Dal Lake,Srinagar

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.

                                   

 

                                                           Shikara Stand

                              

                                                                    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.The water is somewhat greenish with little waves, and in some parts seemed dirty. The lake looked like a large expanse of habitable land, populated and thriving metropolis, except it was on water. There were shopping centres ,mobile shops , houses on boats, floating gardens (known as Rad in Kashmiri) , vegetable haat , grocery shops; everything which is needed to survive in a town on firm ground.

 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.

      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.

 

 v      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)

      

               

                                                    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

 

 Photographs: Bipasha Bhardwaj and Shivansh Bhardwaj