Defence
The Shalimar Bagh in Srinagar, laid out by Jahangir in 1619 for Nur Jahan, is located on the shore of which lake?
Answer (Detailed Solution Below)View answer ▾Hide ▴
Answer: Option A — Dal Lake
Detailed Solution
The Shalimar Bagh in Srinagar, Kashmir, was laid out by the Mughal emperor Jahangir in 1619 for his wife Nur Jahan, on the north-eastern shore of the Dal Lake.
About the Shalimar Bagh:
- It was originally called "Farah Bakhsh" ("Delightful").
- In 1630, Shah Jahan extended it, and the extension was called "Faiz Bakhsh" ("Bountiful").
- It is laid out in the Persian char bagh style, on three terraces rising one above the other.
- A central water channel (the "shah nahar") runs through the garden, with fountains, cascades and pools.
- The top terrace was reserved for the women of the royal household (the zenana garden).
- It has a black marble pavilion (baradari) surrounded by fountains.
- It is often called the "Crown of Srinagar" because of its beauty.
Jahangir and Kashmir:
- Jahangir loved Kashmir, and visited it many times.
- In his memoirs, he described Kashmir as a paradise on earth, with its flowers, streams and mountains.
- A famous Persian couplet (often linked with Kashmir): "If there is a paradise on earth, it is this, it is this, it is this."
- He died on his way back from Kashmir in 1627.
Other Mughal gardens in Kashmir:
- Nishat Bagh: built by Asaf Khan (Nur Jahan's brother) in 1633, also on the Dal Lake; it is the largest Mughal garden in Kashmir.
- Chashma Shahi: built by Shah Jahan (1632), on a hillside above the Dal Lake.
- Pari Mahal: built by Dara Shikoh.
- Achabal and Verinag gardens: in south Kashmir; Verinag is the source of the Jhelum river.
About the Dal Lake:
- It is the second-largest lake in Jammu and Kashmir, and is famous for its houseboats and shikaras (small boats).
- Its floating gardens and markets are a major tourist attraction.
Other lakes:
- Wular Lake: one of the largest freshwater lakes in Asia, on the Jhelum river.
- Manasbal and Anchar are smaller lakes near Srinagar.
Why not the other options?
- ✗Wular, Anchar and Manasbal lakes are not the location of the Shalimar Bagh.
Quick tip
Remember: Shalimar Bagh (Srinagar) = Jahangir, 1619, for Nur Jahan, on the Dal Lake ("Crown of Srinagar"; Farah Bakhsh); Nishat Bagh = Asaf Khan; Chashma Shahi = Shah Jahan.
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Monuments & Religious Places — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Monuments & Religious Places, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers India's important monuments, temples, mosques, churches, gurudwaras and pilgrimage sites, who built them and when, their architectural styles, and India's UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Questions ask who built a monument, where it is located, or which dynasty or style it belongs to. For example, the Qutub Minar was begun by Qutbuddin Aibak, and the Sun Temple at Konark was built by the Eastern Ganga king Narasimhadeva I. Revise the UNESCO World Heritage Sites as a list, noting the most recent additions. Practise the monuments and religious places questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.