If it wasn’t for Bollywood, Srinagar probably wouldn’t take hold of our collective imagination the way it has for decades. Then again, maybe it would even without images of Shammi Kapoor running in the foreground, the city’s gorgeous landscape scrawling far behind him.
The capital of Jammu & Kashmir, Srinagar is a city of rivers and lakes. Sitting pretty 1,730 metres above sea level on the banks of the Jhelum, it was, until 2005, home to a little over a million people. The funny thing is, one can take a complete tour of the city within a day, including not just highlights like the Dal, Nagin and Naseem Lakes, but other spots like the picturesque Hazratbal Mosque, Shankaracharya Temple, Shalimar Gardens, Chashmeshahi Park, Nishant Gardens and Nehru Gardens.
There’s much to see outside Srinagar too, like Pahalgam (127 kilometres away) and Gulmarg (56 kilometres). Accommodation is rarely a problem, considering most people can’t get the idea of Kashmir out of their minds. Pick one of several hundred houseboats that line the Dal’s periphery. Dera Palace is what I chose during my three-day stay (Call Bashir Ahmed Dabla on 9906518431), with the tariff ranging from Rs 1,000 to Rs 2,500.
Spread over 18 square kilometres, Dal is a fresh water lake. Around five kilometres from Srinagar Airport, you can get there by hiring an auto rickshaw — minimum fare Rs 250, although you can bargain and bring it down to Rs 175-200 — or hitching a ride on state road transport buses (Rs 35 per head) that drop you at the Tourist Reception Centre. A rickshaw ride from here to Dal will set you back by another Rs 40.
If you stay on a houseboat, there’s nothing better than relaxing in the veranda with a cup of tea early morning or evening. You can try fishing, or go swimming — provided you know how, as the Dal runs deep. If you are on your honeymoon, an early morning Shikara ride is what locals prescribe. Bargain as much as you can. If the boatman demands Rs 400 for a three-hour ride, quote Rs 150. He may settle for Rs 200.
The Shikara ride takes you to Nehru Garden (where Rajesh Khanna and Asha Parekh were filmed singing Achha Toh Hum Chalte Hain), Char Chinar, home to, literally, four Chinar trees — and the crowded bazaar that offers everything from Kashmiri shawls to tea powder.