Hari Parbat

Hari Parbat is a hill overlooking Srinagar, the largest city and summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir. It is the site of famous Sharika Devi temple dedicated to goddess Jagadamba Sharika Bhagwati who is regarded as the presiding deity (`isht`-Devi) of Srinagar city. Hari Parbat also has other notable places of worship.Durrani FortThe first fortifications on the site were constructed by the Mughal emperor Akbar in 1590 who built an outer wall for the fort as part of his plans for a new capital called Nager Nagor. The project, however, was never completed. The present fort was built in 1808 under the reign of Shuja Shah Durrani.Sharika templeThe hill is considered sacred by the Kashmiri Pandits and hosts a temple of Shakti, or Goddess, which is located in the middle part of the western slope of the hill. Shakti is worshipped there under the name Jagadamba Sharika Bhagawati (or simply Sharika) and depicted as having 18 arms and sitting in Shri Chakra, an emblem of cosmic energy pervading the universe.The hill is also called Pradyumna Peeth.On the day celebrated as Sharika's birthday, devotees make a sacrificial offering of taher-charvan to the goddess (taher - rice boiled with turmeric powder and mixed with oil and salt; charvan – cooked goat liver). This day is also called Har Navum.Muslim shrinesThe southern side of Hari Parbat features Makhdoom Sahib, the shrine of Hamza Makhdoom, a 16th-century Kashmiri Sufi saint locally known as Hazrat Sultan and Sultan-ul-Arifeen.