Dal Lake, Srinagar (Jammu & Kashmir)

The beauty of the Kashmir Valley is unmatched and the famous Dal Lake has added to its beauty. Dal Lake is one of the most famous tourist spots in Jammu and Kashmir. Dal Lake not only does it enhance the intrinsic beauty of the Valley but it has an ecological and socio-economic significance in the lifestyle of Kashmir. Set in the lap of nature, Dal Lake is surrounded by the lofty mountains, beautiful gardens and orchards along the shores. The Lake has some interesting flora and fauna and is also surrounded by parks and hotels.

Dal Lake is the icon of tourism in Kashmir. It is a Himalayan urban lake with five basins and number of channels linked together. Dal Lake is most famous for its Victorian era houseboats built originally for landless British administrators during the British times. Today these hundreds of houseboats offer accommodation facility to the tourists who visit the Valley. The boats are served by Shikaras which more or less similar to the gondolas of Venice. However, they are smaller in size but decorated more tastefully. If you take a ride in shikaras you can see the several Mughal monuments and the campus of the University of Kashmir. Overlooking the lake are two hillocks which house the renowned temples of Shankaracharya and Hari Parbat. A continuous inflow channel enters the lake from the north which provides about 80% of the water. There is an outflow channel towards the southwest which drains the lake water into a tributary of the River Jhelum. A stone-lined canal runs parallel to this exit which connects the lake with the tributary. This channel is used for movement of boats in and out of the lake and averts floating gardens during high floods.

There has been a lot of dispute regarding the origin of the lake. Some geologists believe that the Dal Lake is the remnant of a Pleistocene oligotrophic lake which once covered the entire valley of Kashmir while other geologists believe that Dal is a flood plain lake. The lake water is used for irrigation purposes and the aquatic plants that grow in the lake are used for fodder, food and compost. However, the quality of the water has deteriorated over the last two decades and with the increase in tourist inflow a large number of hotels and guest houses have sprung up along the shores which has somewhat spoilt the natural beauty of the Lake. With the increase in urbanization, large quantities of raw sewage are discharged in the lake water which resulted in deterioration in the water quality. However, in spite of all these things, Dal Lake still remains the biggest tourist attraction in the Kashmir Valley.

Dal Lake lies in the Srinagar district of Jammu and Kashmir. The nearest Airport is approx. 25 kms away in Badgam district. This Airport is connected with all the major cities of India. The nearest Rail Head is at Jammu, 300 kms away.