#srinigar

Kashmiri artists wait to start a performance in Srinagar, Kashmir, as part of the celebrations marking the 75th anniversary of India’s independence from Britain. 

Kashmir Hilton and Holiday Inn, Houseboats on Dal Lake, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir (कश्मीर हिल्टन एंड हॉलिडे इन, हाउसबोट ऑन डल लेक, श्रीनगर, जम्मू और कश्मीर), 1978.

This is a sad and nostalgic post at a time when travel of any sort is nearly impossible. Kashmir has been closed to tourism for some time now, and it is the scene of strife and even horror. This was taken in a happier Spring when the Vale of Kashmir fully lived up to its reputation as one of the most beautiful places on earth. The houseboats date from the time of the Raj when the local sultan did not allow outsiders to own property. The British colonial administrators loved Kashmir in summer when it was much cooler than the towns on the Indian Plains to the South, and the solution was to move into a houseboat on the lake for the summer. After the Raj but before the communal strife blocked tourism, we rented “Holiday Inn” for a most delightful stay in Kashmir.