162 GARDENS OF THE DAL LAKE 



men were encouraged to work again in stone for 

 their new Moslem masters : and even these two 

 forgotten carvings show that wonderful Indian 

 sense of rhythm which still remains a living 

 national trait. 



The famous Shalimar Bagh lies at the far end 

 of the Dal Lake. According to a legend, Pravar- 

 sena II., the founder of the city of Srinagar, 

 who reigned in Kashmir from A.D. 79 to 139, 

 had built a villa on the edge of the lake, at its 

 north-eastern corner, calling it Shalimar, which 

 in Sanskrit is said to mean " The Abode or Hall 

 of Love." The king often visited a saint, named 

 Sukarma Swami, living near Harwan, and rested 

 in this villa on his way. In course of time the 

 royal garden vanished, but the village that had 

 sprung up in its neighbourhood was called 

 Shalimar after it. The Emperor Jahangir laid 

 out a garden on this same old site in the year 

 1619. 



A canal, about a mile in length and twelve 

 yards broad, runs through the marshy swamps, 

 the willow groves, and the rice-fields that fringe 

 the lower end of the lake, connecting the garden 

 with the deep open water. On each side there are 

 broad green paths overshadowed by large chenars ; 



