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The Kashmir Timeline

Dal Lake

The lake at the centre of Srinagar's life and history.

Dal Lake photograph

Photo: Suhail Skindar Sofi · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Dal Lake stretches along the eastern side of Srinagar beneath the Zabarwan mountains. People live on it in houseboats and island villages, farm its floating gardens and cross it in shikaras. The Mughal gardens, Hazratbal and the Shankaracharya temple all look down on its water.

Facts

  • Its floating gardens, called raad, are mats of reeds and soil where vegetables are grown on the water.
  • The lake is divided into basins, including Gagribal, Lokut Dal and Bod Dal, with the small island of Char Chinar among them.
  • Encroachment and pollution have shrunk and damaged the lake, and restoration efforts continue.