Srinagar
Travel Information
City
of the Dal Lake
Srinagar,
the state capital, is situated at an altitude of 1,730 meters
above sea level. It is connected by Indian Airlines and Jet Airways
flights directly to Jammu and New Delhi, and hence to every part
of the national network. An all-weather road to Jammu, which in
turn is connected, too many parts of North India connects Srinagar.
Srinagar's nearest railhead is Jammu, which in turn connects all
parts of the country, including Delhi, Calcutta, Pune, Murnbai
and Kanyakumari, Kashmir receives most of its rainfall in spring.
If you've longed for the delights of a houseboat holiday, now
is the time to try one out Srinagar is a unique city because of
its lakes - the Dal, Nagin and Anchor. The River Jhelum also flows
through a part of the city.
Most houseboats on the Nagin and the Jhelum are situated on the
banks of the lake, and can be accessed directly from land without
the help of a shikara, while all those on the Dal require a shikara
to get to and from them. Most houseboats on the Dal are situated
in long straggling rows; some face the Boulevard, Srinagar's most
exciting address, while others are situated singly or in groups
of two and three.
The location of a houseboat tells us nothing about its class,
but before checking into one, there are a few factors, which you
may like to consider. A honeymoon couple may want to be away from
it all, and may choose a houseboat with few, if any, close neighbors.
To them, it will be an 
advantage
to stay in the interior of the lake, accessible by a half-hour
long shikara ride. A family with young children on the other hand
may find themselves better served in an area, which overlooks
the Boulevard where a crossing takes just five minutes. When your
houseboat is in a busy area of the Dal, it is enjoyable just to
sit on the balcony and watch the world row by.
Each houseboat has anything between two and four bedrooms in it
with attached bathrooms and a common sitting and dining room.
The charges of a houseboat always include all meals and a certain
number of crossings by shikara to and from the houseboat. Houseboats
offer far more personalized service than hotels because of the
far higher host guest ratio. On the other hand, fellow guests
at the same houseboat tend to interact much more than if they
were staying at the same hotel. Which is why houseboats are ideal
for a large group of eight or more adults.
The Dal is famous not only for its beauty, but for its vibrance,
because it sustains within its periphery, a life that is unique
anywhere in the world. The houseboat and shikara communities have
lived for centuries on the Dal, and so complete is their infrastructure
on the lake, that they never have to step on land! Doctors, tailors,
and bakers - you'll see them all in tiny wooden shops on the lake,
near picturesque vegetable gardens and acres of lotus gardens.
A shikara ride is one of the most soothing, relaxing aspects of
a holiday in Kashmir. It can be an hour-long ride to see the sights
of the Dal, a shopping- by-shikara expedition to visit handicraft
shops within the periphery of the lake; or a whole day trip to
visit important city landmarks. Because the Dal is so central
to the landscape of Srinagar, many places of tourist interest
have, over the ages, been 
built
in its vicinity. Nishat and Shalimar gardens as well as Hazratbal
mosque are directly accessible by shikara.
Mughal Gardens:
Kashmir was a favourite of the Mughal emperors who visited it
as often as they could. Cool and refreshing after the plains of
North India where the business of governance kept them, they planted
gardens with stepped terraces and flowing watercourses. When they
rested in their gardens, they dreamt they were in paradise. Cheshmashahi
is the first Mughal garden you will pass after Nehru Park. Built
at a height above the city, its views are as stupendous as its
layout. The smallest of Srinagar's Mughal gardens, Cheshmashahi
has only three terraces in addition to a natural spring of water
enclosed in a stone pavilion.
The next garden along the road that encircles the Dal is the Nishat,
built by Empress Nur Jahan's brother Asaf Khan. The largest of
the gardens, Nishat has several terraces, a central watercourse
and a majestic site between the Dal and the Zabarwan hills. Jehangir,
the Mughal emperor, whose love for Kashmir was legendary, planted
the third Mughal garden -the Shalimar -. Shaded by magnificent
chinar trees, the Shalimar is a series of stone pavilions and
flowing water with paint-box bright flowerbeds.
Across the Dal from Shalimar is the mosque of Hazratbal, the only
one of its kind architecturally in Kashmir. Made of white marble
with a dome and a mina- ret, Hazratbal is the repository of a
single hair of the Prophet Mohammed, exhibited to the public on
certain days of the year.
