The Floating City
Dal Lake, Srinagar
Dal Lake is the most beautiful sight in Srinagar. It
is located in the valley of Zabarwan range of the Himalayas. Dal is mentioned as Mahasarit in ancient Sanskrit texts.It is associated with Goddess Parvati and was once this lake was considered holy. It is surrounded by
Shankaracharya hill on three sides, and
Srinagar city on one side. It is a great tourist attraction.We
went to Dal Lake and decided to ride in
a Shikara. The boat ride was for one hour and the charge was 1500
rupees. A bit of bargaining had to be done . At first, the ride was scary because the boat
was tilting a lot. But later,it became steady.
Huge
Dal Lake
Floating Market
Houses and Shops on the Lake
Soon, some
shopkeepers came to us in shikaras and sold us items such as Kawa,coffee,
ice-cream,handicrafts,jewellery etc. Most amazing thing was the floating market
on the lake.
There were
shopping centres like normal towns and the most famous was Meena Bazaar. There
were mobile shops , garment and stationery shops, small hotels and tea stalls, gardens , vegetable mandi , grocery
shops: everything which a person
needs on land.
Lotus bloomed on the lake. Eagles flew above. On the shore we saw a tree with an eagle’s nest. We also saw a Brahminy duck .During winters Dal lake will be full of thousands of such migratory birds.
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Hazratbal Road,Dal Lake, Srinagar
Shankacharya Hill
Char Chinar
Woody Forest Traffic On Dal Lake
There is even
a small island on the lake called Char Chinar.There are Chinar trees on its
four corners, hence the name. It was built by Murad Baksh,brother of Mughal
Emperor Aurangzeb . Lotus flowers and water lilies bloomed in abundance, and the woods comprised of trees like water chestnut,cypress and chinar.
Our Shikara
was nicely decorated with a red carpet spread along the length of the boat. There
were many cushions and the boatman advised
us to stretch our legs for greater comfort. There was a seat in the middle too
for a single person.
Brahminy Duck
Floating Gardens
The friendly,polite boatman knew
many things and told us in detail about the floating vegetation in the Dal Lake.
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Kashmiri Woman cutting Vegetation
Support for Creepers
Vegetables cultivated on the Lake
As soon as the grass grows to a certain height,
local Kashmiri women cut it off and use it as
fodder for cattle. These women
make the famous Kashmiri carpets at home during winters and off seasons. He
also showed us vegetable cultivation in the water,such as bottle gourd, tomatoes and pumpkin.
The house owners on the banks cultivated such items. The vegetable market is very big
and it is held early in the morning. Vegetable vendors come as early as four o’
clock to sell their wares.
As our boat ride continued, we could see huge house boats on the lake.They were decorated with fancy lace curtains and other accessories. They were like two bedroom houses, complete with balconies and sitting decks.
Floating Palaces on Dal Lake (House Boats)
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Floating Lotus Garden
As our boat progressed we could see melons and cucumbers cultivation but floating in the water. They were not attached to the bottom of the lake. The vegetation was healthy green in colour.Wooden support was made for the creepers.
As we were
nearing the shore, we saw three school children; two girls and one boy, coming
back from school, rowing a boat. In fact, they were fighting among themselves on
who would row the boat. The boatman explained to us that the children were
taught to row boats from early as four years of age. In fact, he showed us a
small oar stuck in the ceiling of his boat. It was a small size but it was used
to train children.
Small Oar on
the Ceiling School Children
on a Boat
