Nishat Garden: Where Kashmir Smiles in Flowers

Nishat Bagh, right by the shimmering edge of Dal Lake, offers it in the most graceful way.

I visited on a golden afternoon, when the sun was soft and the breeze carried the faint scent of roses. Nishat isn’t just a Mughal garden—it's a place where history and beauty walk hand in hand. Laid out in twelve terraces, each one representing a step closer to paradise, the garden unfolds like a gentle poem.

The sound of water flowing through the old stone channels, the chirping of birds in the chinar trees, and the laughter of families picnicking under the shade—everything felt alive, and somehow timeless.

I sat on the grass for a long while, watching the lake glisten and the mountains stand quietly in the background. Locals wandered by with ice creams and cameras, but no one seemed in a hurry. That’s the magic of Nishat—you don’t need to do anything. You just be.

The garden was built by Asif Khan in the 17th century, but it still holds that same Mughal grace: precise, peaceful, and endlessly romantic. It’s easy to imagine poets and emperors walking here, lost in their thoughts just like I was.

If you ever find yourself in Srinagar, take a few slow hours and walk through Nishat Bagh. Let it remind you how healing quiet beauty can be.