186 SUMMER GARDENS OF KASHMIR 



carved stones of the cornice that are left show how 

 fine the building must have been. The current 

 rushes out through the large arched crypt on 

 the north side, flowing under the chief fagade of 

 the house. The stream, flashing through the 

 gloom, lights up the dark arches with a flickering 

 green magic like a mermaid's cave, beyond which 

 lies the serene upper world of the sunlit water- 

 court. 



The palace is built on a succession of small 

 arches extending across the width of the first 

 terrace. Only the lower story is left, the rest 

 of the building having been destroyed by a fire 

 a few years ago. A road and an ugly rubble wall 

 shut out the terrace and turfed wooden bridges 

 across the canals, and spoil the whole effect, 

 which must have been most impressive when the 

 palace walls formed the southern garden boundary, 

 backed by the dark pines on the cliff behind the 

 spring. The main canal is about twelve feet 

 wide, and is crossed by a second watercourse 

 running immediately under the building. The 

 garden has been a large one, although it is some- 

 what difficult to make out the whole plan. At 

 present the first terrace is alone enclosed, but a 

 broken water-chute leads to a lower level, and 



