Dal Lake

Kashmir’s Dal Lake in Srinagar serves as the hub of the state’s tourism industry, making it the “jewel in the crown of Kashmir.” The lake’s sparkling waters are a sight to behold as they are tucked away at Mount Shridhara’s foothills. The Dal Lake radiates a serene and romantic aura as it is set against the picture-perfect Pir Panjal mountain ranges. The commercial fishing and aquatic plant harvesting industries rely heavily on it as well. The Mughal Gardens, Shalimar Bagh and Nishat Bagh, provide lovely views of the lake. The lake is dotted with houseboats that offer lodging for visitors, as well as colourful shikaras that provide rides. Dal Lake has an area of 18 square kilometres. Only 11.4 square kilometres of the area is open water, and the remaining area is covered by floating gardens, the majority of which have made permanent settlements. The lake’s 316 square kilometre area is largely made up of mountains. It also has four interconnected basins Bod Dal, Gagribal, Nagin and Hazratbal with more than 90 percent water entering the lake from its catchment through a perpetual inflow channel Telbal Nallah.

Char Chinar Bagh
Also known as Rupa Lank, it is an island on the Dal lake. This island is known as Char Chinar because it has four lovely chinar trees at each of its four corners. It is an artificial island built by Murad Baksh, the brother of the Mughal emperor Aurangazeb.

Mughal Gardens
The area is known as Shalimar Garden, and it is situated northeast of Dal Lake. Jahangir, the Mughal emperor, constructed it in 1619. The garden spans 31 acres.