Dal Lake, Srinagar

Click here to join natural wonders cool mail Dal Lake is situated in the hub of the modern city of Srinagar, the  summer capital of the State. The urban lake which is the second  largest in the state is integral to tourism and recreation in Kashmir  and is nick named as Srinagar’s Jewel. Ancient history records mention that a village named Isabar to the  east of Dal Lake was the home of Goddess Durga. This place was  known as Sureshwari on the bank of the lake which was sourced  by a spring called Satadhara. Today the lake is an important source  for commercial operations in fishing and water plant arvesting  and a famous tourist spot. 10 More Images The shoreline of the lake 15.5 km approx is encompassed byboulevard  lined with hotels, parks, restaurants and shops selling cashmere  (pashmina) shawls, capes, beautiful paper mache products, carpets  and chain stitch rugs. many of these shops and restraunts are open  till mid night during the tourist season. Scenic view of the lake can be witnessed from the shoreline Mughal Gardens built during the reign of Emperor Jahangir, from the houseboats  and from the colourful shikaaras cruising along the lake. A recent  addition to the beauty of the boulevard is the ‘Royal Springs’ golf  course. Overnight stay in a houseboat is an experience of a life time. A usual  houseboat consists of a front balcony, a drawing room, a dining room  and three bed rooms with attached toilets. Some ofthe houseboats  even have a small terrace. It would be difficult to find even an inch of the wooden walls of the  house boats which is not carved, usually hand carved. Thehouseboats  have been made warm and welcoming with colourful carpets, comfy  sofas, a king sized dining table and royal bedrooms which coupled  with the hospitality of the houseboat staff makes you feel like a king. Daily needs and small nick nacks can be bought from the floating  markets which are the shikaaras selling selling their merchandise from  house boat to house boat. During the winter season, soometimes the temperature falls as low  as -11 degrees celsius, freezing the lake. Often people can be found  ice skating on the lake at that time. Ideal time to visit the lake is during  the month of April-September.