Verinag is a beautiful tourist spot, located approximately 80 km southeast from Srinagar. It is named after the Verinag Spring, considered to be the source of River Jhelum. It is situated at the bottom of a hill covered by pine trees. The spring was originally an irregular and shapeless pond, and water, oozing out from different places from it and spread about and formed a little marsh. In 1620 A.D, Mughal Emperor Jehangir built an octagonal stone basin and an arcade for the pond giving it its present shape. The arcade is surrounded by a covered passage. Later, his son Shah Jahan laid out a beautiful garden next to the spring in the traditional Mughal Char Bagh style. The Charbagh design, however, had to be altered to fit the site’s topography, as the source of water shifted from the centre of the square garden to the highest point. This spring is known to never dry up or overflow. Today, picturesque in its settings and surrounded by tall pine trees, the Verinag Spring is characterised by calm and sparkling clear waters. Visitors can see a variety of fishes swimming in the octagonal pond. The water is collected in a pool surrounded by arched recesses, and then flows down a 300 yard canal. Verinag Spring and Mughal Arcade surrounding it are recognised by Archaeological Survey of India as a Monument of National Importance. The spring is mentioned in various historical texts including Rajtaragni, Ain-i-Akbari and Tuzk-e-Jahangiri.