Pari Mahal

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Pari Mahal
Type Garden
Location Dal Lake, Zabarwan mountain Range, near Cheshmashahi, Srinagar
Opened 1650 AD
Founder Prince Dara Shikoh, son of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan
Operated by State Government

Pari Mahal (Hindi: परी महल ) or The Fairies' Abode is a seven terraced garden located at the top of Zabarwan mountain range over-looking city of Srinagar and south-west of Dal-Lake. The architecture depicts an example of Islamic architecture and patronage of art during the reign of the then Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan. It is five-minute drive from Cheshmashahi, Srinagar.

History

A view of terraced structure of the Mahal
Pari Mahal at night

The gardens were established by Prince Dara Shikoh in the mid-1600s on the ruins of a Buddhist monastery. Dara, the son of Emperor Shah Jahan, followed the Qadiri order of Sufi Islam and made the garden for his tutor; it was further used as an observatory, useful for teaching astrology and astronomy. The gardens have since become the property of the Srinagar government.[1]

Notes

  • Brookes, John. Gardens of Paradise: The History and Design of the Great Islamic Gardens. New York: New Amsterdam, 1987.
  • Kak, Ram Chandra. Ancient Monuments of Kashmir. New Delhi: Sagar Publications, 1971.
  • Sharma, Suresh K., and S. R. Bakshi. Encyclopaedia of Kashmir. New Delhi: Anmol Publications Pvt Ltd, 1995.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Pari Mahal - Srinagar". Retrieved April 26, 2012. 

Coordinates: 34°05′N 74°53′E / 34.083°N 74.883°E / 34.083; 74.883

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