Shikara

Alike a typical boat that gently floats on the Dal Lake of Kashmir. The culture symbol of Kashmir is now adorning the Kodai Lake. Many of us, who can’t makeup to Kashmir and dream alike sailing in Shikara on Dal Lake, would perhaps get a chance to enjoy it likely on the Kodai Lake. And I liked to call the lake as Dal of Kodaikanal.

One pleasant evening, I come around the bank of Kodai Lake to see a Shikara sailing close to bank with a couple inside. It was moving and seems like there aren’t many boat of this type on the lake and like ever seen before, I thought to capture it without delay. So I took the cam and clicked. But it unexpectedly thrown flash on the boat and the couple inside gazed in surprise disturbed the moment, but still I don’t want to miss the chance clicking at the boat, hence the flashed one isn’t clear. I just came down to manual and clicked again, leaving away hesitate and still stared by either.

Leaving away the couple in clam, the rower sits at the edge of the boat and rows with an oar and leg down touching the cold lake water. The oars used in shikaras are shaped in a unique spade bottom! A usual shikara seats half-a-dozen people with rower sitting at the lower end, are still used for fishing, harvesting aquatic vegetation and transport to the deeper parts of Dal Lake. Mostly covered by tarpaulins, protect tourist from sudden shower and also remain as floating homes to poor people. Shikaras are the main tourist attraction to Kashmir’s Dal Lake and interestingly it seems shikaras are available only in Kodai Lake outside Kashmir.