Char Chinar

"Char Chinar" , also sometimes rendered Char Chinari, Ropa Lank, or Rupa Lank,[is an island in Dal Lake, Srinagar, Kashmir India. Dal Lake includes 3 islands, 2 of which are marked with beautiful Chinar trees. The island located on the Bod Dal is known as Rupa Lank (Silver Island), it is marked with the presence of majestic Chinar trees at the four corners, thus known as Char-Chinari (Four Chinars). Murad Baksh, brother of the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, constructed the Rupa Lank. The second Chinar Island, known as Sona Lanka (Gold Island), is located on the Lokut Dal, and over looks the holy shrine of Hazratbal.[2] Chinar trees characteristically grow in Eastern Himalayas. They have been an important part of Kashmiri tradition, in that, a Chinar tree is found in almost every village in Kashmir. These trees have survived for ages, because Chinar is basically a long-living tree. It spreads wide across a region of cool climate with sufficient water. The tree has several properties - leaves and bark are used as medicine, the wood, known as lace wood has been used for delicate furniture and the twigs and roots are used for making dyes.