Nishat Bagh

The largest of the Mughal gardens in Kashmir is the Nishat Bagh. It is located by the lovely Dal Lake’s shore. With the Zabarwan Mountains serving as its backdrop, the Nishat Bagh is sometimes referred to as the “Garden Of Bliss”. The Kashmir’s Nishat Bagh was designed in 1633 AD by Nur Jahan’s brother, Asaf Khan. Mughal-era architectural remnants can be seen scattered across the garden. A double-story pavilion with latticed windows enclosing two sides is one of them. Gopi Tirth is the name of the little spring that is located behind the garden. It serves as a source of clean water for the garden.
From Nishat Bagh, you may enjoy breathtaking views of the snow-capped Pir Panjal mountain range and Dal Lake. There are terraces throughout the garden, each one symbolising a different sign of the zodiac. A lovely water channel that flows through the centre of the garden is another feature. The Nishat Bagh offers additional attractions such as its blossoming flowerbeds, trees, fountains, etc. At Nehru Park, you can also ride a shikara from the garden. In addition to being a well-known location for picnics, Nishat Bagh provides guests with shopping options. Opposite the garden are several shopping stalls.

History

An intriguing tale exists regarding the jealousy of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, who was struck by the garden’s grandeur and beauty upon first seeing it. He reportedly expressed his admiration for Asif Khan three times in the hopes that the latter would give it to him. However, Shah Jahan gave the order to turn off the water supply to the garden when Asif Khan made no offer. It appeared that the garden was abandoned for a while, which devastated Asif Khan. He was resting under a tree one day when one of his obedient servants turned on the Shalimar Bagh water supply source.
Asif Khan was surprised to hear the sound of the fountains operating and promptly ordered the shutting down of the water supply, fearing the worst in response from the emperor for this heedless act of disobedience. Luckily for the servant and Asif Khan, Shah Jahan was not bothered or irritated by the violation of his commands when he learnt about this happened at the garden rather, he thanked the servant for his faithful service to his ruler and gave his father-in-law, Asif Khan, complete restoration rights to the garden’s water suppl
Zuhra Begum, the granddaughter of Emperor Jahandar Shah and daughter of Mughal Emperor Alamgir II, was buried in the garden.

Layout

The basic conceptual model of the Persian gardens served as the foundation for Nishat Bagh’s layout, but it had to be modified to account for the site’s topography and water supply in the Kashmir valley. In order to suit the hilly terrain, the design was modified to an axial stream flow pattern, with the water source located at the top of the hill end, instead of the central design of Chahar, which had four radiating arms arranged in a square configuration. Rather than designing a square arrangement, this led to the planning of a rectangle one. Removing the long side arms was made easier by this. The result was the establishment of a rectangular layout measuring 548 meters (1,798 feet) in east-west length and 338 meters (1,109 feet) in widt

Architecture

Beginning at the shoreline and ascending to an artificial façade at the hill’s edge, Nishat Bagh is a wide series of terraces surrounded by avenues of chinar and cypress trees. With twelve terraces that correspond to the twelve signs of the zodiac, it rises from the edge of Dal Lake. As opposed to the four sections of Shalimar Bagh, which are dedicated to serving the Mughal Emperor, Nishat Bagh is only two sections—the public garden and the private garden for the Zanana or harem. This distinction is explained by the fact that Nishat Bagh belonged to a nobleman who was a member of the Mughal Emperor’s court. However, there are other features, such the terraces and polished stone channel, that are similar to the Shalimar Bagh. The two gardens share the same water supply source. Constructed with an east-west orientation, the highest terrace is home to the Zenana garden, while the lowest terrace is linked to Dal Lake. The approach road and lowest terrace have combined in recent times. The gardens receive clean water from a spring known as the Gopi Thirst. Around the Bagh, there are a few historic structures from the Mughal era.

The main canal is 4 meters (13 feet) broad and has a water depth of 20 centimetres (7.9 inches), running through the garden from the upper end. The first terrace at road level, which is also reachable via shikara ride from Dal Lake, is where the water cascades down from the summit. The water flows over stepped stone ramps that give the flow its brilliance as it moves from one terrace to the next. There are poolside fountains at each terrace, situated along the water channel. Benches are positioned at the crossings of the channels so that people can sit and take in the beauty of the garden, the cascading flows, and the fountain jets.
Terraces:
The first terrace serves as a chamber for collecting water and is connected to the garden’s side flow. There is a gate that opens to the second terrace. Water from the third terrace flows to the lowest level through five fountains on this terrace. There is a different design on the third terrace. There are five arched open niches in the front of the water chute, and there are identical niches on the sides. When it was first constructed, there was a two-story building here called a pavilion (baradari), which has since been taken down. The third terrace features a square room with five fountains and is accessed by stairs on either side of the canal. The fourth terrace is reached by climbing the four steps on either side of the waterway. There are two levels to the fourth terrace: a square pool and a water channel. The fifth terrace is reached by stairs that have seven steps. There is a stone bench across the channel on the sixth terrace, where you may take in the breathtaking scenery. There are five fountains in a square room in here as well.

The sixth terrace features a unique paving design, five fountains, and is divided into two levels. The motif is still there on the seventh terrace. There is just a water channel or chute on the eighth terrace. There’s an octagonal bench in the ninth terrace, at the end of two stairways. There are nine fountains in the pool on this patio. The only feature on the side retaining walls, beside the water chute with fountains, are the stairways leading to the tenth terrace. A pool with twenty-five fountains can be found on the striking eleventh terrace, accessible through the etched pathways. The final terrace is situated above this striking one. The zenana chamber, the twelfth terrace, has blind arches on its front and is protected from the front by a wall that is 5.5 meters (18 feet) high. This blind facade has only one arch that leads to the twelfth terrace. The lower level terraces are seen from two small octagonal towers that are positioned on either side of the retaining walls. Here, a gorgeous garden with abundant vegetation encircles a two-story pavilion.

How To Reach

There is a stunning view of Dal Lake from the road leading to Nishat Bagh. To go to this lovely Mughal garden in Kashmir, you can get a taxi in Srinagar or drive your own vehicle. Renting a bike in Srinagar is an additional way to go to this area. For a day of sightseeing in Srinagar, renting a private cab is the best option because it will let you view all the major attractions, such as Nishat Garden, Shalimar Garden, Pari Mahal, and Chashma Shahi.

The closest train station is the Srinagar Railway Station, which is roughly 21 kilometres away, and the closest airport is about 28 kilometres away from this garden.

Timings

The garden is open from sunrise to sunset. The Nishat Garden in Srinagar opens to visitors at 9 a.m. and closes at roughly 7 p.m.

Entry fee

Nishat Bagh has an entry fee of Rs. 30 per person. There is no way to book entry tickets for Nishat Bagh in Srinagar online; you have to buy them directly at the garden’s main entrance.

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