Sharing a picture of Dal Lake with its Shikaras and Houseboats is a symbolic way to declare that you are in the ‘Heaven on Earth’, you are in Srinagar in Kashmir. While on my tour to Ladakh, I had an opportunity to spend an evening at Dal Lake, Srinagar. With just an evening in Srinagar, what could be a better way to indulge yourself than by boating on the Dal Lake? Footlooseinme will now take you on a Sikhara ride on the serene waters of Dal Lake Srinagar.
Dal Lake Srinagar is located in the catchment area of the Zabarwan mountain valley, in the foothills of the Shankaracharya Hill. This freshwater lake is of great significance in the tourism map of Kashmir. Dal Lake’s main basin is comprised of five basins which are also connected by causeways – the Nehru Park Basin, the Nishat Basin, the Hazratbal Basin, the Nigeen Basin and the Barari Nambal Basin.
August being the beginning of the off-season, there was little to no crowd for boating at Dal Lake Srinagar. We arranged a Shikara for ourselves very smoothly with no haggling like the way we had to do on our previous trip. (Read about Srinagar from my earlier post.) An elderly boatman took us for the Sikhara ride on the Dal Lake Srinagar.
With the high temperatures prevailing in the hills this time we were surprised to feel the heat even in August. We had a single evening for Srinagar in our tour itinerary. (Read my previous post to know about my itinerary.) So we made proper use of the time by relaxing on the Dal Lake Srinagar in the evening when the temperature reduced.
Before visiting Dal Lake we made a quick visit to Nishat Bagh. Nishat Bagh is located on the eastern bank of the Dal Lake. Nishat Bagh meaning the Garden of Joy was built during the Mughal era in 1633 by Asif Khan, elder brother of Nur Jahan. The age-old Chinar trees, the Magnolias apart from the Roses and the other flowering plants steal the show of the garden. A beautiful view of the Dal Lake from the garden adds to the charm of Nishat Bagh.
The Sun was about to set and the weather was pleasant. We gently glided on the calm waters of the Dal Lake Srinagar enjoying the cool breeze and watching the mountains around. A small information plaque on the roof of the Sikhara grabbed my attention. It was a note on Dal Lake Srinagar by the Kashmir Tourism Department. It said everything about the lake:
“A vast marsh in its ancient form, Dal Lake was for many centuries known as ‘Vetaal Marg’. Raja Parvarsen, a ruler in the 2nd century AD, was the first to turn his attention towards it, giving it the shape of a proper water reservoir by getting the whole area cleared of wild forest. After that, people started rowing boats in it and made the lake a source of livelihood for themselves.
The source or origin of this beautiful lake is believed to be the glaciers named Taar-sar and Maar-sar, located in the upper reaches of the Zabarwan range. Apart from that, many small springs within the Lake and from around the area also fill its waters.
The activity of rowing Dongas (a long wooden boat) and enjoying boat rides in the Lake, has been going on for times immemorial and started as early as the 14th Century. The long boats have now been replaced with smaller ones called Shikara.
The Lake is surrounded by majestic Chinars trees. Two of the Lake’s 3 islands are marked with Chinar trees on all four sides and are called Char Chinar (The Four Chinars). The shoreline of the lake, about 16 km, is encompassed by a boulevard lined with Mughal-era gardens, parks, houseboats and hotels. Some of the notable places include Nishat Garden, Shalimar Garden, Tulip Garden, Chasma e Shahi, Pari Mehal, Hazratbal Shrine, Hari Parbat Fort and Shankaracharya Temple.
With its millennia-old history, Dal Lake (spread over an area of approximately 7 square miles) continues to delight visitors from all over the world with its distinguished beauty, inspiring musicians, poets, writers and artists to create, pen down and weave jewels and marvels which have signatures of the rich history of Kashmir.”
Even on my previous trip to Srinagar, I took the pleasure of the Shikara ride but this time it was more pleasing. The evening time, the warm hue of the setting sun, the cool breeze blowing on our faces, the gentle ripples on the water and the soft sound of the rowing oars in the crowd-free Dal Lake had a magical impact on the mood.
Numerous vendors approached us on boats trying to sell their goods on the boat. Some were selling jewellery, some selling attractive stones, some artefacts or tea or fruits or snacks or shawls. There was anything to everything being sold on the lake. It was the floating Bazaar.
It was the season of Lotus, we were fortunate to see the famous floating garden on the Dal Lake Srinagar, resplendent with the Lotus blooms. My pictures may not do justice to the view as I could not compose my frame in my desired way. But an unknown serenity prevailed in that place which filled my heart with immense happiness.
The sun was taking the final plunge for the day when the melodious song of the Ajaan from some mosque nearby reached our ears. The singsong voice of the Aajan, the soothing breeze and the gliding Shikara on the Dal Lake in the evening, all seemed to be in absolute harmony. Our Shikara ride on the Dal Lake Srinagar thus ended on a sweet, pleasing note making a great start to our Ladakh trip. Watch this space for my next post on my Ladakh trip.
My evening at Dal was with an overcast sky and lots of rain. I’m glad it was not the case with you.
Yes, Arv I was lucky enough to experience a lovely evening there. Thanks for sharing your experience. 🙂
I’m glad you did, Sarmistha.