Burzuhama, or Burzahom, is a Neolithic settlement site near Srinagar where people lived in pits cut into the ground, now protected by the Archaeological Survey of India. It stands about 1,800 metres above sea level on the road linking Naseem Bagh and Shalimar, with Dal Lake in view. The dwelling pits are the reason to come: this is the clearest evidence of prehistoric settlement in the valley.
Duke Kashmir Travels, a Srinagar agency registered as JKTA00003978 since 2011, includes the site for guests with an interest in archaeology. Kashmir packages start around ₹6,350 per person, two to a room.
By Duke Kashmir Travels Team · Reviewed by Rayies Ahmad Zargar, Founder · Published · Updated
Key takeaways
- Neolithic settlement, with dwelling pits cut into the loess and still legible.
- Protected by the Archaeological Survey of India, which excavated here between 1960 and 1971.
- First investigated by the Yale-Cambridge expedition of de Terra and Paterson.
- Finds include bone and stone tools, pottery and later-period material.
- About 1,800 m above sea level, on the Naseem Bagh to Shalimar road.
- Half an hour is enough unless you are reading everything.
What is there to see?
Circular pits dug into the ground, the floors of Neolithic houses, together with the excavated ground around them.
People lived in these pits, roofed over, through the valley's winters. The tools recovered here, in bone and stone, are among the largest such assemblages in the western Himalaya, and the site also produced material from later periods.
Who excavated it?
The Yale-Cambridge expedition under Helmut de Terra and Thomson Paterson opened the site; the Archaeological Survey of India excavated it systematically between 1960 and 1971.
The ASI protects the site today. It is worth reading a little before you go, since there is not much interpretation on the ground.
How do you get there?
On the road between Naseem Bagh and Shalimar Bagh, roughly 16 km from the city centre.
It combines naturally with the lakeside gardens or with Harwan further along the same road. The Srinagar page lists everything else in the city.
Booking this with us
The agency behind this guide, Duke Kashmir Travels, was registered with the J&K Department of Tourism in March 2011 (JKTA00003978) and joined IATO in 2016. More on the paperwork is on our About Us page.
Tell us when you are travelling and how many of you there are, and a costed itinerary follows. Reach us on +91 9018 44 0000, at info@dukekashmirtravels.com, or through the contact page.
About the founder
The agency was started in Srinagar in 2011 by Rayies Ahmad Zargar, who owns it to this day, helped found the JK Tourism Council, and reads every destination guide before it goes up. His LinkedIn profile is here.