Vichar Nag

Vichar Nag is an old sacred spring with Shiva temples in Srinagar, lying east of Anchar Lake. Kalhana's Rajatarangini mentions it several times, and Aurel Stein described the place as a village ringed by walnut groves, its spring a focus of pilgrimage in Chaitra. Tradition says Kashmiri Pandits gathered here to debate, including on the Panchang, which would explain the name: vichar for discussion, nag for spring. Adi Shankara is said to have come here, and some link the site with Kanishka's Fourth Buddhist Council, though historians disagree.

The complex has two historic Shiva temples, one built of dressed devri stone, and two springs. The larger, central one measures about 430 by 35 feet, with a lingam on a stone cylinder roughly 3 feet high at its centre. Neglected after the exodus of Kashmiri Hindus, the site was later restored by the Jammu and Kashmir government, and a prana pratishtha ceremony marked the end of the work in July 2026. Navaratri and Navreh are observed here.