The capital during the summer months, and size-wise, the largest, Srinagar is very important to the state of Jammu and Kashmir. The city decorates the banks of the Jhelum river, the Dal and Nigeen lakes, the Valley of Kashmir’s pride and joy is the city of Srinagar. The gardens, waterfronts, and houseboats are some of the things it is famous for and constitute an important part of best things to do in Srinagar. Apart from these, traditional handicrafts of Kashmiri origin and fruits which have been dried for long periods of time under Kashmiri sun are famous.
Folk etymology shows that the name comes from two different Sanskrit words, which are: “Sri”, which is used to denote the Goddess Lakshmi, and “Nagar”, which is used to denote the word, “city”. Therefore, Srinagar is also known as the “City of Lakhsmi”, or a city which is blessed by the goddess Lakshmi, a city that always prospers.
The earliest of the mentions of the city, states that the word, “Srinagar” comes from the word, “Surya- Nagar”, which means, “Home of Surya” or “city blessed by the Sun God”.
The climate experienced at Srinagar is Humid Subtropical, therefore making the place experience much colder weather than most the other parts of the subcontinent. This, however, is because of the very high elevated areas. The valley and the city have been surrounded by the Himalayas on all sides, thereby giving access to travelers to take part in the best things to do in Srinagar. Srinagar experiences cool winters and the temperatures with an average of 2.5°C in the daytime, coming down to below 0°C during the night. The highways which connect Srinagar to the rest of the country experience several blockages because of snowfall which normally ranges from medium to extremely heavy. The summers experienced can be called warm, with temperatures rising up to 24.1°C during the day. The city receives mediocre rainfall annually, that is, about 72 cm.
