Hari Parbat Fort crowns a prominent hill on the northern edge of the old city, visible from much of Srinagar and particularly striking from the lake. The current fortification was built by Afghan governor Atta Muhammad Khan in 1808, though the hill has been a fortified position since the Mughal period. The fort walls extend down the hillside and are visible from the surrounding lanes; the complex includes some Mughal-era structures and the shrine to the goddess Sharika Devi, which is an active Hindu pilgrimage site at the base of the hill.
The fort itself is managed by the Archaeological Survey of India and requires a permit from the ASI office in Srinagar to enter (allow half a day for the permit process). The interior is partly a military installation, which explains the restricted access. The views from the walls over the old city, Dal Lake, and the surrounding mountains are the main reward. The hill is also associated with several religious traditions: a Sikh gurdwara, the Hindu Sharika temple, and the Muslim shrine of Makhdoom Sahib all occupy different parts of the hill's slopes. The combination of fort, multiple shrines, and hilltop panorama makes this a genuinely interesting site, worth the permit effort.