Chashma Shahi, Srinagar

The Chashme Shahi originally derives its name from the spring which was discovered by the great female saint of Kashmir, Rupa Bhawani, who was from the Sahib clan of Kashmiri Pandits. The family name of Rupa Bhawani was ‘Sahib’ and the spring was originally called ‘Chashme Sahibi’. Over the years the name got corrupted and today the place is known as Chashme Shahi (the Royal Spring). The garden is located in the Zabarwan Range, near Rajbhawan (Governor‘s house) overlooking Dal Lake in Srinagar, Kashmir. The royal spring, also called Chashma Shahi, is one of the Mughal gardens built around a spring by Ali Mardan, a governor of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, in 1632.[2]