Dal Lake : Hosted The First-Ever Races
The iconic Dal Lake in Srinagar hosted the first-ever races under rowing, kayaking, and canoeing categories under the Khelo India Water Sports Festival.
- Dal Lake is a mid-altitude urban lake located in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir.
- It is surrounded by the Pir Panjal mountains.
- It is integral to tourism and recreation in Kashmir and is named the “Jewel in the crown of Kashmir” or “Srinagar’s Jewel”.
- It is one of the world’s largest natural lakes and also known as the Lake of Flowers.
- The shoreline of the lake is encompassed by a boulevard lined with Mughal-era gardens, parks, houseboats, and hotels.
- The wetland is divided by causeways into four basins; Gagribal, Lokut Dal, Bod Dal, and Nagin (although Nagin is also considered an independent lake).
- Lokut-dal and Bod-dal each have an island in the centre, known as Rup Lank (or Char Chinari) and Sona Lank,
- Dal Lake is also popular for the floating market where vendors have their own Shikaras/wooden boats and approach tourists.
Khelo India Water Sports Festival:
- It is organised jointly by the Sports Authority of India (SAI) and the J&K Sports Council under the government’s ‘Khelo Bharat’ policy.
- It is aimed at boosting grassroots sports, generating livelihoods, and rejuvenating local infrastructure.
- It is the first consolidated Open-age category championships where all 14 kayaking and canoeing events and the 10 rowing events are Olympic events.
