Kashmere gate got its name as the Mughal royal processions used to pass through it on their trips to Kashmir. This gate forms one of the four gates to Mughal King Shah Jahan's empire, the other three being Delhi gate, Turkman gate and Ajmeri gate. This Mughal period gate is one of the four surviving gates to Shahjahanabad and is the only one with two arched openings in the capital. Much of the structure was damaged by the British soldiers in 1857 when they stormed into Delhi to suppress the uprising. The damage done by their canons is still visible.