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by Vinay Choubey, Vin

Srinagar, a romantic Kashmiri city situated around glistening lakes and snowy tree forested mountain slopes, is a lively, vibrant, and organic canal city, with one on the most pleasant climates in all of India. The summer paradise for many of the great rulers of antiquity, Srinagar lays claim to many wonderful opportunities for exploration and relaxation, such as hiking in the unique destinations scattered around the fabled valley, or reading a lovely novel while resting in an ornate floating palace.
Tourist Attraction in Srinagar

•Chatti Padshahi Gurudwara
The sixth guru of Sikhism travelled through Kashmir, stopping to preach occasionally and a gurudwara has been built at the exact site of each of these halts. The most important one being Chatti Padshahi Gurudwara near the Kathi Darwaza in Rainawari.

•Shalimar Garden
The Garden, 15 Kms from the city centre, was built by Emperor Jahangir for his beloved wife, Nurjahan. The gardens with four terraces are 539 by 182 meters and gets water from Harwan through a canal lined with fountains. The fourth terrace was once reserved for royal ladies.

•Kheer Bhavani
The Goddess Ragnya Devi symbolised as a sacred spring at Tula Mula village, 27 kms from Srinagar. It is believed that the goddess changes the color of the waters. The temple-spring complex is affectionately known as Kheer Bhavani. Devotees offer milk and kheer at this Durga mata temple, to the sacred spring that is said to change colour when warning of disaster.

•Dal Lake
The world famous water body described by Sir Walter Lawerence as the "Lake par-excellence", half a kilometers from the city, is the jewel in the crown of kashmir eulogised by the poets and abudantly praised by the travellers and tourists. The lake of late has unfortunately, considerably shrunk in size causing concern to environmentalists. The Governments have chalked out an ambitious project to save the lake from extinction.

•Sharika Devi Temple
To the west of the city is the hill of Hari Parbat, on which is the temple of Sharika Devi, believed to be a form of Durga Mata or Shakti. The hill is considered sacred to the Hindus.

•Nishat Garden
Queen Nur Jahan's brother, Asif Khan, laid the Garden in 1633 A.D. It is situated on the banks of the Dal Lake in the backdrop of the Zabarwan hills, 11 Km.from the district headquarter of Srinagar. The Garden commands a magnificent view of the lake.

Area 4,588 Sq. Kms.

Weather:
Baramulla district has severe cold climate in winter and a pleasant weather in summer. Each part of the district experiences snowfall during winter. Road to Gurez remains closed during winter due to snowfall. Snowfall in Gulmarg is known for winter sports. Average annual rainfall in District Baramulla has been recorded as 1270 mm. The district is worth visiting in the winters for enjoying the Snowfall and for winter sports, and also in the summers for enjoying the pleasant climate.

People and Culture:
Baramulla is no different from other parts of Kashmir Valley. The food habits, dress pattern, customs and traditions are the same as followed in other parts of the valley. Kashmiri is the main language of the people in the District, Pahari and Gojari are also spoken in Uri and areas near foothills of Gulmarg and Bandipora. Sheena (Dard) is the local language in Gurez and Tulail areas. The people also speak Urdu.

How to get There:

By air
Flights are operated by Jet Airways, Air Deccan, Spice Jet, Kingfisher Airlines and Indian Airlines from Delhi to Srinagar, or with a stopover at Jammu. The frequency is once or twice a day by each airline. The cost is approx Rs. 2,500 from Jammu and approx Rs. 2,500-5,000 from Delhi one way. The airport is still quite small and all flights originate in Dehli, pick up passengers and then return. It is also still heavily fortified and expect to see many soldiers with guns.

By taxi
Hiring a TATA Sumo SUV from Jammu costs approximately Rs.1, 900-2,700 depending on time of year or even time of day. To reduce costs many people choose not to take an exclusive taxi, and share the Sumo taxi with other travellers. This costs about Rs. 150-400 per person.

By bus
J&K SRTC operates fairly comfortable buses from Jammu costing around Rs 150 and do the journey in around 12 hours.

The M3 and M27 Motorways are the main road links between London and Southampton. The drive takes about one hour and forty minutes putting the city within easy reach of London's major international airports. A regular train service is operated by Southwest Trains between Southampton Central and London Waterloo train stations.

Southampton Airport hosts flights to many local destinations as well as to over 47 European destinations. There are no longer any international ferry services operating out of Southampton docks, but the port is home to a growing number of luxury cruise ships, including the QE2. The city has a good network of bus services with access to all the local amenities.

The history of the city can be tracked back to the Romans who established the first permanent settlement and port. The settlement known as Clausentum was the main trading port for Winchester and Salisbury, both large Roman towns. The town was moved to its current location by the Anglo-Saxons some time later. Southampton became an important trading port with wool being a major cargo in the 13th century.

After the city was sacked by the French in 1338 the Southampton City walls were built, part of which still stand today. In 1623 the Pilgrim Fathers set sail from Southampton, aboard the Mayflower on route to Plymouth in present day Massachusetts. Famously the RMS Titanic also set sail from Southampton on her ill fated first voyage. Many of her crew came from Southampton and a total of 549 city residents perished when the ship sank.

With the advent of air travel, traffic through the ports declined. However this trend is now changing with more luxury cruise ships setting sail from Southampton.

With such a rich history there is an abundance of things to see and do in and around the city. There are a number of historic buildings. These include the City Wall built in 1338, St Michaels Church built in 1070, God's House Tower built 1417 and the 12th century Red Lion Pub where the Southampton plotters were tried and sentenced to death.

Southampton is located on the door step of the New Forest. This is a large national park of about 570 km2. The New Forest was created by William the Conqueror in 1079 as a Royal Hunting Ground. The Forest today offers the visitor miles of peaceful walks through ancient woodland and heath land. Alternatively the forest can be explored on bicycle or horse back. There is an abundance of wildlife and the forest is home to the famous New Forest ponies. There are a number of villages in the New Forest each with their own secrets to uncover.

The city has a number of museums. The Museum of Archeology, which is housed in God's House Tower, has a collection of artifacts which tell the story of Southampton from the Stone Age to the present day. The Solent Sky Museum has a large display of aircraft and aims to educate the visitor on the rich history of aviation in the Solent area. Located a short drive to the north of the city is the Intech Science Center, an Interactive science and technology centre for the whole family.

The West Quay Shopping Centre is one of the largest shopping centers in the UK and hosts a number of major shopping brands. The city has a vibrant night life with a number of night clubs, restaurants and pubs.

In a recent survey by British Gas Southampton was ranked as one of the lowest carbon emitting cities in the UK and is the only City to operate a geothermal power station.

Make Southampton one of the cities you visit ? it has a long and vibrant history, an abundance of activities and is a gate way to exploring the South Coast.

Article Source : Adventure Vacations In Us

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Both Vinay Choubey & Paul Serellis are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

Vinay Choubey has sinced written about articles on various topics from Marketing, Nutrition and Web Development. Vinay ChoubeySEO ManagerFor more details on Srinagar Travel visit. Vinay Choubey's top article generates over 110000 views. to your Favourites.

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