Nishat Mughal Garden (Srinagar), Apr 22 The State Government of Jammu and Kashmir in collaboration with the India National Trust of Art and Cultural Heritages (INTACH) initiated drive to preserve state's heritage sites including famous Mughal gardens.

Kashmir has the largest number of Mughal gardens in the subcontinent.

These gardens still retain their original layout and setting, though human intervention and variations occurring in a course of time have resulted in distortions of their historic character.

"The foreign tourists who visit this place love to see the old culture and heritage monuments, be it hill stations, forts or the old building. They love the old heritage of India. If these things would be revived, it would naturally boost the tourism," said Meraj-U- Din Ahmad, a resident.

The Department of Floriculture with the help of INTACH has started the restoration work in the three prominent Mughal Gardens of Kashmir, Shalimar garden, Nishat garden and Acchabal garden.

The Department of Floriculture has already requested the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) to include these heritage gardens of Kashmir valley in the temporary list of world heritages sites so that the inflow of foreign tourist in the valley increases. We have requested ASI to put our heritage gardens in the temporary list. The name of the gardens was not listed in the world heritage sites.

We are hoping that in the next two to three months, if it happens, then our gardens will also hold a place in the website of world heritage sites," said Ghulam Sarwar Naquash, Director, Floriculture Department of Kashmir.

The purpose of restoring the gardens is to enhance the tourism potential of the Kashmir valley.

Built in the Mughal era, these gardens are a good specimen of the formal Mughal style.

Mughal Gardens is the combination of three famous gardens, the Chashmashahi, Nishat and Shalimar gardens.

With terraced lawns, cascading fountains and bright flowerbeds, the gardens are a haven for tourists. By Parvez Butt (ANI)