Zaina Kadal - A Living Heritage

Kashmir is picturesque and rightly referred as "Heaven on the Earth". One poet who said this couplet was right, when he said: " Gar jannat bar ru-e-zameen ast, Hamein Ast, Hamien Ast" (If there is heaven on th earth, It is this ! It is This!". We have all heard about Kashmir and its natural beauty, its green fir lined valleys and meadows, its snow caped mountain ranges, its golf courses, the shimmering flow of rivers Indus, Lidder and Jhelum, the Dal Lake, and the Mughal gardens which flank the lake across the boulevard in the valley of Zabarwan hills. Yet how many of us have known and admired the beauty of downtown Srinagar, its alleys and mohallas, the burnt brick and wooden houses, the various bridges over the Jhelum. The sights and sounds of Down town Srinagar is worth every minute spent there.Unfortunately very few visitors venture out into this part of city and the staff manning the Reception Centre of Tourism department also do not recommend visit to this part of the city unescorted. They may be right with their reasons for cautioning tourists for the area seems to have withstood the onslaught of modern trappings and development. The time seems to have stopped here somewhere in the early seventies. The bazars and mohallas are crowded yet has a silence of surreal kind. People speak in soft tones, no shouting, jostling and haggling here. Presence of security personnel though overwhelming yet after a while it sinks in that you are in one of the most troubled and terrorism hot spot of India. Zaina Kadal also has the dubious distinction of being the placxe from where the terrorists first raised defiance against the Indian government way back in in the early eighties. While on visit here you would hardly come across any 'Indian' as people from outside the valley are referred in local parlance. Your presence will be viewed with inquisitive eyes and you can sense that every one is watching you. This feeling is sometimes very overwhelming and very scary.

Zaina Kadal is one of the most picturesque area of old Srinagar. The word 'Kadal' means bridge in the Kashmiri language, hence localities have been named after the bridges that span over Jhelum river in Srinagar. Zaina Kadal, Amira Kadal, Habba Kadal are some of the areas named after the bridge here. Zaina Kadal area is of great significance in Srinagar. It is a bustling wholesale market for dry fruits, clothes, spices as well as major retailing area for household goods and groceries. The locality is also famous for its brassware and copperwares which is manufactured in this locality in numerous workshops. The area also is of great importance for historical, architectural and religious matters.

The skyline of Zaina Kadal is mangnificent in the sense that all the prominent bulidngs dot the skyline here. The areas which can be loosly referred as Zaina Kadal comprises of Pather Masjid, Zaina Kadal, Khanqah Shah Hamdan, GadaKocah, Vakil Kocha, Mazar Salateen, Saraf Sheikh Mohalla, Saraf Kadal, Qutubuddin Pora and Jamia Masjid. One can go on a Heritage Walk through this locality which entail walking for apporx 2 hours and covers 2 kms area. On this walk you would come across buildings and places which have historical, religious and architectural significance. You may start the walk from Pather Wali Masjid across the old Zaina Kadal Bridge over river Jhelum and cover Pather Masjid, a flat roofed mosque built of black stone (this is the one of its kind in India), Mujahid Manzil, Zaina Kadal, Khanqah-i-Shah Hamdan (Shah Hamdan'z cenotaph), Shah Hamadan was a prominent religious saint and is highly reverred in the Kashmir Valley and India. He is claimed to have brought Islam into India. Hammam Khanqah-i-Shah Hamdan (Public bath at Shah Hamdan Mousoleum), Shrine Ali Wali, Kali ka Mandir, Mazar-i-Salateen (Mousoleum of the Muslim rulers of Kashmir), this is in an enclosed area where the most prominent mousoleum is that of the mother of Kashmir's most respected and loved king Sultan Qutubuddin. Budshah’s Dumath, Shrine Pir Haji, Cenotaph Sultan Qutb-ud-din, Ruins Malik Jallaludin Thakur, Jamia Masjid, Budshah Masjid, Ghani Textiles, Matoo House, Vakil House, Promenade leading to Khanqah-i-Maulla, Gadha Kocha, Vakil Kocha and Sheikh Mohalla.

These prominent buildings and monuments lend a unique feel to the area and gives you glimpse of the true Kashmir. The people are courteous and hospitable as wherever I stopped for shopping or sightseeing I was welcomed with smile and treated with Kehwa. Pne can spend atleast half a day here visting the shrines whcih are of great architectural importance. The religious buildings here have unique architectural style which is not seen in other Islamic architecture. Conical roof tops replace the rounded cuppolas and minarets associated with traditional Islamic architecture. Jama Masjid is a beautiful building made of burnt brick and slanting roof with conical towers. The above two photograps are of the Mousoleum of King Qutubuddin's mother and Shah Hamdan Mousoluem on the river bank of Jhelum.

Life on Water:Dal Lake -Srinagar II

Life on Dal is never 'dull', moreso when you sit on the sundeck and watch the day go by sipping hot aromatic Kashmiri 'Kehwa' (kashmiri tea) made in copper vessel known as 'Samovar'.It is speciality of Kashmir made with green tea, saffron and alomond. Samovar is an excuistely carved copper vessel which is omnipresent in every kashmiri household. It is usually made of copper and intricately engraved with motifs of flowers - chinar, tulip or rose. It is a prozed possession and can be bought from the brassware shops at Zaina Kadak. One can visit the craftsmen working on copper and brass sheets creating excuisite vessels in the byelanes of Zaina Kadal and Khanyan in the downtown Srinagar. These vessels are sold either by weight or in some cases by the piece. A good quality medium size samovar would set you back by apporx Indian Rupee.3000-(USD 80), however this could well turnout to be a conversation piece at your tea sessions.

Life on Water: Dal Lake - Srinagar
Living on a Houseboat on Dal Lake is a lifetime experience. Well decorated and appointed with the traditional Kashmiri wooden handcrafted furnitures, the famous Kashmiri carpet on the floor, every room on the houseboat is almost like a treausre trove of Kashmiri art and craft. Living on the placid waters of Dal Lake facing the Zabarwan hills and over looked by Shakaracharya temple on the hilltop is a must do for every vistor to the Kashmir Valley. Though there are many hotels flanking the boulevard by the Dal, at least a night spent on houseboat is must do thing while in Srinagar. The experience of living on water comes studded with the excellent hospitality of the boatmen who go to the length to provide the best of hospitality, courtesy and experience. Not to forget the made to cook Kashmiri Wazwan cuisine which may be served on order.
Each Hosueboat usually has 3-4 full boarding rooms with attached bath, dressing area, etc. Each room is self contained. The front of the houseboat has the sitout ' sun deck' with comfortable cushions and seating arrangement. One can sit for hours on the sun deck without feeling bored. One can live and view the life on water as it goes through the twentyfour hour cycle everyday.
The day begins early here at Dal Lake for the vegetable farmers and vegetable vendors from the city who come calling at the vegetable market on the Dal lake well before the sun rays have peeped from behind the peak of Zabarwan Hills. Kashmiri farmers living in Dal Lake grow vegetables here on the floating farms. These farms produce fine variety of green vegetables - spinach, radish, cucumber, cauliflower, cabbage, etc are grown in abundance on the floating fams. Eevery morning the vegetable retailers from the city descend here and purchase vegetables in bulk from the floating farms. It is quite a sight to watch farmers and buyers haggling and bargianing from their boats. By the time the sun rays have strated sparkling on the Dal lake the buyers are on the way towarsd the boulevard rowing their boats laden with fresh vegetables which gets sold in the Srinagar city. A visit to the vegetable market is must.
Dal Lake is not only home to about 500 houseboats but it also house apporx 1000 families and houses various communities. It has its own mohallas on water inhabited by peopel from various communities practising occupations ranging from farning , horticulture to carpet weaving, wood carving, etc. Since this is also a community village, it has its own provision stores, tailoring shops, mutton and fish sellers, grocey stores, tea stalls, tea stall, cafes, kabab sellers, fast food joints, fruit stalls and every thing else which you and I access in ourt own localities in our cities. These mohallas are accessed only thorugh small boats, which every family seems to own, sometimes more than one in each household. These small boats are means of transport for these people living on water. It is like owning our own scooter or two wheeler in each of our households in cities.
The typical mohallas have cluster of houses on houseboats as well as brick and wood tin roofed houses built over the shallow water. Typical houses have small vegetable garden around the house. Vibrant red, pink, yellow roses abound here and spreads fragranc around. The wild lotus - yellow, white and pink grow and bloom around these houses and in the lotus farm. Lotus is grown not only for its flowers but alos for its stem. Lotus stem or 'Nadru' as it is called in Kashmir is a vegetarian delicary of Kashmir. 'Nadru Yakhni' is a delicacy which one must try here.
Life on the Dal is unique and special and it brings you face to face with sights and sounds which is so refreshing, exotic yet the simplest things. How can I not talk about the Flower Sellers who come calling to every houseboat rowing their quaint little boats laden with fresh flowers of every hue and variety. These flower sellers come calling early in the morning and hark at every houseboat. Vibrant roses, lilies, tulips, pancies, genias, lotus, gerberas are only some of the varieties that I could remember. The flower seller sits on one end of the narrow boat and flowers are kep on the rest of the boat. They call out " phool lena" (want to buy flowers), "phool ka seed lena" (want to buy flower seeds) at ecah of the houseboat. These flowers do not come cheap as it is delivered at your doorstep, so are the seeds. Every flower boat has a name, some of them read " Nice Man Flower Seller"