Chashme Shahi, Mughal garden in Srinagar, India
Chashme Shahi is a terraced garden on the slope of the Zabarwan Range overlooking Dal Lake. The site rises through three levels connected by stone steps and narrow water channels that run between flower beds and low hedges.
Ali Mardan Khan commissioned the garden in 1632 under orders from Shah Jahan for Prince Dara Shikoh. The design followed Persian models common among Mughal rulers at the time.
The name means royal spring and refers to the source that still bubbles from the hillside and supplies water throughout the grounds. Visitors follow the flow through the terraces and watch locals pause at the fountains to taste the cool spring water.
The garden opens in the morning and closes toward evening between March and November, with late spring showing the most flowering plants. Visitors should wear comfortable shoes as paths lead over steep steps between the terraces.
Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India, regularly had water from the spring transported to Delhi because he preferred its taste. The spring still flows throughout the grounds today and locals consider it especially pure.
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