Cheshma Shahi or the Royal Spring is one of the three Mughal gardens in Srinagar, located in the Zabarwan range overlooking the Dal Lake. Also known as Chashma-i-Shahi, it was built 1632 AD by Ali Marda Khan on the orders of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan for his eldest son Dara Shikoh. Chashme Shahi Garden is famous for its natural spring known as Rupa Bhawani. It remains open for tourists from March to November.
Translating to the Royal Spring, Chashma Shahi is a terraced garden dotted with walkways, colourful plants and pools of water. Exhibiting exquisite Mughal architecture, the Chashme Shahi garden is influenced by the Persian gardens.
It is 9 Km. from the city centre and is famous for a spring of refreshment digestive water, having a natural spring of Pure, Cool and Sparking water. Two kilometers uphill from Cheshma Shahi is situated the Pari Mahal ( The palaces of Fairies) , a school of astrology founded by Prince Dara Shikoh, Emperor Shah Jahan’s eldest son who was killed in the war of succession.
The Cheshma Shahi-Pari Mahal area has been developed into a Tourist Village.
Aldous Huxley says that Chashma Shahi is “architecturally the most charming of the gardens near Srinagar”.
Housing a Mughal structure with Iranian designs and Persian-based gardens, Chashme Shahi is an elegant amalgam. It is a three-tiered green space built during the 1630s by a governor of the Mughal Emperor, Ali Mardan. The rooftop of Chashme Shahi hosts a two-levelled Kashmiri hut which is said to source the water that flows here.
The design here is such that the waterfall passes through structured layers of ramps. These ramps are parts of defined terraces of the garden; the uppermost, the middle and the lowermost. Each of these layers hosts individual pools and fountains. The entire structure is gripped with stairways to get to every level.