Pari Mahal , also known as The Palace of Fairies, is a seven-terraced garden located at the top of Zabarwan mountain range, overlooking the city of Srinagar
Next to Maharaja’s palace we find the ruins of Pari Mahal, “the fairies abode”, upon the mountain slope. It is situated to the west of Cheshma Shah, and a ruined garden palace. The construction of this palace is ascribed to Dara Shikoh, who was beheaded in 1659 by Aurangzeb. The garden consists of six terraces, with atotal length of about 400 feet. The width of the terraces varies from 197 feet to 205 feet.
Pari Mahal is surrounded by gardens.
The breathtaking structure of Pari Mahal has six terraces in total and is a fabulous illustration of Islamic architecture. The garden expands across a length of 123 metres and is about 63 metres wide. The outer wall has 21 arches built in a series in descending order. The entrance is on the third terrace with two spacious rooms on either side of the hall.
The uppermost terrace mostly consists of the ruins of a reservoir – a structure that the archaeologist think is the Baradari which means a twelve door pavilion usually constructed on the top of certain monuments to allow ventilation. The second terrace has a vast reservoir in the middle. The third terrace is quite an interesting part of the garden. The entrance arched in front and behind with a central domed chamber, is in the middle of the east. It is painted with white plaster. On either side of it are a few large rooms, one of which appears to have been a hammam. Its interior is most decorated. On the south of the entrance are a few other chambers.The fourth terrace also consists of ruins of a reservoir while the fifth terrace has a wall with pigeon holes. The sixth terrace has a tank in the middle with an octagonal bastion on each end. Water was supplied to the Mahal from the reservoirs through an underground pipeline which is also in ruins now.