The smallest of the three main Mughal gardens on Dal Lake, Chashme Shahi — "Royal Spring" — is also the most intimate. Built in 1632 by Shah Jahan around a natural spring that still flows, it occupies a steep hillside site with three modest terraces and a central water channel fed directly from the spring. The water has a reputation for being exceptionally pure and cold; locals fill bottles from it. The garden is surrounded by a Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial garden, but the Mughal core is distinct and charming.
The spring is the defining feature — it gushes from the hillside into a carved stone channel and cascades through the terraces with genuine energy, unlike the static fountains of larger gardens. The site is also higher up the hillside than Nishat Bagh or Shalimar, giving good views over Dal Lake and the city. Because it is smaller and less well-known to domestic tour groups, it often feels less crowded. Located above the Raj Bhavan (Governor's residence) on the eastern lake road; the approach involves a steep drive up a narrow road.