Destination guide
Verinag: the Mughal spring at the head of the valley
Verinag in Anantnag: Jahangir’s 1620 octagonal spring tank and arcade, its link to the Jhelum, road times from Srinagar, and how to pair it with Kokernag.
Verinag is a spring in Anantnag district, at the southern entrance to the Kashmir Valley. The Mughal emperor Jahangir enclosed it in an octagonal stone tank with an arcade in 1620, the date carved on a stone slab in its southern wall, and his son Shah Jahan later laid out a garden beside it. The spring is described as the main source of the river Jhelum. From Srinagar it is an estimated 2¼–3¼ hours by road; the garden reopened on 17 June 2025.
In this guide5 sections
At a glance
- District
- Anantnag, south Kashmir
- From Srinagar
- 2¼–3¼ h Go Kashmir app estimate, 23 Oct 2026
- From Kokernag
- 30–40 min same
- Built
- 1620, by Jahangir date on the stone slab
- Known for
- The octagonal spring tank and its arcade
- Status
- Open; reopened on 17 June 2025
What makes Verinag special
The octagonal spring tank
“An octagonal pavement has been raised around the spring by the Emperor Jehangir,” says the Anantnag district administration. The construction date, “1029 Hijri or 1620 A.D.”, is inscribed on a stone slab in the spring’s southern wall, according to JKTDC. The arcade around the tank was renovated in the reign of Maharaja Ranbir Singh, Kashmir Life notes.
Photo: Akshey25, CC BY-SA 3.0 The garden
A garden next to the spring was laid out by Jahangir’s son Shah Jahan, JKTDC says, with cascades and channels running through it. The district site also credits Jahangir with a pleasure garden and a summer house here.
The source of the Jhelum
“The spring is the main source of the river Jhelum,” according to Kashmir Life, and JKTDC says it “is known to never dry up or overflow”. The district site also records that Jahangir, dying at Chengas village near Rajouri, “wished to be buried at Verinag”.
Photo: Shaurya, CC BY-SA 3.0
Visiting
- Status: the Verinag, Kokernag and Achabal gardens reopened on 17 June 2025, PTI reported. Verinag drew 38,795 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; see what’s closed in Kashmir.
- Fees and hours: we found no official entry fee or opening hours. Check at the gate.
- Stay: the district site lists “a tourist bungalow, a rest house and some huts”, and JKTDC lists its Verinag Resort.
Getting to Verinag
- From Srinagar: an estimated 2¼–3¼ hours by road, according to the Go Kashmir app as of 23 October 2026. JKTDC’s page gives the distance as both 61 km and about 78 km; the district site puts Verinag 85 km from Srinagar airport.
- From Anantnag town: about 26 km, according to the district site.
- From Jammu: JKTDC’s older page calls Verinag “the first tourist spot of Kashmir Valley when travelling by road from Jammu”, just after the Jawahar Tunnel. Since August 2021 the highway has had a newer tunnel, the Banihal–Qazigund (Navyug), which the Asian Age reported would replace the Jawahar Tunnel. See Jammu to Srinagar.
Pair it with Kokernag and Achabal
Estimated road times from the Go Kashmir app, as of 23 October 2026:
| From | To | Road time |
|---|---|---|
| Verinag | Kokernag | 30–40 min |
| Verinag | Achabal | 45 min–1 h |
| Pahalgam | Verinag | 1¾–2½ h |
See the Kokernag guide and Achabal Garden.
Verinag questions
What is Verinag famous for?
Its spring, enclosed by the Mughal emperor Jahangir in an octagonal stone tank with an arcade in 1620, and its link to the Jhelum.
Which river starts at Verinag?
The Jhelum: Kashmir Life calls the spring its main source.
Is Verinag open for tourists?
Yes. It reopened on 17 June 2025 and is not on the official list of closed destinations as on 7 July 2026.
How far is Verinag from Srinagar?
JKTDC’s page gives both 61 km and about 78 km; by road it’s an estimated 2¼–3¼ hours.
Sources
- Anantnag district administration, Verinag, updated 22 Jan 2025, and closed tourist destinations as on 07-07-2026 (PDF).
- JKTDC, Verinag and hotels in Verinag. Read 23 Oct 2026.
- Kashmir Life, Verinag: an introduction, 3 Jul 2025, and 1.5 lakh visit south Kashmir sites, 4 Jul 2025.
- National Herald (PTI), parks reopened, 17 Jun 2025.
- The Asian Age, Banihal–Qazigund tunnel opens, 5 Aug 2021.
- 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
Keep planning
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 guideAchabal Garden: the Mughal spring garden near AnantnagA Mughal garden fed by a spring, its water running in three channels, 1½–2¼ h from Srinagar.
Getting thereJammu to Srinagar: train, road, bus or flight?Train in about 4 h 50 min, flights in 45 min, or 270–290 km of highway that closes after landslides and snow.
