Dal Lake is the heartbeat of Srinagar in Kashmir. It’s enjoying a full house this season. Dal isubbling life centre of all tourists activities in Srinagar. All the Mughal gardens are located around the lake. Dal has hundreds of tourists houseboats, more than that shikaras to take tourists on a ride on the lake, and a whole lot of colourful life. There are vendors, florists, photographers, merchants… everybody moving on shikaras. Floating boats, floating gardens, floating markets- Dal has a very bubbling life. Equally entertaining is the life behind the scenes on this Dal. Few shots of the daily drill of this beautiful lake and how it gets itself ready every morning…

Shikaras ready to welcome the tourists in Dal lake at Srinagar

A shikara loaded with beautifully arranged flowers is one of the mostly anticipated sights in a Dal morning

Shikaras dressed up for the long day ahead in the peak tourist season

There are many nurseries and floating gardens in the Dal. Here you see saplings being taken to some other place and to houseboats for their private gardens

Returning tourists are often in for some last minute shopping and bargain is always the way

The other inhabitants of Dal

A shop on the shikara for the ones who don’t want to leave the coziness of their houseboats

A floating mobile store

Getting clicked in a Kashmiri dress on a Shikara is one of those things tourists at Dal like the most

Couples getting clicked on shikaras

A shikara owner placing the signboard of his shikara perfectly

Getting in the clothes just for a click is no easy task

A owner cleaning his shikara to make it ready for the tourists

A vendor getting his things ready to lure a few customers

Dal gives livelihood to a whole lot of people and many of them are very small vendors selling saffron, low cost jwelleries, carpets, woollens etc.

A cigaratte and a ‘Kangri’ (a pot with a burning coalwood) is what you need to keep yourself hot

Dal is the life line for many Kashmiris in Srinagar. Here vegetables are transported in Shikaras (small boats)

Tourists lining up at the Dal to go to houseboats or a Shikara ride