautiful flowering plants.
