Srinagar is located in Jammu and Kashmir, is the largest city and the summer capital of the state Jammu and Kashmir. It is situated in the Kashmir Valley on the banks of the Jhelum River, a tributary of the Indus, Dal and Anchar lakes. The city is famous for its natural environment, gardens, houseboats and waterfronts. It is also famous for traditional Kashmiri handicrafts like Kashmir shawls and dried fruits. It is the northernmost city of India with over one million population.
Srinagar is one of places which is called the “Venice of the East”. Lakes around the city include Dal Lake which is famous for its houseboats and Nigeen Lake. Apart from the previously mentioned lakes, there are Wular Lake and Manasbal Lake both lie to the north of Srinagar. Wular Lake is famous, as it is the largest fresh water lakes in Asia.
Srinagar features some Mughal gardens, forming a part of those laid by the Mughal emperors across the India. Those of Srinagar and its close vicinity include Chashma Shahi (the royal fountains); Pari Mahal (the palace of the fairies); Nishat Bagh (the garden of spring); the Naseem Bagh and Shalimar Bagh. Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Botanical Garden is a garden in the city and was set up in 1969. The Indian government has included these gardens under “Mughal Gardens of Jammu and Kashmir” which are sites that have been included in the tentative list for world Heritage sites.
The Sher Garhi Palace houses administrative buildings from the state government. Another palace of the Maharajas, the Gulab Bhavan, is now known as the Lalit Grand Palace hotel.
The Shankaracharya Temple which is situated on a hill top in the middle of the city, besides the Kheer Bhawani Temple are important Hindu temples in the city.
Just like the territory of Jammu and Kashmir, Srinagar has also a distinctive combination of cultural heritage. Holy places in and around the city potray the historical cultural and religious divergence of the Srinagar as well as the Kashmir valley.
Additional famous places include the Dastgeer Sahib shrine, Mazar-e-Shuhada, Roza Bal shrine, Khanqah of Shah Hamadan, Pathar Masjid (“The Stone Mosque”), Hamza Makhdoom shrine, tomb of Pir Haji Muhammad, , tomb of the mother of Zain-ul-abidin, Akhun Mulla Shah Mosque, cemetery of Baha-ud-din Sahib, tomb and Madin Sahib Mosque at Zadibal.
The Sheikh Bagh Cemetery is a Christian cemetery situated in Srinagar that exists from the British colonial era. The oldest grave in that cemetery is that of a British colonel from the 9th Lancers of 1850 and the cemetery is famous for the variety of persons buried there which provides an insight into the perils faced by British colonisers in India. It was disfugured by floods in 2014. It consists of a number of war graves.
The city is home to the Sher-i-Kashmir Stadium, where international cricket matches had been played. The first international match was played back in 1983 in which West Indies defeated India and the last international match was played in 1986 in which Australia defeated India by six wickets. After these matches no international matches have been played in the stadium due to the security situation .Srinagar also has an outdoor stadium named Bakshi Stadium for hosting football matches. Srinagar has a golf course which is regarded as one of the best golf courses of India. There are certain other sports but those are played away from the main city like in Pahalgam (Water rafting), Gulmarg (skiing).