Bhopal: Bringing Kashmir's beautiful shikara to Upper Lake

From now on, you don't need to travel all the way to Kashmir to enjoy the famous Shikara boat rides in the Dal Lake for Madhya Pradesh’s tourism body has launched the boat rides at Upper Lake.

Updated on: Jun 10, 2015, 22:03:07 IST

Hindustan Times | By Neeraj Santoshi, Bhopal

Prefer HTon Google

Share via

Copy link

From now on, you don't need to travel all the way to Kashmir to enjoy the famous Shikara boat rides in the Dal Lake for Madhya Pradesh’s tourism body has launched the boat rides at Upper Lake.

The-Tourism-department-has-initiated-shikara-rides-in-Upper-Lake-in-Bhopal-HT-photo

The Madhya Pradesh State Tourism Development Corporation (MPSTDC) launched the boat rides at Upper Lake on Tuesday. Half a dozen Shikara boats will operate from the Sairsapata tourist point on the fringe of the Upper Lake.

Tourism department officials said this was the first time that the Shikara boats were being launched in a water body of the state. MPSTDC general manager (administration) Suhail Qadri said the idea behind the launch of the boat rides was that those who were unable to travel to Kashmir could enjoy the boat rides in the Upper Lake.

"We have a vast lake spread across 31 sq kms here, so we can provide a similar experience to those interested. We hope these Shikara boats will be a hit with the people of the state," he said.

Shikara boats — which are popular in the water bodies of Kashmir — are traditionally used for activities like sightseeing along the banks, transportation, fishing and harvesting aquatic vegetables.

Shikara boats are made of deodar wood, which does not decompose in water.

The Shikara boat — with a decorative canopy supported on four pillars — has remained the cultural symbol of Kashmir for long. Officials said the Shikara boats launched here were made of glass reinforced plastic.

Meanwhile, many visitors turned up at Sairsapata to enjoy the boat rides.

"I have never been to Kashmir. When I heard the tourism department was launching the boat rides in Bada Talab (Upper Lake), I came here to enjoy the first Shikara ride of my life. These boats look exactly like the ones that I have seen so many time in pictures and films shot in Kashmir. I have gone on boating in the Upper Lake so many times, but riding in a Shikara boat feels different. It is an amazing experience," said Pradyman Jain, a resident of Kalpana Nagar.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Neeraj Santoshi
Neeraj Santoshi is the Chief of Bureau for Hindustan Times in Uttarakhand, where he leads the state reporting team while covering government, politics, environment, wildlife, Uttarakhand High Court, and issues shaping the Himalayan region. With more than two decades in journalism across conflict zones, he has covered politically sensitive regions and environmentally fragile landscapes, and focused on stories that combine public interest with in-depth storytelling. An alumnus of Pune University with a Master’s in Communication Studies, he has reported extensively from Jammu & Kashmir (2003-2010), Madhya Pradesh (2010 to 2018 ) and Uttarakhand (Since 2018), covering subjects ranging from insurgency, elections and governance to wildlife conservation, mining, climate change, agriculture, human rights and social justice. He has covered politics and legislative assemblies of both Jammu & Kashmir and Madhya Pradesh over more than a decade. Before taking over as Chief of Bureau in Uttarakhand, he served as Special Correspondent with Hindustan Times in Madhya Pradesh and earlier reported for both Hindustan Times and The Indian Express in Jammu & Kashmir, where he covered state politics, environment and insurgency-related developments. Over the years, his stories have focused on environmental degradation, wildlife, illegal mining, governance and the changing social fabric of Himalayan states and Central India. He is particularly interested in long-form explanatory journalism, and stories that explore the intersection of ecology, conservation, governance and society. Outside the newsroom, Neeraj enjoys reading widely on neuroscience, consciousness studies, Artificial Intelligence and quantum physics, with a special interest in Kashmiri Tantric Shaivist traditions. He is also passionate about wildlife, mountaineering and the Himalayas, interests that continue to inform his reporting and deepen his understanding of the region he covers.Read More

Home/Cities/Bhopal News/Bhopal: Bringing Kashmir's Beautiful Shikara To Upper Lake