Srinagar, India (CNN) – The lone shikara (Kashmiri gondola) takes us quietly across the placid Nigeen Lake of Srinagar to the far shore, where numerous wooden boats line up.
We sprawled out on colorful recliners under a canvas canopy while behind us a skilful boatman steered us forward with steady strokes from his heart-shaped oars. that.
For a moment, the setting sun over the majestic Zabarwan Mountains cast a welcoming glow on the row of houseboats before they disappeared at dusk.
It’s easy to see why this land was once called “Paradise on Earth” by the great Mughal Emperor Jahangir.
But due to a combination of factors, including a lack of skilled artisans to carry out the boat tradition in-house, there are signs that this part of India’s unique Kashmiri heritage may be fading away. .
A shikara drops a passenger off a houseboat anchored on Srinagar’s Nigeen Lake.
Ranjan Pal is polite
A glorious past
Srinagar is the largest city in Kashmir, India and is famous for its extensive network of rivers and lakes.
The origins of boats in the city date back to the days of the British Raj – a classic story about the necessity to be the mother of invention.
The British liked to travel to Kashmir in the summer months to escape the heat and smog of the Indian plains, but the local Hindu maharajas refused to allow them to own the land.
At the same time, they enjoy touring the Kashmir valley through the waterways of the region. The idea of a “floating camp” was born.
Kashmiri business and craftsmanship took care of the rest, and starting in the 1850s, the dungas and bahach (cargo boats with two sides) of the area were converted into elaborate houseboats for service. needs of British tourists.
When houseboats first appeared on the Kashmiri waterways, they were much smaller (about 40 feet in length) and were swam by boatmen or horses along the Jhelum from a trail if the river was high and the currents strong .
In this photo, estimated to have been taken between 1915 and 1919, an indoor boat glides along Dal Lake.
Edward Fitzgerald Charlesworth Collection / Peter Charlesworth / LightRocket / Getty Images
As demand grows, visiting British clientele have less time for leisurely stays and prefer more spacious accommodation. Meanwhile, it became more difficult to negotiate low bridges over the Jhelum River, while the accumulation of silt reduced the river’s depth.
In response, the houseboat owners decided to anchor them in permanent rows, presenting them as floating – but not traveling – hotels on the Srinagar’s Dal and Nigeen Lakes.
When the British left after Independence in 1947, there were fears that the houseboat business would die out, but the owners converted them into hotels that catered to visiting Indian tourists, marketing them enthusiastically. edgy way is “floating palace”.
Then, in the 1960s, the houseboat became an international tourist attraction on the so-called “Hippie Trail”, a overland route between Europe and Southeast Asia.
Srinagar’s in-house boats have been given a new lease of life.
Current experience
For visitors to Indian Kashmir, the experience on a houseboat is considered unacceptable – like staying in a haveli villa in Rajasthan or a villa in Goa.
They come in all shapes and sizes – we chose the deluxe version, which has four bedrooms (each with its own bathroom), pantry, dining room, living room, and lake-view balcony.
Climbing the lower steps from the shikara is like entering a Kashmiri artist’s finest salon, a space filled with beautiful silk rugs, furniture and accessories with intricately carved designs. carved from walnut wood, space curtains and embroidered bedspreads.
Overlooking it all is the intricate khatambandh ceiling made from hundreds of small pieces of wood joined together in an attractive geometric pattern – all by hand, without the use of nails.
Ornate interior of a houseboat on Lake Nigeen.
Ranjan Pal is polite
Dinner was laid out on ornately carved walnut tables, a sumptuous feast of Kashmiri delicacies such as paella, kebabs, lamb yakni, fried lotus root and stewed quince apples.
The feeling of being on a houseboat is like being in a luxury carriage on a train, with each bedroom being self-contained and opening onto a corridor that runs along the side of the boat.
The best seats in the house are undoubtedly the divans on the balcony, which open to all sides and overlook the lake.
Here we see fellow Bangalore visitor and visitor, Sharmila Senthilraja curled up with a book and gazing out at the peaceful landscape spreading out before her.
She said of the experience: “The slow and beautiful awakening of dawn spreads a sprawling silver layer over a mirrored lake of breathtaking beauty that purifies one’s soul.”
Only three boathouse craftsmen left
“The houseboat has been in our family for five generations,” says owner Farooq Wangnoo, owner of the heritage houseboat.
“They are a unique part of Kashmir’s culture and heritage but now we face many threats to our very existence.”
Among these was a ban on new construction, restricting the business of the master craftsmen who built these ships.
According to Wangnoo, there are only three people left in Srinagar who have the special skills needed to select wood and craft these works of art.
Tourists enjoy houseboats on Dal Lake on July 6, 2021.
Photos Nasir Kachroo / NurPhoto / Getty
The houseboat is built entirely from cedar wood (Indian cedar), which is found in abundance in the region. It is suitable for boats as it can remain submerged in water for long periods of time.
Interestingly, the flat hull was first laid on land and then pushed up to the surface before the wooden walls and roof were placed on top. A six-foot gap between the deck and hull provides just enough space for someone to climb down and coats the deodorizers with regular glue to prevent leaks.
Wangnoo said his boat was first commissioned in 1984 and took 18 months to build, with 20 craftsmen working each day.
An uncertain future
As a major tourist experience, houseboats have certainly taken a hit, and their numbers have dwindled from 3,000 in the 1970s to just over 900 – total on the Dal and Nigeen Lakes.
Today, the bigger problem that greatly worries both the authorities and boat owners is the pollution and rampant weed infestation in Dal Lake caused by untreated sewage from communities living in and around the lake. around the lake, according to the state’s Lakes and Water Development. Authority (LAWDA).
Kashmiri gondolas are a common sight in the waterways of Srinagar.
Ranjan Pal is polite
In 2010, a Supreme Court order was passed banning any new construction around the lake, including houseboats, although the extent of their contribution to pollution is generally agreed upon. I mean less than 5%.
The relationship between the houseboat owner Hanji (or the inhabitants of the water) and the government is fractured by mutual suspicion and mistrust. Socially, the Hanjis have always been seen as outsiders of the formal Kashmiri caste structure from which the officials come.
A nomadic lifestyle, they are hindered by a lack of suitable political representation and a low level of education. Economically, however, the Hanjis prospered as they traded in Kashmir’s waterways.
“We are easier to see because we live in the lake and have become a gentle target for indications,” said Yaseen Tuman, an apparent spokesman for the Hanji cause and owner of a luxury fleet. tough government directive on pollution.
But there are some reasons for hope.
A new houseboat policy announced by LAWDA and the Department of Tourism in May 2021 gives owners the right to renovate and refurbish their property, despite owners facing a lot of red tape. , including a requirement that the owner obtain multiple NOCs (certificates of no objection) from some departments.
“We have a two-pronged approach whereby houseboats must be fitted with a biodegradation tank or similar scientific device to clean up their waste or they will be linked through pipes. to one in five wastewater treatment plants on land”. Bashir Bhat, LAWDA’s new deputy prime minister.
Srinagar’s houseboats are an integral part of Kashmir’s cultural heritage.
Ranjan Pal is polite
There is also a controversial plan to trim down the main collection of boats moored on Dal Lake and move some of them to a new designated area. This plan has been submitted by the University of Kashmir for an environmental impact assessment study.
All involved agree on the paramount need to save Dal Lake and with that, indoor boats are an integral part of India’s Kashmiri cultural heritage.
The problem is that there is a huge difference of opinion on how to achieve this.
Gilsar’s effort is led by Manzoor Wangnoo, a former president of the Kashmir Seafarers’ Association, who helped foster broad community engagement, inspiring India’s Kashmir government to follow Khushalsar.
“If all of us, Kashmiri stakeholders work together for the common good, then miracles can be achieved to preserve the beauty of the land that Allah has given us,” leader Hanji said. passionately told CNN while sipping a steaming hot cup of sweet kahwa (Kashmiri green tea).
Top image: Shikara owners wait for customers on the world famous Dal lake in Srinagar on April 24, 2021. Source: Nasir Kachroo / NurPhoto / Getty Images
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