There are a few places in the world where all you have to do is point your camera and press the shutter button to capture a great image.
Lake Dal is one of them.
Located high in northern India, Srinigar is the summer capital of Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir. It lies on the shores of Lake Dal - a freshwater urban lake surrounded by the Pir Panjal Mountains on three sides and flanked by orchards and gardens. The lake was a summer retreat for early Mughal rulers of India and later British administrators during the Raj. In late summer floating lotus flowers, known as Raad, come into bloom and form a beautiful backdrop for the hundreds of houseboats lining the shore. The British were not permitted to own property in Kashmir, so the enterprising Kashmiris constructed the houseboats as floating hotels - a use which persists to the present day. A Shikara ride to stay in beautifully appointed houseboat on the shores of Lake Dal is a must for any traveller to Srinigar. The tourist experience in Kashmir has been under stress over the last thirty years because of pollution in the lake, political instability and occasional violence in the region, but Lake Dal continues to be one of northern India's top vacation destinations.
