Dal Lake in Srinagar: Jewel in the Crown of Kashmir

One of the famous lakes of India is Dal Lake located in the capital of Jammu and Kashmir, Srinagar. It is also called the “Tiara of Srinagar”. It is not only the center for tourism but also for commercial purposes like fishing and farming. Beautiful gardens were made by the Mughals near the Lake, which seems gorgeous. Beautiful Shikaras and boats are also available on the lake. In the winter, Dal Lake freezes down at the lowest temperature of -12 degree Celsius. An approximate 18 square km area is covered by the Dal Lake excluding the swamp, which also covers a major part including a Lotus garden. Millions of dollars are invested by the Indian government in the maintenance of this lake.

Dal Lake

Some more nearby spots that also attract tourists are Chashme Shahi (Royal Springs) is a coil of water and a garden. It is one of the smallest gardens of the Mughals situated at Nehru Memorial Park. This 354ft long and 125ft wide garden was constructed in the year 1632 by Ali Mardan Khan. A Dargah of Chashma Sahibi is also located in this garden.

The Island of Char Chinar is an island in the center of Dal Lake with a couple of trees. It is one of the most famous tourist places in Srinagar, name of the island is derived from the Hindi word char means four and the Urdu word chinar means tree stand.

The famous Shankaracharya Temple is located on the peak of a hill of about 300m. Firstly, this site was named Gopadri then at the end of the 7th century, Emperor Lalitaditya built a temple called Shankaracharya temple.

Temple was built on a plain octagonal-shaped rock. There is also a Shiva ling in the inner layer of the temple, this layer was covered by the modern layer. Many Hindu pilgrims come every year for their blessings. From here you can take a splendid view of Shrinagar.

Hari Parbat

Hari Parbat is a fort placed on Sharika Hill. It was primarily recognized by the Mughals at the end of the 15th century, so it is also called the Mughal Fort. From the Hari Parbat or Mughal Fort, you can take an excellent view of Dal Lake. Here you can find lots of Hindu temples, Muslim shrines, and Gurudwaras.

The Hazratbal Shrine is located on the bank of Dal Lake. It is also known as Dargah Sharif or Assar-e-Sharief. It is one of the most famous holiest places in Kashmir. In this Dargah Sharif, Moi-e-Muqaddas of Tajdar-e-Madina (Hazrat Prophet Muhammad) is also placed. This precious object is brought from Madina Sharif by Syed Abdullah. Many of the Muslim pilgrims come here for seeing this precious thing.

Dal Lake Houseboats

Dal Lake Houseboat

Your trip is incomplete unless you have not taken the experience of Shikara or Houseboats of Kashmir. Beautiful houseboats or Shikaras are there in Kashmir of about 3 to 6 meters. It's very amazing to take Shikara ride on Dal Lake.

Distance Chart

Distance from Delhi by road = 838 km.	Distance from Mumbai by road = 2224 km.
Distance from Kolkata by road = 2297 km.	Distance from Chennai by road = 3003 km.

How to Reach

Srinagar is fine linked with all the main cities of India by road, from Jammu, it is just 290km. There are many taxis and buses running between Srinagar and other main cities. The nearest railway stations are Tawi, Jammu, and Udhampur, from there lots of taxis and buses are available for Srinagar.