Pari Mahal — "Palace of the Fairies" — is a ruined seven-terraced garden palace perched on a spur of the Zabarwan Hills above Chashme Shahi, overlooking Dal Lake from the south. Built by Dara Shikoh, the eldest son of Shah Jahan, in the 17th century as a library and observatory for his Sufi teacher Mulla Shah, it was converted into a garden after the complex was damaged by subsequent rulers. The terraced retaining walls and arched niches are largely intact; the gardens have been replanted in a formal style.
The location is exceptional. The palace sits at roughly 1,700 metres, about 100 metres above the lake shore, and the view from the upper terraces takes in the full sweep of Dal Lake with the old city and mountains beyond. It is one of the best viewpoints in Srinagar and less crowded than Shankaracharya Hill. The approach road is steep and winding; a taxi or auto-rickshaw is the practical option. The site is illuminated at night when there is a son-et-lumière show; the daytime visit is more useful for the views.