Sree Nagar- The city of sights, smells and sounds
Sree Nagar, the commercial city of Kashmir still keeps its medieval charm. Sree Nagar is delightful to travellers from all over the world.The Mughal fort at Hari Parbat dominates Sree Nagar. It is difficult to visit the old city of Sree Nagar, which embodoies the essence of Kashmir. The roads are very narrow. the buildings looked very old. Copper wears are sold in the markets of old Sreenagar. Sree Nagar stands around the river Jhelum. I have travelled over a dozen bridges over the river. The river view is unforgettable to any one's eyes.Kadal in Kashmiri language means bridge. "Kadal" in Tamil language means love. The river view from any of these bridges is a beautiful sight.Some of the names of these bridges are Zero bridge, Abdullah bridge, Amira Kadal, Budshah Kadal, Habba Kadal, Zaina Kadal, Nawa Kadal, Safa Kadal, and Fateh Kadal. I saw several traditional buildings constructed with bricks and these buildings queue up in the banks of the river. . They look very traditional. When I was given Kashmiri tea to drink at Prerna's house in the traditional copper glass, I was very happy with my Kashmiri experience.
Kashmiri handicrafts were exquisite in their appearance. Tourists are welcome to visit Shrines and mosques in Kashmir. Several mosques were seen between Habba Kadal and Fateh Kadal. The most important shrine is Shah-i- Hamdan.
I visited a bakery in Sree Nagar just to see the variety of breads that people buy. Tsot, Tsochvoru, Lavas, Baqerhani and Kulcha are some of the varieties.
My stay in the house boat at Dal lake is worth remembering all the time. I saw floating vegetable gardens, blossoming lotus, and interacted with people living in house boats for their living.The exploratiopn by travelling in the shikara boat was very rejuvenating. I enjoyed Zabarwan mountain overlooking hte Lake.Between Dal and the mountain range are the world famous Mughal gardens- Nishat, shalimarand Cheshmashahi with beautiful flower beads, fountains and lawns. I saw Pari Mahal , constructed by a Mughal prince for the Sufi saint. It was a wonderful experience to visit Shankaracharya temple atop the Takht-i- Sulaiman hill.
The final destination was visit to Hazratbal mosque. It was near the Kashmir university.
I preserve my connection with Kashmiri people at Kashmir and Jammu. I love to visit Jammu and Kashmir again!
