7 Wonders of India: Dal Lake

Dal Lake has rightfully become an icon of the Kashmir tourism industry. The sparkling quiet waters of Dal surrounded by snow-capped mountains on its three sides, undoubtedly mark it as one of the most beautiful lakes of India. It is also the second largest lake in the state of J&K with numerous gardens and orchars all along its shores. The lake covers 18 square kilometres, and is divided by causeways into four basins, called Gagribal, Lokut Dal, Bod Dal and Nagin. Lokut-dal and Bod-dal have an island each in the centre, known as Rup Lank (or Char Chinari) and Sona Lank respectively. It is well known for its approximately 500 Victorian-era wooden houseboats. Out of about 500 Mughal Gardens laid down in 16th to 17th century, only a few still survive, along its shores. While some geologists believe that the origins of Dal Lake lie in the Pleistocene Oligotrophic Lake that once covered the entire valley of Kashmir, others just believe it to be a flood plain lake.

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