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Anchar Lake

Anchar Lake

Jammu & Kashmir

State
Jammu & Kashmir
Type
Other

Anchar Lake is located in Soura, Srinagar district, connected to Dal Lake via the Amir Khan Nallah channel that passes through Gilsar and Khushal Sar; excess Dal Lake water is diverted into Anchar during flooding.

Anchar Lake is known for

connected to Dal Lake systemHanji boat-dwelling communityShallabugh Wetland water sourceurban wetland conservation challenge

A short history

The lake supplies water to the Shallabugh Wetland and is home to the Hanji (boat-dwelling) community. It was historically a popular tourist destination reached by shikara and houseboat from Dal Lake, but has suffered from pollution, encroachment, and illegal construction; drainage infrastructure installed in the 1990s has since clogged with waste and debris. [Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anchar_Lake]

Why Anchar Lake matters

Anchar Lake illustrates both the ecological interconnection of Srinagar's lake system and the environmental pressures facing Kashmir's urban wetlands.

When to go

April to October

How to reach

Located in Soura, northern Srinagar, connected to Dal Lake via the Amir Khan Nallah channel.

Anchar Lake guide & itineraries

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Vaishno Devi (Katra)

Vaishno Devi (Katra)

The shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi stands at 1,585 metres in the Trikuta Mountains of Jammu. Katra is the base town, and from there millions of pilgrims walk 12 km uphill on a well-built mountain path to reach the cave temple, the Bhawan. Inside the natural rock cave there is no idol. The goddess is worshipped as three natural rock Pindis — Maha Kali, Maha Lakshmi and Maha Saraswati, the creating, sustaining and transforming aspects of Shakti. The Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board (SMVDSB) runs the whole operation around the clock, with automated crowd-tracking lanes and shelters along the route.

Srinagar (Dal Lake)

Srinagar (Dal Lake)

Srinagar is a lake city, and the difference between a good stay and a mediocre one is which part of the lake you sleep on. Take a houseboat, but ask where it is moored. The boats near the Boulevard are convenient and noisy with traffic; the ones further out towards Nagin lake are quieter and give you the mornings the place is famous for. Shikara rides are priced by the hour and by negotiation — agree the route and the price before you get in, or you will be taken to a floating handicraft shop instead. The Mughal gardens — Shalimar, Nishat, Chashme Shahi — are terraced up the eastern hillside and are best in the first hour after opening. The vegetable market on the water at dawn is the real thing, and it means being up before five. Papier-mâché and Kashmiri walnut wood are genuine crafts here and worth buying properly rather than roadside. Check current advisories before you book, and do that close to your travel date rather than months out. April and May for the blossom, and June to August is the season most Indians come. Winter is cold, beautiful and quiet.

Amarnath

Amarnath

Mahamaya is the name the Goddess carries here, and Trisandhyeshwar is the Bhairava who guards her. The cave opens for only a few weeks around Shravan, in July and August, and you will need a registration and a medical certificate before you set out — from Pahalgam it is three or four days in, while Baltal is fourteen kilometres and very steep. Neither way in is a stroll.

Dal Lake

Dal Lake

Dal Lake is an urban lake in Srinagar covering about 18 square kilometres (21.2 sq km including floating gardens), with a maximum depth of 6 metres and average depth of 1.42 metres, at an elevation of 1,583 metres. Known as the "Jewel in the crown of Kashmir," it is ringed by Mughal gardens and houseboats.

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