There are many beautiful lakes in the Kashmir Valley which yield plenty of water-nuts, lotus roots and fish. Some of these lakes contain floating gardens producing pumpkins, water melons, musk melons, cucumbers and other vegetables. In them are also found geese, duck, teal and other game birds.

Dal Lake is situated on the outskirts of Srinagar and is a vast expanse of water, five miles long and nearly half a mile broad. It is divided by causeways into several portions, each of which has a number of minor offshoots with floating gardens. The lake is surrounded on all sides by places of picturesque beauty and charm. As we start from the Dal Gate along the famous boulevard, the replica of Marine Drive, we see on our right a pyramidal hill, one thousand feet in height, at the top of which stands the ancient stone temple of splendid charm.

Rajtarangini states that it was first built by Jalauka, the son of great Emperor Ashoka, about 200 B.C. The temple was later rebuilt and dedicated to Jyesthesvara by Gopaditya, who ruled from 253 A.D. to 328. The hill was called Gopadri and the village at its foot on the south is still called Gopkar.

It is also said that once Shankaracharya, a famous Hindu saint, came to Kashmir from South India to revive Hinduism. He stayed on the top of the hill for sometime and the hill thus came to be known as Shankaracharya hill.......