Downtown, popularly known as ''Shahar-e-Khaas'', is the largest and the most densely populated area of 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 ...
Jhelum river
The Jhelum River (/dʒʰeːləm/) is a river in the northern Indian subcontinent. It originates at Verinag and flows through the Indian administered territory of Jammu and Kashmir, to the Pakistani-administered territory of Kashmir, and then ...
about from city center. The area is considered as the core point in the city as the first inhabitants of the Srinagar lived there. In general, the whole area to the north of city centre Lal Chowk is considered a part of downtown although some areas hold high significance. The
Jamia Masjid, Srinagar
Jamia Masjid is a mosque in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India. Situated at Nowhatta in the middle of the Old City, the Mosque was commissioned by Sultan Sikandar in 1394 CE and completed in 1402 CE, at the behest of Mir Mohammad Hamadani, ...
and many other shrines are located here, which makes it the central spiritual, religious, political and moral center of whole
Kashmir
Kashmir () is the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term "Kashmir" denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal Range. Today, the term encompas ...
.
The historical buildings and monuments found in the area reflect the design of old times. The residential homes are depicted to be constructed from late-19th century to early-20th century. Many key monuments like
Jamia Masjid
A congregational mosque or Friday mosque (, ''masjid jāmi‘'', or simply: , ''jāmi‘''; ), or sometimes great mosque or grand mosque (, ''jāmi‘ kabir''; ), is a mosque for hosting the Friday noon prayers known as ''jumu'ah''.*
*
*
*
*
*
*
...
,
Khanqah-e-Moula
Khanqah-e-Moula ( ks, خانٛقاهِ معلىٰ), also known as Shah-e-Hamadan Masjid and Khanqah, is a mosque located in the Old City of Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir, India. Situated on the right bank of the river Jhelum between the Fate ...
, Maharaj Gunj and shrines have been built by famous rulers of
Kashmir
Kashmir () is the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term "Kashmir" denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal Range. Today, the term encompas ...
.
History
The area was settled more than 2000 years ago in 3rd century BC by Raja Pravarsena. The area is the hub of the historical monuments made by the famous rulers of Kashmir. The historical monuments include
Jamia Masjid
A congregational mosque or Friday mosque (, ''masjid jāmi‘'', or simply: , ''jāmi‘''; ), or sometimes great mosque or grand mosque (, ''jāmi‘ kabir''; ), is a mosque for hosting the Friday noon prayers known as ''jumu'ah''.*
*
*
*
*
*
*
...
in
Nowhatta
Nowhatta, () known as Navyut () in Kashmiri language, Kashmiri, is a town of historical importance situated at a distance of 5 km from Lal Chowk, Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), Jammu and Kashmir, India. Nowhatta is famous b ...
Aali Masjid
Ali Mosque is a mosque located in the Srinagar city in Jammu and Kashmir. It was constructed in 1471 A.D. during the reign of Shamiri king Sultan Hassan Shah. The structure is the largest existing mosque within the premises of Eidgah Srinagar. ...
in Eidgah, Maharaj Ganj tomb in Maharaj Ganj, Pathar (stone) Masjid in Nawabazar, and Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jeelani's shrine in
Khanyar
Khanyar is a locality in downtown from Khayam to Khwaja Bazar in Srinagar district in Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It lies about 4 kilometers north from Lal Chowk, Srinagar. This localty is known for being the power base of ...
. Moreover, the
Roza Bal
The Roza Bal, Rouza Bal, or Rozabal is a shrine located in the Khanyar quarter in downtown area of Srinagar in Kashmir, India. The word ''roza'' means tomb, the word ''bal'' mean place. Locals believe a sage is buried here, Yuz Asaf, alongsi ...
shrine is also situated in the area.
Geography
The area is located at at an elevation of 1585 meters above
mean sea level
There are several kinds of mean in mathematics
Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. ...
in
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 ...
.
Demographics
Kashmiri Kashmiri may refer to:
* People or things related to the Kashmir Valley or the broader region of Kashmir
* Kashmiris, an ethnic group native to the Kashmir Valley
* Kashmiri language, their language
People with the name
* Kashmiri Saikia Baruah ...
or
Koshur
Kashmiri () or Koshur (, /kəːʃur/) is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by around 7 million Kashmiris of the Kashmir region, primarily in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
In 2020, the Parliament of India passed a bill to make ...
is the Mother language of People in the area. People also use
Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...
,
Hindi
Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...
and English as secondary languages. It is estimated that the downtown has the population of half a million which is about 47% of the total population of Srinagar district.
Flood
In September 2014 the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir was hit by
floods
A flood is an overflow of water ( or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are an area of study of the discipline hydrolog ...
caused by torrential rainfall. The area of Downtown was least affected as compared to the rest of Srinagar, though close to the river, the people from other parts of Srinagar shifted to downtown for safety. Commercial buildings and residential homes and Government offices were shattered to nothing in the adjoining areas. People lost their lives and properties and the whole area was set on the economic back-foot. Schools, hospitals and other places of significant importance were damaged by the floods.
Women's College
Women's colleges in higher education are undergraduate, bachelor's degree-granting institutions, often liberal arts colleges, whose student populations are composed exclusively or almost exclusively of women. Some women's colleges admit male stud ...
The areas which comprising Downtown Srinagar include:-
See also
*
Soura
Soura, () known as Sovur () in Kashmiri, is a notified area in Srinagar district of the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. It is located about 9 km north of Lal Chowk, Srinagar on Srinagar-Ladakh Highway in Jammu and Kashmir, I ...
Shalimar Shalimar or Shalamar refers to three historic royal gardens (or Baghs) of the Mughal Empire in South Asia:
* Shalimar Bagh, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India; built in 1619
* Shalimar Gardens, Lahore, Pakistan; a UNESCO World Heritage Site built i ...