Why Living Next to Dal Lake Is Part of My Retirement Plan

While most of us have heard about and seen pictures of how beautiful the Dal lake in Srinagar is, what most of us would miss out is taking a shikara ride and exploring the backwaters of Dal lake. Yes! Dal lake too has this huge region known to be the backwaters where the inhabitants reside, and is the less touristy part of the lake. I am going to name this series 'what my shikara sees'. You'll find out why :

Dal Lake

The first time I visited Kashmir was during peak winters, while day temperatures are between 0°C and 5°C and the ambience is kind of white washed due to the overcast. You know you are entering the backwaters as you see your shikara approaching the narrow lanes.

It's like Venice, an afloat city where you'll not only see locals commuting via their boats, but also shops, vendors and traders housed on boats. A waterborne way of life.

The lanes are so surreal and while Namaaz is being read, the air is filled with the holy vibes coupled with the rippling sound of the water. This is a vibe you'll never be able to forget !

Photo of Why Living Next to Dal Lake Is Part of My Retirement Plan by Kinshuk J Mehta

You will see children returning from school, locals commuting with groceries/fresh flowers, fruit vendors going from one lane to the other via boats and selling stuff ashore.

Kashmir is the home ground to wood-carving, miniature art, embroidery and papier mâché. Many of the souvenirs for the tourist industry and manufactured here and undoubtedly you'll be invited by these workshops to have a look, and maybe even purchase something first hand. I purchased a woolen shawl for my grandmother from a workshop here. It was reasonably priced I believe, but the happiness on my granny's face on seeing it was priceless !

Being a photographer, I am a sucker for patterns and these calm backwaters created the perfect reflection of the dry ambience surrounding me with loads of patterns to savor upon! You can even feel the calm and stillness here as this place is away from the hustling boulevard road of Dal lake full of tourists and local vendors rushing around them.

You are now returning to the wide open water body as you begin seeing huge houseboat-stays and the mountains. These are converted into boat-stays for tourists who wish to seek such an experience.

When you arrive at the boulevard road, you'll see many shikaras that will offer you a ride of the Dal lake - make sure you clarify before boarding that you wish to extend it to the backwaters. (This comes for an additional cost, of course, but is totally worth it, in any season)

Ensure to plan your ride well, as the backwater itself will consume 1 to 1.5 hours out of your overall boat ride of the Dal lake.