Pari Mahal in Srinagar of Kashmir Valley || The paradise within the paradise on earth, which offers great panoramic views of the city and Dal Lake

It is perhaps a cliche to start a post on Kashmir with this, but let us go with it:

Agar firdaus bar rué zamin ast;

hamin asto, hamin asto, hamin ast!

There is a specific reason why I have mentioned this quotation, whose creator is still not established with certainty, here. Because while this was said for Kashmir by either Emperor Jahangir, or poet Amir Khusrao, or Emperor Shahjahan's Wazeer, Sa'adullah Khan, when we entered Pari Mahal in Srinagar, we actually realized why anyone would feel this way.

There is no denying that the entire Kashmir is very beautiful and worthy of being referred to as the Paradise on Earth. But within Srinagar, if we felt that there was paradise somewhere, it was in Pari Mahal.

Of course the weather was also conducive to such romantic musings. It was pleasant with a slight drizzle. And the valley was lush green, which looked stunning against a sky that was orange because the sun was ready to plunge beneath the horizon. On the top of that, Cumulus clouds in the distance added further drama to the setting.

Anyway, we are letting ourselves get carried away. Coming back to Pari Mahal, it is located at a distance of a couple of kilometers from Chashme Shahi and is on the Zabarwan Range overlooking Dal Lake. Our taxi driver, for reasons best known to him, tried to discourage us from going there, but we are so glad we persisted. The site is on the tourist circle and had decent number of tourists. We felt quite safe so we cannot even claim that the driver was worried for our security or something like that.

Pari Mahal, also known as Peer Mahal, was built by Dara Shikoh, the eldest son of Emperor Shah Jahan in the 17th century. The prince is said to have lived here in 1640, 1645, and 1654. Because of its location, Pari Mahal was also an ideal location for the study of astronomy and astrology. It served as an observatory as well.

Pari Mahal is a seven-terraced Mughal Garden that has stone arches, lush green lawns, enticing views, and in short everything if you want to spend a few hours just sitting and admiring the view.

Even though it is known as Pari Mahal, probably because it is so beautiful that it seems like the Abode of Angels, the building actually has several rumors associated with it, and many of them aren't all that pleasant.

As per local legends, the name Pari Mahal has less to do with this being the Abode of Angels and more to do with local folklore of mythical sightings and rumors of princesses kept captive here by evil magicians. However, there is no actual proof of such incidents in history. Nor do you think of such evil events when you are visiting the Pari Mahal.

In the recent past, the palace is said to have been used in some high profile and highly confidential interrogations. It was also used to host some top bureaucrats. Even today there is high security around this palace.

The palace is now under the jurisdiction Jammu and Kashmir State Government. It is one of the most beautiful places to visit in Srinagar. Do not miss it and if your time allows, spend good time here. Try not to be in a hurry.

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