Waris Shah
Achabal Garden, called the places of the princes, is a small Mughal garden located in South Kashmir’s Achabal town in the Anantnag district.
Built about 1620 A.D. by Mughal Empire Emperor Jahangir’s wife, Nur Jahan, called the “greatest garden lovers of them all” and later extended by Gulab Singh, the garden is now a public garden. In the mid of the garden is a Mughal Hamam which is believed to be the space for warming used by the Mughals.
Over the years, the condition of Mughal Hamam has deteriorated and it now lies in complete Shambles. Once used by the Mughals and a site of historical importance is now being used by the drug consumers swelling by numbers in the valley.
Speaking to The Kashmiriyat, the locals of the Achabal town said that the Mughal Hamam is in ragged condition and can collapse anytime, posing a serious threat to the visitors and the Locals of the area, adding that, “large quantities of garbage including polythene, plastic, chemicals and medical waste and lie inside the Hamam.”
They added that the Hamam has turned into a den for drug addicts, which has resulted as a big nuisance for the local residents here. “People rarely come here now, it is not safe for anyone to visit the Garden, as it has become the meeting point of all Drug addicts in the area,” a Local Imtiyaz Ahmed said.
Appealing the Local administration to renovate the garden, the Locals said that despite their repeated requests, the Hamam has not been renovated yet. “The work was started last year unfortunately due to COVID-19 the work was stopped since then it is in the pause mode,” they told The Kashmiriyat.
The residents have appealed to the administration to initiate efforts for the repair of the Hamam.