Verinag

Verinag, in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district, is famous as the primary source of the Jhelum River and has been revered since ancient times for its clear blue spring. The name is often linked to “Vir-nag” or “Virah-nag”, referring to an ancient Naga (serpent deity) associated with the spring in Kashmiri tradition. Long before formal constructions were built, the site was a natural tirtha where locals worshipped the spring as a sacred manifestation of water and fertility, set against dense forests and mountains on the old route into the valley.

Verinag entered written history in a bigger way during the Mughal period. Emperor Jahangir, who loved Kashmir’s landscapes, visited the spring and ordered it to be architecturally developed. Around 1620 CE, the natural pool was reshaped into an octagonal stone tank, with beautifully dressed masonry and steps, and surrounded by a classic Mughal garden laid out in the char-bagh style. Inscriptions credit Jahangir with this work, and later emperors and governors maintained it as a key stop on the Mughal road to Kashmir.

Under the Dogras and then modern administration, Verinag remained a popular picnic and pilgrimage place. Today it is both a heritage Mughal garden and a symbolic starting point of the Jhelum, combining myth, imperial architecture and natural beauty.