Shikaras

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Shikaras are a type of wooden boat found on Dal Lake, and other water bodies of Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir, India. Shikaras are of varied sizes and are used for multiple purposes, including transportation of people. Drivers use oars having a unique spade-shaped bottom to row the shikara. A usual shikara seats half-a-dozen people, with the driver sitting at the lower end. Like the Venetian gandolas, they are a cultural symbol of Kashmir. Some shikaras are still used for fishing, seaweed-harvesting, and transport in the deeper parts of Dal Lake, while most are covered with tarpaulins and are used by tourists. Some are used as floating homes by poor people^[1].

Shikaras have become quite a popular tourist attraction, with tourists taking cruises along the Dal and Nageen lakes, visiting places of interest. A very popular postcard photo of a shikara is the florist's shikara, in which the florist carries varied flowers for sale.

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