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Achabal Garden: the Mughal spring garden near Anantnag

Achabal Garden in Anantnag: the Mughal garden built around a spring, its history and channels, road times from Srinagar and Pahalgam, and nearby Kokernag.

By Abbsar Bhat
Checked ·4 min read

Achabal is a Mughal garden built around a spring in Anantnag district, about 8–9 km from Anantnag town. The spring “gushes out of the Sonsanwar Hill”, says the district administration, and its water runs through the garden in three channels lined with fountains. Kashmir Life says most historians credit Empress Nur Jahan and some Emperor Jahangir, whom the district site credits; a government portal dates Nur Jahan’s work on the garden to 1620. From Srinagar it is an estimated 1½–2¼ hours by road, and the garden reopened on 17 June 2025.

A water cascade below a pavilion in Achabal Garden
A water cascade below a pavilion in Achabal Garden. Photo: KahkashaaN, CC BY-SA 4.0
In this guide5 sections
  1. The garden
  2. Visiting
  3. Getting to Achabal
  4. Pair it with Kokernag and Verinag
  5. Achabal questions

At a glance

District
Anantnag, south Kashmir
From Srinagar
1½–2¼ h Go Kashmir app estimate, 23 Oct 2026
From Pahalgam
1¼–1¾ h same
Built
Mughal era Nur Jahan’s work dated 1620
Known for
Spring-fed channels, cascades and fountains
Status
Open; reopened on 17 June 2025

The garden

  1. The spring and its channels

    “Perhaps the most beautiful of all the springs is Achabal,” says the Anantnag district administration: the spring “gushes out of the Sonsanwar Hill” and flows “through this garden in three channels”, with fountains laid along them. The district site adds that the Brengi Nallah, which disappears into limestone fissures at Dewalgam, “is said” to be the spring’s real source.

    A water cascade below a pavilion in Achabal Garden
    Photo: KahkashaaN, CC BY-SA 4.0

  2. Who built it

    “While the majority attribute its creation to Noor Jahan, some contend that it was the work of Jahangir,” writes Kashmir Life. The government’s film-location portal, India Cine Hub, says Nur Jahan “worked on enhancing the beauty of the garden in 1620 AD”. Its upper part is known as Bagh-e-Begumabad, or Sahibabad.

  3. The terraces

    The garden is laid out in terraces, and Kashmir Life notes that the lowest one has been “compromised by the highway” that now runs past it. A mosque in the garden is attributed to the Mughal prince Dara Shikoh, according to India Cine Hub and Kashmir Life.

    Water running through the stone channels of Achabal Garden
    Photo: Mike Prince from Bangalore, India, CC BY 2.0

Visiting

  • Status: Achabal reopened on 17 June 2025, along with Verinag and Kokernag, PTI reported, and drew 40,870 visitors in the following two weeks, according to Kashmir Life. It is not on the official list of closed destinations as on 7 July 2026.
  • Fees and hours: we found no official figures. A travel blog reported ₹40 entry and 9 am–6 pm opening in November 2025; check at the gate.
  • Who runs it: the Floriculture Department manages the garden, Kashmir Life reported in March 2025, and it falls under the Kokernag Development Authority’s jurisdiction, Kashmir Life reported in July 2025.
  • Stay: JKTDC runs the Achabal Resort.

Getting to Achabal

  • From Srinagar: an estimated 1½–2¼ hours by road, according to the Go Kashmir app as of 23 October 2026. The district site gives the distance as 58 km.
  • From Pahalgam: an estimated 1¼–1¾ hours. See the Pahalgam guide.
  • By air: Srinagar airport is about 67 km away, according to the district site.

Pair it with Kokernag and Verinag

From To Road time
Srinagar Achabal 1½–2¼ h
Achabal Kokernag 45 min–1 h
Achabal Verinag 45 min–1 h

Estimated road times from the Go Kashmir app, as of 23 October 2026. A loop from Srinagar through all three gardens is an estimated 5–7¼ hours of driving, so it makes a long day. See the Kokernag guide and the Verinag guide.

Achabal questions

Who built Achabal Garden?

Kashmir Life says most historians credit Empress Nur Jahan and some Emperor Jahangir; the Anantnag district site credits Jahangir. India Cine Hub dates Nur Jahan’s work on the garden to 1620.

What is Achabal famous for?

Its spring-fed Mughal garden, with the water running through three channels of cascades and fountains.

How far is Achabal from Srinagar?

58 km, according to the district site, and an estimated 1½–2¼ hours by road.

Is Achabal Garden open?

Yes. It reopened on 17 June 2025 and is not on the official list of closed destinations as on 7 July 2026.

Sources

  1. Anantnag district administration, Achabal, updated 22 Jan 2025, and closed tourist destinations as on 07-07-2026 (PDF).
  2. India Cine Hub, Achabal. Read 23 Oct 2026.
  3. Kashmir Life, Achabal: an introduction, 30 Mar 2025, and 1.5 lakh visit south Kashmir sites, 4 Jul 2025.
  4. National Herald (PTI), parks reopened, 17 Jun 2025.
  5. Vargis Khan, Achabal Garden, travel blog, Nov 2025.
  6. Go Kashmir app, estimated road times, 23 Oct 2026.

We write from published sources and do not claim personal visits. How we check facts.

Read next

Destination guideKokernag: the spring, the gardens and the trout farmA spring at the foot of pine hills, a botanical garden and a trout farm, 2¼–3¼ h from Srinagar.Destination guideVerinag: the Mughal spring at the head of the valleyJahangir’s octagonal spring tank of 1620, at the southern entrance to the Kashmir Valley.Destination guidePlaces to visit in Srinagar: lakes, gardens and the old cityDal and Nigeen lakes, the Mughal gardens, the old city and what’s closed.

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