Pampore (Urdu pronunciation: [pãːpuːr]), known as Pampar (Kashmiri pronunciation: [paːmpar]) or Panpar (Kashmiri pronunciation: [pãːpar]) in Kashmiri, is a historical town situated on the eastern side of the Jhelum River on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway in the Pulwama district of the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. It was known as Padmanpur in antiquity. It is famous worldwide for its saffron and known as the Saffron town of Kashmir. Pampore is one of the few places in the world where saffron, the world's most expensive spice, grows. The area is about 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) from Srinagar city centre Lal Chowk. Areas of Pampore typically have -bal as a suffix, such as the localities of Namlabal, Kadlabal, Drangbal, Frestabal, and Letrabal. Pampore has three lakes as well