Desolation around Dal Lake
The tragic happenings of the recent heartless killings in Pahalgam brought in a sudden drop for the tourism industry. Kashmir valley has seen several such hiccups during my lifetime but the majestic hills and lakes like the Dal Lake make these incidents a passing cloud and life goes on. The other day while driving on the boulevard towards Nishat Bagh with the Dal Lake on my left side, I saw hardly any tourists as compared to what it was before 22nd April. With paucity of people around, the magnificent lake unmindful of its surroundings was glittering with empty Shikaras. Their owners brooding about their fate this summer. This prompted me to go into the tumultuous past of this area including the gardens around it and pen it down for our readers.
Dal lake, also called the lake of flowers, has always been a jewel in the crown of Kashmir. It has a very rich history and is a part of the civilization from ancient times. Kalhana a 12th century poet writes about it in the Rajtarangni. Another version originating even before Rajtarangini describes Dal Lake as a plain desert to which King Pravarasena brought the river Jhelum from the foot hills of Kohimaran also known as Hari Parbat. After a great deal of time, the river rose in floods and as a result of the deluge became a lake. Sultan Sikandar of the Shahmiri dynasty constructed a very strong bund around it up to Nishat during his rule from 1389 to 1413. Another bund was built till the Nageen basin which was constructed by Saif Khan, Governor of Kashmir who ruled the valley from 1647 to 1671 during the reign of Aurangzeb.
During the Dogra rule, Srinagar became their capital. Attracted by the cool climate of the Kashmir valley, amidst the backdrop of the majestic snow-covered Himalayan ranges’ Maharaja Pratap Singh made his palace overlooking the Dal Lake in 1910 and named it Gulab Bhawan at present the Lalit Palace Hotel.
The concept of houseboats in Kashmir emerged in the 19th century, primarily due to the British colonial presence. British officials and travellers, seeking respite from the hot Indian plains, found Kashmir’s lakes and landscapes attractive but were restricted from owning land by the local Maharaja. As a result, the British began commissioning local craftsmen to build houseboats as an alternative form of accommodation. These have since then become beauties of the lake visible from the picturesque Boulevard Road.
Dal lake is also known for its floating gardens, labelled the ‘Rad’ in the Kashmiri language are a special feature of the lake. They basically constitute of matted vegetation and earth, but are floating. These are detached from the bottom of the lake and drawn to a suitable place (generally to the north west of the houseboats’ location) and anchored. Given its rich nutrient properties, many vegetables tomatoes, cucumbers, melons and even Haak is grown with very good crops. Besides this it is the cultivation ground for the lotus stems (Nadroo in Kashmiri) a local delicacy.
The major environmental problem facing the lake is excessive plant and algae growth, which require remedial measures to combat it. Alarmingly, the size of the lake has shrunk from its original area of 22 square kilometres to the present area of 18 square kilometres and there is a concerning rate of sediment deposition due to catchment area degradation. The water quality has also deteriorated due to intense pollution caused by the untreated sewage and solid waste that is fed into the lake from the peripheral areas and from the settlements and houseboats.
The famous Moghul gardens around the lake have been built during 16th –17th century and their number was about five hundred but only a few of these, which we see today have survived. The Nishat Bagh located on the bank of the Dal Lake, with the Zabarwan mountains a short sub-mountain range between Pir Panjal and the great Himalayan range is its backdrop. The Bagh, which is a symmetrical terraced garden was designed and built in 1633 by Asif Khan, elder brother of Nur Jehan, the last wife of emperor Jahangir.
The Shalimar Bagh on the other hand is a much more historic garden and its ancient history can be traced to the 2nd century when it was built during the reign of Pravarasena II, who founded the city of Srinagar and ruled Kashmir from 79 to 139. AD. He had built a cottage there with the name Shalimar, which means abode of love in Sanskrit and garden of bliss in Persian. The king, on his visits to a local saint by the name Sukarma Swami at Harwan, used to stop at this cottage. Over the years, the cottage fell into ruins and later could not be located. However, the name of the place remained as Shalimar. It is here that Emperor Jahangir built his celebrated Shalimar Bagh, his dream project to charm his queen Nur Jahan.
He enlarged the ancient garden in 1619 into a royal garden and called it ‘Farah Baksh’ (‘the delightful’). Emperor Shah Jahan then through the Governor of Kashmir Zafar Khan extended it. The garden has three terraces. The first a public garden or the outer garden ending in the Diwan -e Aam (Public audience hall). The second terrace garden has two terraces. The Diwan e Khas (Hall of private audience) accessible only to noble men of the court. The royal bathrooms are located on the north-west boundary of this enclosure. The third terrace has water channels and restricted pavilions and controlled entry zones of the royal Harem and several exotic fountains with a lovely backdrop of the snow mountains, which is a befitting setting for the Bagh.
The black pavilion in the top terrace of the Shalimar Bagh, has the famous inscription in Persian: Agar Firdaus bar rōy-e zamin ast, hamin ast-o hamin ast-o hamin ast, attributed to the Persian poet Amir Khusrau although there are other claimants also to it. If translated to English it means, “If there is a paradise on earth, it is here, it is here, it is here”.
The third important Mughal Garden built in 1632 around a spring by Ali Mardan Khan, a Governor of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan. It was meant as a gift for his eldest son Dara Shikoh. The name is derived from the famous Kashmiri saint Rupa Bhawani. She was from the Sahib clan of Kashmiri Pundits. The spring was originally called Chashme Sahibi. The name got corrupted over time and today it is called Chashme Shahi. The garden is spread over one acre of land. It is the smallest garden among the three Mughal gardens of Srinagar. All the three gardens notably were built on the right bank of the Dal Lake, with Zabarwan mountains at the backdrop.
Emperor Akbar conquered Kashmir for Mughals in 1586 and added it to the Kabul Subah. His son Jahangir followed him and beautified the mystic valley by adding well known gardens which were then supplemented by his son Shah Jahan. It is worth mentioning here that the great warrior Jahangir who expanded his empire in India from Mewar to Kangra, was on his death bed while travelling from Kashmir to Lahore. Before he breathed his last at Sarai Saadabad in Bhimber in 1627, he was asked about his achievements, cherished desire, and his most coveted place? His answer was: “Kashmir- the rest is all worthless”. These words are true even today for us after nearly 400 years and Dal Lake and its surroundings constitute the heart of the valley.
Prof Upendra Kaul, Founder Director Gauri Kaul Foundation
