Kashmir Culture and Heritage: Shrines, Gardens, Music and the Old City

• Hazratbal Shrine: Kashmir's most revered shrine, on the north shore of Dal Lake.
• Jamia Masjid: the Old City mosque of 378 deodar pillars.
• Khanqah-e-Moula: the painted wooden shrine on the Jhelum.
• Pathar Masjid: Nur Jahan's stone mosque.
• Srinagar's wooden mosques: what the sacred architecture looks like up close.
• Charar-i-Sharif: the shrine of Sheikh Nooruddin, Kashmir's patron saint.
• Shankaracharya Temple: the ancient Shiva shrine above Srinagar.
• Kheer Bhawani: the sacred spring at Tulmulla.
• Makhdoom Sahib: the shrine of Hamza Makhdoom on Hari Parbat.
• Baba Reshi: the forest shrine below Gulmarg.

• Martand Sun Temple: the 8th-century ruins near Anantnag.
• Awantipora: twin 9th-century temples on the Jhelum highway.
• Naranag: the 8th-century temple group most trekkers walk past.

Awantipora sits on the Srinagar to Pahalgam road, so it fits easily into a Pahalgam day. Martand is a short detour from Anantnag on the same route.

The Mughal emperors made Kashmir their summer retreat and laid out terraced gardens with water channels along the Zabarwan hills above Dal Lake. They are at their best from April to October, with tulips in spring and chinar colour in late autumn.

• The Mughal gardens of Srinagar: a complete visitor guide.
• Shalimar Bagh: Jahangir's royal garden.
• Nishat Bagh: the twelve-terrace garden on Dal Lake.
• Pari Mahal: the hilltop ruins above Chashme Shahi.
• Badamwari: the almond garden below Hari Parbat.
• Char Chinar: the four-chinar island in Dal Lake.
• Tulip Garden: dates and tickets for the spring bloom.

Downtown Srinagar along the Jhelum is the heart of the city's history: wooden houses with carved windows, shrines, spice and copper bazaars, and the old bridges (kadals) that cross the river. It is best seen on foot with a local guide.

• Srinagar Old City walking tour: Khanqah Shah Hamdan, Jamia Masjid and the lanes between.
• The old bridges of Srinagar: the seven kadals on the Jhelum.
• Zero Bridge: the wooden footbridge over the Jhelum.
• Hari Parbat Fort: the hilltop fortress above the city.
• Sri Pratap Singh Museum: Kashmir's state museum.

• Sufiana Kalam: Kashmir's Sufi classical music, played on the santoor and setar.
• Hafiz Nagma: the soul of Kashmiri folk music.
• Rouf: the women's circle dance of Eid and weddings.
• Bhand Pather: the folk theatre that laughed at kings.

• Lal Ded and Sheikh Nooruddin: the two poet-saints who shaped Kashmir.
• Habba Khatoon: the Nightingale of Kashmir.
• The Kashmiri language (Koshur): history and the Sharada script.
• Kashmiri Pandits: history, culture and their bond with the valley.
• Gujjar and Bakarwal nomads: the pastoral communities of the high meadows.
• Invited to a Kashmiri home? Etiquette for tea, meals and gifts.

Winter shapes Kashmiri culture. The 40 coldest days, Chillai Kalan, run from 21 December to the end of January. People wear the pheran, a long woollen robe, and carry a kangri, a clay fire pot in a wicker basket, beneath it.

• Kangri and pheran: how Kashmir stays warm without central heating.
• The Kashmiri kangri: the clay fire pot of the valley winter.
• The pheran: the valley's traditional long robe.
• Chillai Kalan: Kashmir's 40 days of hard winter, explained.

1. 1Morning: Shankaracharya Temple, then Hazratbal on the north shore of Dal Lake.
2. 2Late morning: the Old City on foot: Khanqah-e-Moula, Jamia Masjid and the bazaars.
3. 3Afternoon: Chashme Shahi, Pari Mahal, Nishat and Shalimar along the Boulevard.
4. 4Evening: a shikara on Dal Lake as the light goes.

With a private cab this fits into one full day. We add it to any Kashmir itinerary on request; see Srinagar tour packages or ask for a custom plan.

Add a heritage day to your Kashmir trip

Tell us your dates. We plan Srinagar's shrines, gardens and Old City with a private cab, alongside Gulmarg, Pahalgam or Sonamarg.

Further reading from Kashmir Pulse

• Hokh Syun: Kashmir's Sun-Dried Winter Vegetables Explained

  Hokh Syun, the sun-dried vegetables Kashmiri families put away every autumn for the long winter: what gets dried, how it is done, why the...

• Shallabugh Wetland: Kashmir's Winter Bird Refuge Near Srinagar

  Shallabugh Wetland in Ganderbal has been a Ramsar site since 2022 and is a winter home for lakhs of migratory ducks and geese. When to go,...

• Bhand Pather: Kashmir's 2,000-Year-Old Folk Theatre Tradition

  Bhand Pather is Kashmir's ancient satirical folk theatre - a tradition of masked performers who have mocked the powerful and celebrated the...

• Sufiana Kalam: Kashmir's Ancient Sufi Classical Music Tradition

  A guide to Sufiana Kalam - the classical music tradition of Kashmir, derived from Persian Sufi traditions, performed on the santoor and...

• Badamwari Garden, Srinagar: Kashmir's Almond Garden Below Hari Parbat

  Badamwari is Srinagar's almond garden on the foothills of Hari Parbat, revived and opened in 2008: when the almond trees blossom, how to...

• Which SIM Works in Kashmir? Prepaid, Postpaid and Tourist SIMs Explained

  Which SIM works in Kashmir: why prepaid SIMs from outside Jammu and Kashmir do not work, why postpaid does, how tourists and foreigners can...