The state of Jammu & Kashmir, form part of a vast state, which Jammu, Vale of Kashmir, Kishtwar, Ladakh & Zanskar ranges, is a region of widely varying people and geography.

The beautiful Vale of Kashmir is a fertile and verdant region enclosed by the high snow-capped ridges of the Pir Panjal to the west and south, and the main Himalayan Range to the east.

The Mughal rulers of India were always happy to retreat from the heat of the plains to the cool green heights of Kashmir, and had developed their formal garden-style art to its greatest heights in Kashmir.

Srinagar, the summer capital of Kashmir, stands on Dal Lake and the picturesque Jhelum River. It is a city with a distinctly Central Asian flavour. East of the city is Dal Lake, which comprises a series of lakes, much of it a maze of intricate waterways.

One of Kashmir's greatest attractions was undoubtedly the Dal Lake Houseboat. During the Raj period Kashmir's ruler would not permit the British, who were as fond of Kashmir's cool climate as the Mughals, to own land here. So they adopted the solution of building houseboats - each one a little bit of England, afloat on Dal Lake.

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