परी महल, literally "Palace of the Fairies". To get to it you have to go up a mountain accessed by a road bordering Dal Lake, in very much the way Marine Drive borders the Arabian Sea at Mumbai. The lake is crowded with traditional Kashmiri houseboats known as शिकारा, though the further you move away from the center of the city, towards the Mughal Gardens, the lake becomes more visible and tranquility sets in. An effort is on to keep the lake clean at all times with the help of modified boats. You can even see people engaged in the cleaning drive, rowing out into the middle of the lake and picking out plants and water lilies from the surface.
Pari Mahal is a five tiered palace cut into the the face of the mountain. It is bordered on three sides by towering hills while the fourth is open to the Kashmir Valley. The entrance to the palace is on the second tier. Though dilapidated at places, the gardens and streams at each level bring out the period of the palace. There is an army post within the palace since the Governor's Residence is in plain view from this height. Though a notice outside the palace says "Photography Prohibited", it is not enforced to the letter. At the top most level one can have a taste of mineral water that actually has minerals, considering we are in the mountains. The water is obviously chilled.
Trees with mushroom heads! My compliments to the gardener...and also to the Mughals who chose this site. The view is amazing!
Dal lake and the Governor's Residence...
Other Mughal Gardens located in the vicinity are चास्मेशाही, "The Royal Fountains" and निशांत बाघ , "The Garden of Spring", which is by far the largest of the three. The water from the streams and fountains of Chasmeshahi when take fills up the stomach. I couldn't help but smile when I overheard one person remarking "यह पानी नही, दूध है! दूध!".
A sip of water from this water is truly filling. Its like eating a small piece of cake!
Aanj on one of his hair wetting sprees...
The spring water at Chasmeshahi is fed throughout the gardens by way of channels such as these...
And all around you have breathtaking views of the surrounding mountains...
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