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KHEER BHAVANI TEMPLE
Situated at Tullamulla in the Srinagar district, it is an important Hindu hrine, The temple is associated with the Hindu Goddess, Ragnya Devi. An annual festival is held hereon Jestha ashtami (may-June) when Hindus visit the place in large numbers to offer prayers and seek the blessings of the deity.Surrounded by streams, the place abounds in chinar trees in-and-around the compound within which
a hexagonal spring wherein which the deity of Goddess Ragyna
is decorated in a small white marbled temple.The Goddess Ragyna is believed to be another form of Goddess
Durga. The site of this temple predates this millennium. The
temple-spring complex is affectionately known as Kheer Bhavani
because of the thousands of devotees who have offered milk
and kheer to the sacred spring, which magically changes color turning black when warning of disaster.
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SHANKARACHAYA TEMPLE
Within Srinagar, on its highest hill is the Shankaracharya temple, nearly 1100 ft. above the surface level of the main city , on the Shankaracharya Hill. The temple is devoted to Lord Shiva. The site dates back to 2500 BC. The philosopher Shankaracharya stayed
at this site when he visited Kashmir ten centuries ago to revive
"Sanatan Dharma".Before this date the temple was known as
"Gopadri",as an earlier edifice on the same site was built by king
Gopaditya in the 6th century,and ,as such it is the oldest Shrine in Kashmir, though it is not certain if the temple exists in the same form as it had been built more than two thousand years ago.The first repair of the temple is believed to have been undertaken during the reign of Lalitaditya in the 18th century AD. According to a historian Shrivara, Zain-Ul-Abidin conductedsecond repairs of the temple after it had been damaged in an earthquake.The third time repair was undertaken during the governorship of SheikhMohi-Ud-Din, when the temple is believed to be renamed asShankaracharya. Dogra ruler, Maharaja Gulab Singh constructed stone stairs up to thetemple.The temple besides a prominent Hindu religious place, is of great archeological importance. The temple commands a panoramic view of the Dal lake and theSrinagar city.
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HARI PARBAT
The artificial beauty of the civil lines of Srinagar goes down the Hari Parbat hill and itsdrain the moment one catches the glimpse of the natural beauty of the surroundings. The strong fort atthe top is known as the Hari Parbat fort and was built by an Afghan governor,Sardar Atta Mohammad in 1239 A.D. The Mughal Emperor, Akbar the Great, whoconquered the Valley of Kashmir in 1587 A.D. at the veryoutset realized the need to provide employment by thepoverty-stricken Kashmeres, and with this objective in view, ordered hisgovernor, Syed Yusuf Khan, to built a strong wall around the slopes of Hari Parbat .Thework was completed during the region of Jahangir at the cost of one crore and ten lakhs. This stone wall is known as the fort of Nagar Nagar and is about three miles in circumference. It has three main entrances - again Darwaza, Bachhi Darwaza and Kathi Darwaza.Of these, KathiDarwaza, is a masterpiece of Mughal architecture and has to this day retained its beauty and grandeur despite numerous vicissitudes of time.The natural beauty of this place fascinated Akbar to such an extent that he laid out a very beautiful garden inside Kathi Darwaz with a small building in it in which he, according to his son, Jahangir used to sit for hours together. During his subsequent visits to Kashmir, he stayedat no other place than this, and his son did the same. When he was once accompanied to his happy valley by the sixth Guru of Sikhs, stayed inside the wall as usual, whereas Guru Sahib chose to stay in the garden just outside Kathi Darwaza where he blessed Mata Bhagbari, a woman-saint and staunch follower of Guru Nanak, with his Darshan.The way the hill is frequented by Kashmir Pandits all through the year leads one to believe that to them no other place of worship is as sacred as that of Devi Angan.The sacred shrine is located on the western slope of the Hari Parbat overlooking Sangin Darwaza and the spacious grounds of 'Badam Wari'. Thousands of Hindus visit this shrine almost every morning especially on the occasion of Nauratra and Ram Naumi. Of these the first synchronizes with the spring in Kashmir when almond trees growing luxuriantly around the hill are in blossom.
AMARNATH CAVE SHRINE
The Amarnath cave Shrine is situated in Anantnag district of Kashmir.This Shrine is the most important Shrine situated about 48 kms. from
Pahalgam, which attracts devotees from all over India. It is located in
the upper reaches of the district at an altitude of about 13,000 ft. from
the sea level. The annual pilgrimage take place in summer and
witnesses rush of devotees. The Shrine is believed to be an abode
of Lord Shiva. The Lingam in the cave is formed by blipping water
through the lime stone roof of the cave. The Lingam waxes and wanes
with the moon. Each year on Raksha Bandhan (July-August) thousand
of pilgrims make obeisance to the Lingam in the Cave.The Yatra starts from Pahalgam which is the base camp for annual pilgrimage. En route one comes across scenic beauty of Chandanwari, Sheshnaag and Panchtarni etc
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