Sher Garhi Palace

The Sher Garhi Palace is a historic royal residence in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India.^[1] Situated south of the Old City of Srinagar, along the banks of the Jhelum River, its name,"Sher Garhi," translates to "Fort of the Lion,"highlighting its role as a prominent seat of power. Initially constructed in 1772 by Afghan governor Jawansher Khan, it served as the residence of Afghan rulers before becoming home to the Dogra Maharajas of Jammu and Kashmir.

The palace is an architectural landmark, showcasing a blend of Anglo-Kashmir design that merges European influences with traditional Kashmiri styles. Throughout the 19th century, it underwent significant expansions and adaptations, reflecting the evolving needs of its royal occupants.

Despite suffering extensive damage due to fires in the 1970s and early 2000s, restoration efforts began in 2015 to preserve its historic value. Part of the palace complex now houses an art museum gallery, opened in 2020, while another wing along the Jhelum River serves as the Srinagar City Museum, making the site a cultural hub and a testament to Kashmir’s rich heritage.

The name Sher Garhi means tiger fortress. The palace complex is also known as the Old Secretariat, reflecting the time the building was housing government offices and civil services.

In the second half of the 18th century, Kashmir was part of the Durrani Empire, also known the Afghan empire. Its second ruler, Timur Shah Durrani, appointed Amir Khan Sher Jawan as governor. He was responsible for pulling down royal palaces and other buildings around the Dal Lake, which had taken the Mughals and its nobles 170 years to construct. However, he also constructed in Srinagar. In 1772, the construction of a fortress and palace started, the tiger fortress.^[2] As a location, the governor chose the (former) site where the Lohara king Ananta built his royal palace in 1062–63. It is said that stones for the construction came from the Pathar Masjid, a Mughal era stone mosque located in the old city of Srinagar.

For the construction works, the Governor sought support of the Hanjis (boatmen) who were a sturdy class of people capable of answering his purpose. With their help, the fortress was built as well as the Amira Kadal bridge, which was constructed between 1774 and 1777. In addition, the Governor also created the Amirabad garden on the western side of the Dal Lake.

Under all Amir Khan Jawansher's successors, both Afghan and Dogra and including the current Indian government, the palace and its direct surroundings remained the main power center in Kashmir.

After four centuries of Muslim rule, Kashmir fell to the conquering armies of the Sikhs under Ranjit Singh of Punjab after the Battle of Shopian in 1819.^[3] The Sikh governors continued to use the Sher Garhi palace.

Gulab Singh (1792-1857) is the founder of the Dogra dynasty. Initially, he was a loyal vassal of the Sikh Empire, who, alongside his general Zorawar Singh (dubbed “India’s Napoleon” for his conquests in the Himalayas), expanded Sikh territories to encompass Tibet, Baltistan, and much of Ladakh.^[4] In recognition of his services, Gulab Singh was appointed as the Raja of Jammu in 1822.^[4] When Maharaja Ranjit Singh passed away in 1839, his empire began to fragment, and the British East India Company grew increasingly influential.^[4] This led to the First Anglo-Sikh War (1845–46), during which Gulab Singh played a controversial role, being accused of collaborating with the British. The war culminated in the Treaty of Lahore, which ceded several Sikh territories, including Jammu and Kashmir, to the British.^[4]

Shortly afterward, the Treaty of Amritsar (1846) formalised Gulab Singh’s acquisition of the region.^[4] In exchange for 7.5 million Nanakshahi rupees (the Sikh currency of the time), Gulab Singh was recognised by the British as the Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir, acquiring all territories between the Indus and Ravi rivers, including Chamba (though not Lahul, in present-day Himachal Pradesh.^[4] Initially assigned the region near present-day Balakot in Pakistan, he opted to exchange it for land closer to Jammu, preferring to avoid the unrest there.^[4] Gulab Singh chose to move his capital from Jammu to the Kashmir Valley, to Srinagar to reside at the Sher Garhi Palace, leaving the Jammu region under the control of his son, Maharaja Ranbir Singh (1830-1885).^[4] This was the start of Dogra dynasty, which remained in control over the Princely State of Kashmir and Jammu (as it was then called) until Indian independence in 1947.

During the 19th century, Gulab Singh and his successors, Ranbir Singh (1830–1885) and Pratap Singh (1848–1925), undertook extensive renovations and expansions of the Sher Garhi Palace, transforming it into a prominent royal complex. The Dogra Maharajas established Srinagar as their summer capital, while Jammu, featuring the Mubarak Mandi Palace, served as their winter capital.

Around 1900, the palace’s riverfront along the Jhelum River was rebuilt in a neoclassical style, characterized by Corinthian columns, enhancing its grandeur. The Sher Garhi Palace complex became a notable example of architectural syncretism, blending elements of English and Kashmiri design. The buildings in the complex were designed with a quadrangular layout, constructed primarily from stone, and featured intricate wooden doors, ceilings, and roofs.^[5]

By the 1930s, Maharaja Hari Singh (1895–1961) commissioned the construction of the Gulab Bhavan palace as his new residence in eastern Srinagar, overlooking the Dal Lake. Subsequently, Sher Garhi Palace saw a decline in its use as a royal residence and increasingly served administrative purposes, housing the civil services of the princely state.

After the accession of Kashmir to India, the palace obtained the name the "Old Secretariat". Initially, it housed various administrative departments of the government of Jammu and Kashmir. Also, the state assembly and legislative council was housed in the palace. Therefore, it is sometimes also called the "Old Assembly" complex. As chief minister Sheikh Abdullah apparently saw the palace as symbol of Dogra rule, the complex was slowly abandoned.

In the 1970s and at the start of the 21st century, the palace was gutted by fire destroying major parts, such as the Jhelum river front.

In 2015, chief minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed announced that the complex would be restored to its original glory in order to conserve heritage monuments and attract heritage loving tourists to Kashmir.^[6] It was declared a state protected monument under SRO 270 on 6 July 2017.^[7]

In one of the remaining and restored 18th century buildings, the so-called old council building or old assembly, an art museum gallery has been opened in 2020.^[7] It is the aim that around 1,500 miniature paintings on different themes will be on display, from the SPS Museum and other sister departments.^[7] Also, the Archival reference library of the Kashmir department of Archives Archaeology & Museums is housed in the palace.^[7]

Further, the palace grounds houses the Shri Gadadhar Ji temple, which has a golden rood and is directly located at the river. The temple is managed by the Dharmarth Trust of Jammu and Kashmir. This trust is chaired by Karan Singh, the son of Maharadja Hari Singh.

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  Sher Garhi Palace seen from the first bridge on the Jhelum river (1861)
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  Sher Garhi Palace in the 1860s
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  Sher Garhi Palace in 1876
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  Sher Garhi Palace on a magic lantern slide before the neoclassical wing was constructed
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  Sher Garhi Palace in 1906
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  The palace on an old postcard
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  The palace in the 1920s
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  The palace along the Jhelum river
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  Another view of the palace in the 1920s
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  The palace in the 1960s - The palace was rebuilt in the 1930s after an earthquake
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  Bridge over the Jhelum river with the Sher Garhi palace in the back (1969), before fires destroyed the riverbank part of the palace
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  What remained of Jhelum river front of the Sher Garhi Palace after the fires
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  The remaining part of the Jhelum river wing houses the Srinagar City museum
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  The Old Secretariat building serves now as an Art Gallery

A description of the palace and its surroundings can be found in The Happy Valley: Sketches of Kashmir & the Kashmiris written by William Wakefield in 1879.

"Pursuing our course down the river the sides of which in former days were em- banked from the first to the last bridge, by an embankment composed of large blocks of limestone, of which at present the ruined remains are all that is left we soon come to a large building, the Sher Garhi, the city fort and palace.

"Situated on the left bank, it presents to the river, which flows along its eastern side, a long loop- holed wall, with bastions rising between twenty and thirty feet above the general level of the water, surmounted by roomy, but lightly-built, houses. Its southern and western sides are protected by a wide ditch ; the Kut-i-Kul canal bounds it on the north, and in its interior are grouped a number of dwelling- houses for the officials of the court, government offices, and barracks.

"On its wall, facing the river, and perched upon one of the bastions, is a large double-storied house, the abode of the Dewan or Prime Minister, and just below his residence is a long lofty building, the government treasury, containing shawls, ‘pushmeena,’ coin, and other valuable property.

"A curious-looking wooden building comes next, the Rang Mahal or ‘audience hall,’ a part of the royal residence, which is just below it, styled the Baradarri, and which is unquestionably the most important modern structure in Srinagar. It is a large irregular building of a peculiar style, for while partly of native architecture, one portion, with a large projecting bow, partakes somewhat of an European character. A flight of wide stone steps leads up from the water’s edge at the angle of this building, and conducts into the palace.

"Adjoining is the temple frequented by the ruler and family, called the Maharaj-ke-Mandir, the domed roof of which is covered with thin plates of pure gold, which glitters in the sunlight, causing it to be plainly perceptible a long distance away.

"To reach the interior of the palace, one ascends by the before -mentioned steps, which at all times of the day appear thronged with people, some waiting to prefer petitions to the sovereign or his ministers as they descend to their boats, others to obtain a hearing or justice, which is here administered in open court daily by the governor. To the more private portion of the palace they have no access; for, guarding the gateway at the top of the stairs which leads directly into the royal abode, stands a sentry, a warrior belonging to the Kashmir, army, and near by is the guard-room, what we should call in our service the main-guard."

Another description of the palace can be found in In the land of Kashmir, Ladakh & Gilgit written by R C Arora in May 1940.^[8]

"The grand magnificent buildings with huge massive walls, lofty columns, gigantic towers and a massive gilt domed temple standing on the left bank the Jhelum below Amirakadal are the old palaces, called 'Shergarhi' but now the Secretariat of Kashmir Government. The buildings constitute an excellent well-decorated Darbar Hall, Governor's Office, State treasury, etc. A long vista of broad river with reflections of magnificent buildings and gliding of boats on its placid waters backed by the distant mountain ranges makes a most picturesque scene. The charm of the illuminations on these buildings on occasions like Maharaja's birthday, Diwali etc. is indescribably fascinating.

"The palace was badly injured by the earthquake but part of it has been re-built. Beyond the golden temple is the beautiful mansion built by the late Raja Sir Amar Singh, father of the present Maharaja.

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