SRINAGAR “Old Town” Kashmir, India, Asia

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 were no bridges in the old city, and 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

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 people of the mountains. Their lives were and still are shaped by the bends of the river, the Jhelum particular 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 Crisscross 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.

Suggested Old City Walks (for further information on the buildings refer to the section on the religious places of Kashmir)

Walk One (2 hours)

Shah-I-Hamdan; Pather Masjid;

Copper Bazaar; Jamia Masjid

The walk begins at Shah-I-Hamdan. The best way to reach here is by auto rickshaw which should cost INR100 from Dal Gate

Number 1.

At Shah-I-Hamdan also called the papier-mâché mosque, you will see exquisite papier-mâché as well as wood carving, two very important crafts in the Kashmiri art idiom. From here you can purchase beautiful smelling rose water from the shop on the corner opposite. It is a very old shop and worth the visit. Here you can also see the tilla (needlework) on the colored pherans (the gown that both men and women wear, although tilla is only done on the female pheran). As you leave via the stairs from Shah-I-Hamdan, take a left. Keep walking and from the junction, you will see a bridge, cross to the other side and turn left and you will reach Pather Masjid.

This is a beautiful Mughal-style stone mosque, which is very unique in Kashmir and also very peaceful. You can relax and enjoy yourself in the garden. From Pather Masjid recross the bridge and turn left into the bazaar. Walk through here and enjoy the old architecture, be sure to look it up. Here is the spice market and also the colorful thread market. Turn right and you will reach Copper Ware Road (Zaina Kadal). You can see the copper smiths at work to the left and you can purchase the fines wares also. You will reach Bud Shah’s tomb (the local name for Zain-AlLUb-Din). Be sure to look for the ruins of the old stone Hindu temple where this tomb was built. The tomb is quite possibly the most stunning example of Mughal architecture. Take the same way back and hit the main road. Once you hit the main road walks straight up through the narrow market to reach Jamia Masjid. Here you can take tea and relax and also wander in the bazaar Walk Two (2.5 hours) Jamia Masjid, Nowhatta, Mukdoom Shahib, Akhund Mulla Shah, Gurdwara, Hassanbad.

The walk begins from Jamia Masjid, either continue on from the first walk or take an INR150 auto rickshaw from Dal Gate. The Jamia masjid is located in Nowhatta the beating heart of the old town and is the largest mosque in Kashmir. From Jamia Masjid take a left from the main entrance and walk straight, before you reach another four-road junction, from there turn right and walk straight for around 15 minutes and you will reach the stairs of Mukdoom Shahab Shrine. Remove your shoes and take them with you. Climb the stairs and when you reach the main entrance there is a place to keep your shoes. Enjoy watching the pilgrims inside the shrine but be sure to walk through to the other side to feed the pigeons and enjoy the amazing view of the old city. Collect your shoes but take the alternate set of stairs leading out of the back of the shrine, when you hit the bottom turn back in and visit the small Mughal-style stone mosque underneath, this is Akhund Mulla Shah. Retrace your steps and then walk straight through the old fort gate, keep walking and you will reach the lovely large white Gurdwara, Chatti Padshahi which was built in the 1950s. After visiting the Gurdwara, take a left along the main road, before crossing the bridge take a right, walking through the small streets until you reach Hassanbad colony and Hassanbad Imambara. Here enjoy the centuries-old Arabic and Persian calligraphy on the headstones in the graveyard and the peaceful and quaint outdoor shrine. You will need to see the caretaker to enter the Imambara, but he is more than happy to help. The
Walk Three (3 hours) Hassanbad; Gurdwara; Badam Wari; Tibetan Muslim Refugee Colony; Mizra Akmal-ud-Din Shrine; Alamgiri Bazaar; Madini Shrine; Jalali House Hassanbad is close to Nageen Lake and auto will charge you INR100 from Nageen and INR150 from Dal Gate. You can begin this walk fresh or at the end of walk two. After Viewing the Imambara and lovely graveyard at Hassanbad, leave this section by taking a right out through the colony. Once you hit the main road take a left and walk towards the late white Gurdwara. Take a right up the road (a small hill) past the Gurdwara and enter the stone gate (if you have just completed walk two you will be briefly retracing your steps), and walk straight, you will reach the psychiatric hospital (don’t stop here), keep walking and you will reach Badam Wari the beautiful almond garden (INR10 entry). Once leaving this garden keep walking up (don’t head back), this will take you to Hawal and the Tibetán Muslim Refugee colony. Wander through this lovely calm and quiet colony to get a glimpse of Tibetan faces and culture. These refugees fled Tibet after the occupation by China, they came to Kashmir as their ancestors were originally from Kashmir around some 800 years ago. After completing a circuit of the colony head back out (Through the stone arch) and take a left to the main road. Walk right and you will come across the lovely Mizra Akmal ud-din Shaib shrine, the disciple of Mukdoom Sahib. The shrine marks the start of the Alamgiri bazaar, there are located many artisans that you can watch and admire while they work, and also buy products directly from them (no middleman!). From here the first road takes you to the exquisite 14th Century shrine of Madani Sahab. The second road will take you further into Alamgiri bazaar and the wonderful Jalali house. Jalali House: Located in Alamgiri Bazaar is the famous ‘Jalali House’, perhaps one of the only houses in all of Srinagar that has been maintained in its former glory by the Jalali family.

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