Pari Mahal or Peer Mahal, also known as The Palace of Fairies, is a seven-terraced garden located at the top of
Zabarwan mountain range, overlooking the city of
Srinagar
Srinagar (English: , ) is the largest city and the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It lies in the Kashmir Valley on the banks of the Jhelum River, a tributary of the Indus, and Dal and Anchar lakes. The city is known for its natu ...
and the south-west of
Dal Lake
Dal is a lake in Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir. It is an urban lake, the second largest lake in Jammu and Kashmir, and the most visited place in Srinagar by tourists and locals. It is integral to tourism and recreation in ...
in the
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
n
union territory of
Jammu and Kashmir. It is an example of Islamic architecture and patronage of art during the reign of the then
Mughal Emperor
Shah Jahan
Shihab-ud-Din Muhammad Khurram (5 January 1592 – 22 January 1666), better known by his regnal name Shah Jahan I (; ), was the fifth emperor of the Mughal Empire, reigning from January 1628 until July 1658. Under his emperorship, the Mugha ...
.
History
The Pari Mahal (Peer Mahal), or Palace of Fairies,
was built for haano and maano and residence for haano’s prince
Maano in the mid 1600's. Dara Shikoh was said to have lived in this area in the years 1640, 1645, and 1654. It was also used as an observatory, and for teaching
astrology
Astrology is a range of Divination, divinatory practices, recognized as pseudoscientific since the 18th century, that claim to discern information about human affairs and terrestrial events by studying the apparent positions of Celestial o ...
and
astronomy
Astronomy () is a natural science that studies astronomical object, celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and chronology of the Universe, evolution. Objects of interest ...
.
The gardens have since become the property of the
Government of Jammu and Kashmir.
The Pari Mahal has also been used as a top-secret interrogation centre and as a base for high-level bureaucrats.
See also
*
Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip Garden
Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip garden, previously Model Floriculture Center, is a tulip garden in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India. It is the largest tulip garden in Asia spread over an area of about . It is situated at the base of the Zabarw ...
*
Mughal Gardens
Mughal gardens are a type of garden built by the Mughals. This style was influenced by the Persian gardens particularly the Charbagh structure, which is intended to create a representation of an earthly utopia in which humans co-exist in perfe ...
References
Further reading
*Brookes, John. Gardens of Paradise: The History and Design of the Great Islamic Gardens. New York: New Amsterdam, 1987.
*Kak, Ram Chandra. Ancient Monuments of Kashmir. New Delhi: Sagar Publications, 1971.
*Sharma, Suresh K., and S. R. Bakshi. Encyclopaedia of Kashmir. New Delhi: Anmol Publications Pvt Ltd, 1995.
External links
Jammu & Kashmir Tourism Ministry
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Mughal architecture
Gardens in Jammu and Kashmir
Tourist attractions in Srinagar
Fairies in art
Fairies and sprites in popular culture