Kashmir is picturesque and rightly referred as "Heaven on the Earth". One poet who said this couplet was right, when he said: " Gar jannat bar ru-e-zameen ast, Hamein Ast, Hamien Ast" (If there is heaven on th earth, It is this ! It is This!". We have all heard about Kashmir and its natural beauty, its green fir lined valleys and meadows, its snow caped mountain ranges, its golf courses, the shimmering flow of rivers Indus, Lidder and Jhelum, the Dal Lake, and the Mughal gardens which flank the lake across the boulevard in the valley of Zabarwan hills. Yet how many of us have known and admired the beauty of downtown Srinagar, its alleys and mohallas, the burnt brick and wooden houses, the various bridges over the Jhelum. The sights and sounds of Down town Srinagar is worth every minute spent there.Unfortunately very few visitors venture out into this part of city and the staff manning the Reception Centre of Tourism department also do not recommend visit to this part of the city unescorted. They may be right with their reasons for cautioning tourists for the area seems to have withstood the onslaught of modern trappings and development. The time seems to have stopped here somewhere in the early seventies. The bazars and mohallas are crowded yet has a silence of surreal kind. People speak in soft tones, no shouting, jostling and haggling here. Presence of security personnel though overwhelming yet after a while it sinks in that you are in one of the most troubled and terrorism hot spot of India. Zaina Kadal also has the dubious distinction of being the placxe from where the terrorists first raised defiance against the Indian government way back in in the early eighties. While on visit here you would hardly come across any 'Indian' as people from outside the valley are referred in local parlance. Your presence will be viewed with inquisitive eyes and you can sense that every one is watching you. This feeling is sometimes very overwhelming and very scary.
Zaina Kadal is one of the most picturesque area of old Srinagar. The word 'Kadal' means bridge in the Kashmiri language, hence localities have been named after the bridges that span over Jhelum river in Srinagar. Zaina Kadal, Amira Kadal, Habba Kadal are some of the areas named after the bridge here. Zaina Kadal area is of great significance in Srinagar. It is a bustling wholesale market for dry fruits, clothes, spices as well as major retailing area for household goods and groceries. The locality is also famous for its brassware and copperwares which is manufactured in this locality in numerous workshops. The area also is of great importance for historical, architectural and religious matters.
The skyline of Zaina Kadal is mangnificent in the sense that all the prominent bulidngs dot the skyline here. The areas which can be loosly referred as Zaina Kadal comprises of Pather Masjid, Zaina Kadal, Khanqah Shah Hamdan, GadaKocah, Vakil Kocha, Mazar Salateen, Saraf Sheikh Mohalla, Saraf Kadal, Qutubuddin Pora and Jamia Masjid. One can go on a Heritage Walk through this locality which entail walking for apporx 2 hours and covers 2 kms area. On this walk you would come across buildings and places which have historical, religious and architectural significance. You may start the walk from Pather Wali Masjid across the old Zaina Kadal Bridge over river Jhelum and cover Pather Masjid, a flat roofed mosque built of black stone (this is the one of its kind in India), Mujahid Manzil, Zaina Kadal, Khanqah-i-Shah Hamdan (Shah Hamdan'z cenotaph), Shah Hamadan was a prominent religious saint and is highly reverred in the Kashmir Valley and India. He is claimed to have brought Islam into India. Hammam Khanqah-i-Shah Hamdan (Public bath at Shah Hamdan Mousoleum), Shrine Ali Wali, Kali ka Mandir, Mazar-i-Salateen (Mousoleum of the Muslim rulers of Kashmir), this is in an enclosed area where the most prominent mousoleum is that of the mother of Kashmir's most respected and loved king Sultan Qutubuddin. Budshah’s Dumath, Shrine Pir Haji, Cenotaph Sultan Qutb-ud-din, Ruins Malik Jallaludin Thakur, Jamia Masjid, Budshah Masjid, Ghani Textiles, Matoo House, Vakil House, Promenade leading to Khanqah-i-Maulla, Gadha Kocha, Vakil Kocha and Sheikh Mohalla.
These prominent buildings and monuments lend a unique feel to the area and gives you glimpse of the true Kashmir. The people are courteous and hospitable as wherever I stopped for shopping or sightseeing I was welcomed with smile and treated with Kehwa. Pne can spend atleast half a day here visting the shrines whcih are of great architectural importance. The religious buildings here have unique architectural style which is not seen in other Islamic architecture. Conical roof tops replace the rounded cuppolas and minarets associated with traditional Islamic architecture. Jama Masjid is a beautiful building made of burnt brick and slanting roof with conical towers. The above two photograps are of the Mousoleum of King Qutubuddin's mother and Shah Hamdan Mousoluem on the river bank of Jhelum.
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