SRINAGAR “Old Town” by Ahanger HOBO

The Old City of Srinagar must be visited before you can even get a glimpse into what traditional Kashmiri life must have been like. The old town is situated around the river Jhelum and can be divided into sections along with its famous bridges. Before the Islamic rulers came, there was no bridges of the old city, small boats were moored at either side to provide cross river water transportation. The people of the old city are inquisitive and kind, you will be stared upon, approached and usually invited in for chai, “chai chakha/chai pyoo”. The sights of the old city are many and varied.

Old City by Ahanager HOBO

There are two ways to discover the old city, by land or by sea, if you have enough time, it is suggested you experience both! You can take a Shikara or motorboat from Dal Lake, Nageen Lake or the Bund behind Lal Chowk. Prices will be negotiable, anywhere from INR800 up, entirely depending on the season, the distance, time and the temperament of the Shikara wallah. Shikara wallahs can also provide lunch, tea, snacks and other items if you so desire. Seeing the old city by the water, you can really get a feeling of the geography, as well as the former glory of Srinagar. The first thing you will notice is that the Kashmiris are people of the water as much as they are peoples of the mountains. Their lives were and still are shaped by the bends of the river, the Jhelum particularly has been a place of agriculture, trade, worship, life and death. You will get to see how the old city of Srinagar has been situated around the river Jhelum, with bridges spanning the river at intervals and connecting the two sides, and how many of the old temples and shrines are located right on the banks. You will see glimpses of former magnificent houses of wood and mud and official buildings constructed by the Mughal rulers bordering the river and begin to understand how much of the body of Srinagar was run by the blood of the Jhelum. There are a few ways to reach the old city on foot. You can enter from the Dal Lake by walking straight through Khayam (take the Dal Gate bridge and walk away from the bazaar and the Boulevard) and just keep walking (you can also take the bus from the Dal Gate bridge heading away from the Bazaar). You can take a rickshaw from Dal and get dropped at Habba Kadal (approx INR50) and move from there. A third and most interesting walk is to start from near the Mahkdom Sahib Shrine and wander down the streets just under, where there lives a collection of folks who have made their homes in this place.

The best way to approach navigation of the old city is either to follow the river as much as you can and Criss cross the bridges at your fancy or turn into the city and enter into the alleyways and simply get lost. Inside you will discover the trades, products, food and architecture of old.

Elevation 1,585 m (5,200 ft)
Coordinates: 34°5′N 74°47′E
Settled Ancient
Union territory Jammu and Kashmir

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