Sher Garhi Palace

The Sher Garhi Palace is a former royal residence in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India. It sits south of the Old City, on the banks of the Jhelum River. Its name means Tiger Fortress. The complex is also known as the Old Secretariat, from its later use as a government building. The palace was built in 1772. The Afghan governor Jawansher Khan constructed it. For decades it served as the seat of Afghan governors. After the 1819 Battle of Shopian, Sikh governors took control and continued to use it. Later it became home to the Dogra Maharajas of Jammu and Kashmir. The Dogra rulers expanded the palace throughout the 19th century. Around 1900, they rebuilt its Jhelum-facing riverfront. That rebuild used a neoclassical style, with Corinthian columns. It blended English and Kashmiri architectural elements. Fires caused extensive damage to the palace. This happened in the 1970s and again in the early 2000s. Restoration work began in 2015. Part of the complex now houses an art museum gallery. That gallery opened in 2020. Another wing along the river serves as the Srinagar City Museum.

Palace data from Wikidata (CC0). Summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).