Mountain magic

“I did not imagine a boat ride could be so beautiful!” Taran was amazed by the beauty all around him. He had just finished a shikara ride at the famous Dal Lake in Srinagar, Kashmir, flanked by the majestic Zabarwan range of mountains.

“It was nice of the boatman to give you the oars,” Amma smiled. “You were quite the boatman.” Taran beamed. They were on their way to the Mughal gardens in a jeep. It was a short ride up the mountain.

“This is Pari Mahal,” said their driver. “Take as much time as you need. Pari Mahal has the best views of Srinagar and Dal Lake. Also, don’t miss the sunset.”

Back in time

“Did fairies live here? This place does look like something out of a fantasy story; an abode of fairies indeed!” said Taran, looking around the gardens and the seven-terraced structure. The mountains looked like the guardians of the palace.

“Actually, there is a story that an evil magician had imprisoned princesses here against their will,” said Appa, taking pictures of the tulips and other flowers.

“Oh, sounds horrid!”

“Some say the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan built Pari Mahal for his favourite son, Dara Shikoh. Others say Dara Shikoh himself built Pari Mahal and lived here during the mid-1600s. He was a great scholar and a secular king. He had a large personal library and is said to have even got the Upanishads translated into Persian. He was keen on astronomy and, because of the vantage point, used Pari Mahal as an observatory to learn about the stars and planets.”

“Wasn’t he Aurangzeb’s brother?” interrupted Amma.

“I was just coming to that. Shah Jahan chose Dara as his heir and he was loved by the people of Delhi but Aurangzeb would have none of it. He imprisoned his father and murdered Dara Shikoh.”

“Pari Mahal does have her stories,” remarked Taran. “It all looks so peaceful now.”

Reflections

As the sun set on Srinagar, the Dal Lake turned golden orange. Taran sat at the one of the arches, taking it all in. It almost looked like fairies in skirts of gold dust were flitting about with magic wands.

“Would history have been different if Dara Shikoh had not been killed and had remained the king of the Mughal empire instead of the tyrannical Aurangzeb?”

Amma sighed. “You never know. Unlike Dara Shikoh, Aurangzeb was not a moderate king. Also, the tide was changing. Foreign invaders were at the shores of India: Portuguese, French, Dutch or the British. The Mughal dynasty would have eventually ended making way for other rulers.”

“It finally ended in 1857,” said Appa, trying to capture some final fancy photos of Amma while she talked.

“But that is another story for another day,” said Amma, as she rose. “How about we get some of that famous Kashmiri kahwa?”

“I also spotted some kebabs at Dal Lake,” said Appa.

“Let’s go,” they said in unison.