You are wrong if you think Kashmir Valley is boring at night. Shikaras with illuminated lights are available for rides at night as well. Tourism officials in the union territory have illuminated all the Shikaras on the famous Dal Lake. Tourism and the nightlife in Kashmir Valley will be boosted as a result of this move.
Kashmir Valley has been without nightlife for decades. By 8 pm, everything in the Kashmir Valley shuts down, and visitors have nothing to do in the valley after that. A number of Shikaras on Dal Lake have been illuminated by the tourism department to promote nightlife in Srinagar city. The illumination will be phased out and eventually, more than 1000 Shikaras will be lit by the Department of Tourism. All the lights installed on Shikaras are solar-powered and eco-friendly.
‘Shikaras come to mind immediately when we talk about Kashmir. We organized a houseboat festival to celebrate the legacy. To add to the experience, we thought of illuminating and decorating our Shikaras particularly for people who visit tourist spots during the daytime and come back in the evening. They hesitate to take Shikara rides when it’s dark. But now they will be able to take these rides in the evenings. During the first phase, we have illuminated 80 Shikaras. We plan to illuminate all Shikaras,’ said GN Itoo, director of tourism department.
For tourists visiting Kashmir Valley, taking a Shikara ride on the world-famous Dal Lake has always been a top priority. Also, the tourism department has been developing new ideas to attract more tourists. The department has recently begun providing heritage tours, craft exhibitions, night skiing, and other activities to tourists visiting the valley. For the first time, Shikaras are illuminated in the Kashmir Valley.
Shikaras are so beautiful with their illuminated look as they move, and capturing their beauty is incredible. ‘It will increase the working hours of these Shikara owners, which means more business for them. Tourists can also enjoy the rides at night. The message it will send across it is that you have things to do in Kashmir even at night,’ said Mukhtar Ahmad, Photographer. The Shikara and houseboat owners are extremely happy about the step taken by the tourism department of Jammu and Kashmir. They are happy at the prospect of their working hours increasing.
‘It’s a very good step by the government. We had asked them for illumination, and it will help the business. Since night flights have started in Kashmir, we are happy that night Shikaras have started as well. Tourists are enjoying it a lot. We are happy that the Jammu Kashmir tourism department has taken this step. We have 80 illuminated Shikaras and we will be illuminating more than 1000 in times ahead,’ said Wali Mohammad, president of Shikara Association. Jammu and Kashmir’s tourism department is working on various new ideas to make tourists’ stay in the valley as enjoyable as possible. In order to attract more tourists to the valley, the department focuses on adventure, heritage, and craft.
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