SRINAGAR

Srinagar is located in the heart of the Kashmir valley, and spreads on both sides of the river Jhelum. It is the state capital. Srinagar is as much imagination as it is fact, for every season offers new vistas to this city of great antiquity. Spring breathes life again into a frozen world, and the air is heady with the fragrance of a million flowers that blossom on trees, shrubs and creepers. Summer heightens the effect, and autumn is poignant in its colours of warm introspection. The Mughals aptly called Kashmir "Paradise On Earth" where they journeyed across the tortuously hot plains of India, to summer in the cool environs of Srinagar. It was here they laid, with great love and care, Srinagar's many formal, waterfront gardens, now collectively known as the Mughal Gardens: Shalimar Bagh, Nishat Bagh, Chasm-e-Shahi. The lakes Dal and Nagin enhance its picturesque setting, while the changing play of the seasons, and the salubrious climate ensure that the city is equally attractive to visitors round the year.

General Information

Altitude :1,730 meters
Area : 103.3 Sq. Kms.
Population : 6,06,002
Languages : Kashmiri, Urdu, Hindi, English
Rainfall : 529 mm
Best Season : Through out the year, but winter is cold.

Festivals in Srinagar

Climate in Srinagar

Spring, which extends roughly from March to early May, is when a million blossoms carpet the ground. The weather during this time can be gloriously pleasant at 23 deg. C chilly and windy at 6 deg. C. This is the season when Srinagar experiences its rains, but showers are brief. Summer extends from May until the end of August. In higher altitudes night temperatures drop slightly. Srinagar at this time experiences day temperatures of between 21 deg. C and 30 deg. C. At this time, the whole valley is a mosaic of varying shades of green rice fields, meadows, trees and Srinagar with its lakes and waterways is a haven after the scorching heat of the plains. The onset of autumn, perhaps Kashmir's loveliest season, is towards September, when green turns to gold and then to russet and red. The highest day temperatures in September are around 23 deg. C and night temperatures dip to 10 deg. C by about October, lower by November when heavy woollens are essential. December through to the beginning of March is yet another mood of Srinagar. Bare snow covered landscapes being watched from beside the warmth of a fire is a joy that cannot be described to anyone who has not experienced it. Some houseboats and hotels remain open throughout winter these are either centrally heated or heated with bukharis, a typical Kashmiri stove kept alight with embers of wood, marvellously effective in the winter.