Achabal | Kokernag | Verinag by Ahanger HOBO
Achabal | Kokernag | Verinag
Achabal is quite possibly the most gorgeous of the Mughals gardens and it was said to be Empress Noor Jehan’s favorite pleasure retreat. Like other Kashmiri gardens, it is located on a hillside with its water source at the top but unlike other Kashmiri gardens it is the only Mughal Garden which is situated as an extension of the forest, it is located in the middle of the tiny Achabal town near the taxi stand, 64kms from Srinagar and 10km from Verinag. In the days of
Noor Jehan had kept hamam on the back terrace of the garden, which was always warm and filled. After the Mughals, the people were unable to fathom the mechanism for keeping it warm so they opened the hamam and found a huge candle, which, in their clumsiness, extinguished and never relit. Today, only ruins remain. The garden is well laid out and houses the ubiquitous yet majestic Chinar. Cascades and fountains erected by Mughal Emperors enhance the beauty of the spot. A mosque standing in the garden is believed to have been constructed by Mughal Prince Dara Shikor. You first must reach Anatnag by bus or sumo and then take a taxi to the garden. It is not recommended you stay here but continues further up the road to Verinag.
This charming lake, located about 70 km from Srinagar (between Achabal and Verinag), is shaped like a right foot — with five toes and a heel and thus in ancient times was given the name of Vishnu Pad. In the distance, you can spy the sacred Brahma Shakri peaks, and at the same time enjoy the beauty of the water, which is said to have healing and digestive properties. “Koker”, in Kashmiri means chicken, and as the water pours forth from a forested hill and divides into channels, it is said to resemble a claw-foot of a chicken, thereby giving it its more modern name of Kokernag. Trout fishing in Kokernag is the most popular activity.
Lying at the north-western foot of the Banihal pass is Verinag, the largest spring in Kashmir (78kms from Srinagar), which is said to never dry up or overflow. It lies in a beautiful and peaceful garden with an octagonal pool in the middle, which Emperor Jehangir had converted from a circle to fit with the Mughal style. It is said he would rest here for weeks after crossing the Pir Panjal from Punjab. And it is indeed a place to relax and enjoy, the most perfect picnic spot in the Kashmir Valley. The pool which emits a clear sparkling stream is said to be Nila Nag the son of Kashyap Reshi, who was made King of the Kashmiri Nagas (nag snake worshippers). There are beautiful carvings of stones in Persian on the walls surrounding the spring telling how this great source of underwater spring is contained. There are guest houses here and also a tourist bungalow in which you can pass a relaxing night, before returning to Srinagar or continuing back over the Pir Panjal to Jammu. There is a Shaivite shrine located just outside the complex that draws pilgrims every year who come for a ritual dip on the first day of the year according to the Hindu lunar calendar. Verinag is also said to be the source of the Jhelum River, the blood that flows through Kashmir’s body. To reach Verinag, first you must take shared sumo from the Dalgate petrol pump to Anatnag (Islamabad) from the jeep stand here take another car to Verinag.
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