Qibla · Jammu and Kashmir
Qibla direction in Srinagar
To face the Kaaba in Srinagar, turn to 256.8° measured clockwise from true north, which is west (13.2° south of west). The Sacred Mosque in Mecca lies 3,696 km away along the shortest path over the globe, and this is the direction the mihrabs of the mosques in Srinagar should follow.
On the compass the green needle points to 256.8°. If your phone shows true north, rotate until the heading reads 257°; with a classic magnetic compass, first correct for the local magnetic declination, which can shift the needle by several degrees.
Find the Qibla with your phone
How to face the Qibla in Srinagar
Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards west and move a further 13.2° towards south: the result is the bearing of 256.8°. A small error of a few degrees is forgiven by most scholars, but aiming simply at west would leave you about 13° off.
Scholars agree that someone who can see the Kaaba must face it exactly, while someone far away faces its direction (jihat al-Ka‘bah) as precisely as reasonably possible. The simplest check in Srinagar is a local mosque: its mihrab and prayer lines already point to the Qibla. See the mosques of Srinagar. At home, mark the direction once with tape or a small arrow so the whole family prays the same way.
Why a flat map shows a different direction
A straight line drawn on a flat (Mercator) map from Srinagar to Mecca points to 247.7° (west), 9.1° away from the correct 256.8°. That map line is a rhumb line: it keeps the same compass heading all the way, but it is 13 km longer than the true shortest route. The Qibla follows the great circle, the shortest path on the curved Earth, which is why the bearing differs.
The angle on this page is the initial bearing of the great circle from 34.0857° N, 74.8056° E to the Kaaba (21.4225° N, 39.8262° E). It is the method used by mosque architects and by every serious Qibla calculator, and it gives one exact answer for each point on Earth.
Distance from Srinagar to Mecca and Medina
Mecca is 3,696 km from Srinagar as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 3,557 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 4 h 51 min, although most pilgrims from Srinagar connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.
Clocks in Srinagar run 2.5 hours ahead of Mecca all year. Prayer times, however, depend on the sun at your own location, so always use the prayer times of Srinagar rather than those of Mecca.
Finding the Qibla with the sun in Srinagar
On 234 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Srinagar while it is well above the horizon. At that moment, facing the sun means facing Mecca. The effect is most frequent in March (31 days); for example, on 1 March 2027 it happens at 17:54 local time.
On 115 days the sun stands exactly opposite the Qibla: then the shadow of any vertical object, a pole, a door frame or a plumb line, points straight towards Mecca. This is most frequent in May (31 days), for instance on 1 May 2027 at 06:23.
| Date | Sun in the Qibla direction (face the sun) | Sun opposite (shadows point to the Qibla) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 January 2027 | — | — |
| 15 January 2027 | — | — |
| 1 February 2027 | — | — |
| 15 February 2027 | — | — |
| 1 March 2027 | 17:54 | — |
| 15 March 2027 | 17:21 | — |
| 1 April 2027 | 16:39 | — |
| 15 April 2027 | 16:06 | — |
| 1 May 2027 | 15:31 | 06:23 |
| 15 May 2027 | 15:05 | 06:47 |
| 1 June 2027 | 14:44 | 07:12 |
| 15 June 2027 | 14:37 | 07:24 |
| 1 July 2027 | 14:42 | 07:26 |
| 15 July 2027 | 14:56 | 07:17 |
| 1 August 2027 | 15:21 | 06:52 |
| 15 August 2027 | 15:45 | 06:25 |
| 1 September 2027 | 16:14 | — |
| 15 September 2027 | 16:39 | — |
| 1 October 2027 | 17:07 | — |
| 15 October 2027 | 17:33 | — |
| 1 November 2027 | — | — |
| 15 November 2027 | — | — |
| 1 December 2027 | — | — |
| 15 December 2027 | — | — |
Twice a year the sun passes directly over the Kaaba, on 28 May 2027 and 16 July 2027. Both moments are in daylight in Srinagar: at 14:48 and 14:57 local time, face the sun and you face the Qibla exactly, anywhere in the city.
Srinagar compared with other cities
Compared with New Delhi, 649 km away, the Qibla in Srinagar is turned 9.8° further anticlockwise (256.8° against 266.6°), and Mecca is 139 km closer. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Anantnag (51 km), prays towards 257.6°, a difference of 0.8°.
Among the 442 cities in India on this site, Srinagar has the smallest Qibla bearing; the largest is 294.3° in Nagercoil. Across the country the direction varies by 37.5°.
See all cities on the Qibla page for India.
Qibla in cities near Srinagar
Qibla in Srinagar: questions and answers
What is the Qibla direction in Srinagar?
It is 256.8° from true north, which is west: 13.2° south of west.
How far is Srinagar from Mecca?
3,696 km in a straight line over the globe, and 3,557 km to Medina.
When does the sun show the Qibla in Srinagar?
On 234 days of 2027 the sun stands in the Qibla direction; the table on this page gives the exact time for the 1st and 15th of each month.
Why is the Qibla in Srinagar not the direction shown on a map?
Flat maps distort directions. The line on a map points to 247.7°, but the shortest route on the globe leaves Srinagar at 256.8°, and that is the Qibla.
Does the Qibla change during the year?
No. The direction of 256.8° is fixed; only the times when the sun lines up with it change from day to day.