We all must have just heard about floating gardens, house boats and islands but world famous Dal Lake of Kashmir poseeses a floating Post office in the whole world. This floating Post office is about two centuries old which was started in British era and even today it continue to deliver & facilitates letters and courtiers to the people living in the lake & others. It is moored on the western edge of Dal lake along side of famous Boulevard Road in Srinagar that makes it unique of its kind in the world with amazing scenic beauty of Dal lake .
It has two beautiful rooms. One serves main office and other one as meusum that depicts the traces history of postal depatrment of J&K.. Every year a good number of tourists and vistors visit Dal Lake from every part of the world including domestic tourists and this post office a uinque of its kind is worth seeing.
Facts about the floating post office :
The history of this floating Post office in Famous Dal Lake of Srinagar Kashmir dates back to 200 year old. This post office was started during the British era and still is active and functional by carrying out all the in delivering activities of letters. The postman here delivers letters by travelling in shikara. All letters that are sent out from here bear a special seal of a shikara with a boatman on it.
Untold story of Worlds floating post
The world’s only floating post office on Kashmir’s Dal Lake was established in 1953, whose inside looks shows the remarkable two-room Houseboat that has survived turbulent and tough times.The National floating post office on the banks of Dal Lake in Srinagar. It is made up of rows of waiting wooden shikari boats, rests what is believed to be the only floating post office in the world.
This Two-centuries old, the two-room houseboat moored near Nehru Park in Srinagar city serves not only the community living by the lake but also the curiosity of visiting tourists from all across the world who visit here in big numbers to see this unique and extremely beautiful postal office one and only one of its kind in the world.
The story of this floating post office itself dates back to 1953, when the local postal department established a mobile delivery service for residents near the lake and visitors and Tourists would often come to stay in several of the community-owned houseboats and at a time before the internet and mobile phone networks were pressed in service , the mobile postal service was a crucial lifeline, collecting letters and postcards and posting them to families back home. Hence it used to be a strong communication network between the people living far far away from one another
A visitor and traveler often drops a post card into a letterbox at the floating post office.The branch of Indian postal service is considered to be the world’s only floating post office which is quite unique in itself.
Tourists and travelers can see Old postage stamps on display in one of the museum spaces at this post office.
This postal office serves the lake side community as well as the many tourists who visit kashmir Valley during peak summer and winter seasons.
This floating post office was officially opened in 1970 by an Indian minister of state and was renovated in 2011 and even Today.
Tourist iternary :
If there can be a floating lake, floating mosque and floating market, then a floating post office shouldn’t be a surprise because it actually exists. The floating post office is located in the beautiful city of Srinagar in Kashmir, amidst picturesque snow-clad mountains on a huge houseboat in Dal Lake. In fact, the surprising factor here is that it is not the only floating post office in India, but also in world, which makes it a unique piece of architecture.
It has become a major tourist attraction in the Srinagar city and one can find this post office floating on the waters of gorgeous Dal Lake in Srinagar. At a first glance, tourists and visitors might think it’s a normal shikhara boat, which is quite a common sight in the city, but if you look closely, you’ll notice the official red and yellow logo of Indian Post Office. There stands a board which reads ‘Floating Post Office, Dal Lake’
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This floating post office being one-of-its-kind architectures, this post office has now become an important part of a tourist’s Kashmir itinerary. One can’t believe the number of travellers who visit the post office just to send a postcard to their loved ones. The stamps available here feature the image of Dal Lake, which is a kind of tribute to this nature’s work of art. There couldn’t be a better souvenir right now.
The floating post office was inaugurated back in the year 2011 by Omar Abdullah, the then Chief Minister of the state of Jammu & Kashmir along with Sachin Pilot, then Minister of State for Communications and IT in Union Government. This is an active post office that is not only visited by locals for posting letters but also by tourists at large. Other services offered here include internet facility and international phone calls
One more important feature , this amazing post office premise features a philately museum that features a huge collection of unique stamps. There is also a souvenir shop from where one can buy postcards, stamps, local items and greeting cards. So, next time you visit Srinagar, make sure you send postcards to your near and dear ones from the only floating post office in the world.
Srinagar places to Visit :
Jammu and Kashmir being crown of India is also called as Paradise on the earth because of its infinte natural beauty, snowcapped Mountains, picturesque Pir Panjal Mountains, flowing rivers, gushing springs, Gardens, parks, flowers,dense green forests, long beautiful meadows, amazing weather conditions a lot more that attracts tourits not only from india but also from other parts of the world who visit here through out the year in lacs to enjoy and entertain themselves this virgin and breath taking natural beauty, snowfall and participate and undertake adventurous activities.
The mostly popular and heavely visited tourist and pilgrimage destinations near this world’s floating post office are Shalimar Bagh, Dal Lake, Nishat Garden, Chashma Shahi, Mansar Lake, Hari Parbhat, Shankar Acharaya Temple, Mata Kheerbhawani Shrine, Chare-e- Sharief Shrine, Nageen Lake, Nil Nag and lot more tourist places.
Tourists from different parts of India and abroad visit Jammu and Kashmir in record numbers every year especially during peak summer season along with their kiths and kins to explore and enjoy the natural beauty of this Paradise with great enthusiasm and gaitey and return with indelible memories of their journeys. These visitors act as ambassdors for their respective native places and spread the message of the wonderful stunning beauty of Jammu and Kashmir and prove to be beneficent for the economy of this union Territory whose back bone is tourism sector.
