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Photo: Basharat Shah, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Dal Lake is one of the prime attractions of Srinagar. At the very centre of the city, the lake covers an area of 21 km², which includes 3 km² of wetland. The lake has a circumference of 15.5 km. The lake is best explored on a shikara, a beautifully decorated boat that features in the logo of Jammu & Kashmir Tourism. Apart from open waters the lake also consists of floating markets, locally called rad. They basically constitute of matted vegetation and earth, but are floating. These are detached from the bottom of the lake and drawn to a suitable place and anchored. With nutrients from both land and water, these floating islands are used for cultivating tomatoes, cucumbers and melons. The area is a complex maze of floating cultivation patches separated by narrow water channels. The shikara negotiates through this complex maze with the skipper making his way through the complex maze of land and water. Floating market is another interesting area of the market. The market operates on floating shops approachable only by boat. They sell anything from artifacts including Kashmiri carpets. The shops doubles up as the artifacts workshop and provide the tourist with an insight into carpet making. The lake also accounts for floating hawkers opearting from boats selling anything from Kashmiri shawl to wood work and from saffron to the magical stone of Silajit. The Dal Lake, fed by natural springs, actually consists of four lakes namely Gagribal (southern part), Lokut Dal (northern part), Bod Dal (central part) and Nagin. Nagin, the smallest and the most beautiful of the four, is often considered as a distinct lake on its own.
Dal is a freshwater lake in Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir in Indian-administered Kashmir. It is an urban lake, the second largest lake in Jammu and Kashmir, and the most visited place in Srinagar by tourists and locals. It is integral to tourism and recreation in the Kashmir Valley and is variously known as the "Lake of Flowers", "Jewel in the crown of Kashmir" or "Srinagar's Jewel". The lake is also an important source for commercial operations in fishing and water plant harvesting.
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Located on the eastern banks of Dal Lake, with the Zabarwan Mountains as its backdrop, the garden was designed in 1633 by Asaf Khan, brother of Nur Jehan. Literally meaning the 'garden of bliss' it commands a magnificent view of the lake and the snow-capped Pir Panjal mountain range which stands far away to the west of the valley. Although a Mughal garden, it plans were altered because of the hilly terrain. It has an elongated plan (instead of a square plan of Mughal garden) of 548 m X 338 m and is centred around a water channel, measuring 4 m wide and 20 cm deep. The channel flows in the east to west direction and is decorated with fountains and occasionally fountain pools. The garden consists of 12 terraces, representing the 12 signs of the zodiac. However, it has only two sections, namely the public garden and the private garden for the Zanana or harem. The terraces are lined along the central channel and consist of stoned paved pathways and short flights of stairs. The pathways are lined with chinar trees.
Rupa Lank, literally meaning silver island, is in the Dod Dal (central area of Dal Lake). The man-made island was constructed by Murad Baksh, brother of the last Mughal emperor, Aurangzeb. The island consists of four giant chinar trees in the four corners and the entire island consists of manicured lawns and paved pathways. There is a small house boat restaurant next to the island.
Sona Lank, literally meaning gold island, is located in Lokut Dal, in the northern part of Dal Lake. It is next to the shrine of Hazarat Bal. This too follows a similar plan with four chinar trees at the four corners and is also made by Murad Baksh.
The mosque houses a strand from the Prophet’s beard and hence the name Hazrat Bal. The strand of the beard is displayed on special days. The mosque is located on the western bank of Lokut Dal, the northern portion of the Dal Lake. Visible from the mosque compound is the island of Sona Lank, with four chinar trees in the four corners. The white mosque is breathtakingly beautiful. Women may enter only the first part of the mosque. The adjoining area is a foodie's delight with several makeshift food shop selling deep-fried snacks.
Located on the eastern side of the Dal Lake, the Tulip Garden covers an area of 30 ha (74 acres) and is the largest tulip garden of Asia. It is located at the foothill of Zabarwan Range and overlooks the Dal lake. The garden was opened in 2007 with the aim of promoting floriculture tourism. It used to be known as Siraj Bagh. The garden is home to 65 varieties of tulip along with several other plants including daffodils, hyacinth and ranunculus. During its opening about 1.5 million bulbs of Tulip were flown in from Amsterdam. The Tulip Garden is also the venue for the Tulip Festival which happens every year in the month of April.
The musical fountain along with laser show was inaugurated in April 2019. It runs three times a day after 7 pm and consists of a 15-minute show. Apart from the musical fountain the show also depicts the history of Kashmir through a laser show.