Place: Jammu Kashmir
Significance: Most famous for the houseboats on picturesque Dal Lake
Best Time To Visit : Through out the year

Jammu and Kashmir is the northern most state of India, nestled in the Himalayas. It is blessed with magnificent beauty. Being here in the land, one thinks the famous lines of Persian poet Firdaus to be justifiably right; “Agar Firdaus bar me Zaminast Haminasto haminnasto haminasto." (If there is heaven anywhere on earth, it is here, it is here, it is here). The state of Jammu and Kashmir includes the regions of Kashmir, Jammu and Ladakh.

Kashmir is one of india's most beautiful and touristically popular regions and has been since the time of the great Moghul emperors. It's probably most famous for the houseboats on picturesque Dal Lake you've not really been to Kashmir until you've not really been to Kashmir until you've stayed on one - but there's a lot more to the Kashmir Valley than just lazing on board.  

The Gardens you can spot in Kashmir :

Shalimar Garden
Located in Srinagar , Shalimar Gardens or Shalimar Bagh was laid out by Emperor Jehangir for his wife Nur Jahan in 1616. Shalimar Gardens are the magnum opus of Srinagar's many gardens and parks.
This beautiful garden was originally named the Farah Bakhsh or 'delightful garden', but today it is known as the 'garden of love'. The garden features a canal, lined with polished stones and is supplied with water from Harwan runs through the middle of the garden. The fourth terrace was once reserved for royal ladies. It represents a pavilion built of black stone in the centre of the tank, which was used as a banquet hall. Shalimar Bagh has an air of solitude and quietude, and its rows of amazing fountains and shaded lined trees seem to retire towards the snow dressed mountains. A sound and light show is held here every evening between May to October in the tourist season.

Gardens of Chashma Shahi
Laid out by Shah Jehan, the gardens of Chashma Shahi, so named because of a mountain spring that waters it. The gardens include three terraces, an aqueduct, waterfalls and fountains.
Cheshmashahi is the Ist Mughal Garden you will come across after Nehru Park. Smallest of the Srinagar Mughal gardens, the Chasma Shahi, or 'Royal Spring', are well set up the hillside, above the Nehru Memorial Park. The fresh water spring in these pleasant, calm gardens is renowned to have medicinal values. There is also a small shrine, the Chasma Sahibi, close to the gardens, which also has a fresh water spring.

Kashmir Cuisine

Cuisine-I-Lazeez
Kashmir, the land of fruits and nuts is also famous for its well known for flavoursome Kashmiri Cuisines, more for the non-vegetarian dishes. Traditional Kashmiri form of cooking is known as Wazhawan and consists of mostly non-vegetarian dishes. Kashmir serves the choicest selection of vegetarian and non vegetarian food in multiple flavours to suit every pocket. Multihued restaurants are available all along the major spots of Kashmir. The rich and aromatic flavour of the foods suites all the tastes and tongues unique to Kashmiri cuisine. Most Kashmiris including the Brahmins (Kashmiri Pandits) are meat eaters.

How to get there

Air : Indian Airlines connect Jammu with Delhi, Leh and Shrinagar.

Rail: Jammu Tawi, the railway station to reach Jammu, is connected by rail to Calcutta, Delhi, Bombay, Madras and other main cities in India.

Road: Jammu, on N.H.no 1A, is connected by good all-weather roads to all parts of India.

Fact File:

Area: 20.36sq. kms
Altitude: 305 metres
Population: 2,23,361 ( 1981 census)
Languages: Dogri, Hindi, Punjabi , Urdu and English
Best season: September to April
Major Cities: Zanskar , Gulmarg , Kargil , Pahalgam , Sonamarg , Patnitop ,Leh-Ladakh , Srinagar

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