The Houseboats Of Kashmir: A Tale Of Tradition And Transformation

More than 150 years ago, European visitors to the Valley of Kashmir began staying in the houseboats moored on Dal Lake as they came here to escape the heat and dust of the plains. Some came to hunt and fish, others to paint and read, others to take long walks in the forests and hills and enjoy the abundant birdlife and astonishingly rich variety of local flowers and plants. 

It is usually said that the British were the first to build houseboats on the lake after the local Maharaja refused permission to buy land or build houses in his kingdom. Still, the institution of the houseboat goes back further than that. According to the "Ain-i-Akbari," the official biography of the Mughal Emperor Akbar, he was so fascinated by the beauty of Dal Lake that he summoned Indian and Persian artisans to build him a double-storied houseboat where he could conduct his official audiences but also host intimate celebrations and musical evenings. The royal boat was moored on the banks of the lake near the modern golf course, and it is believed Akbar was so pleased with his innovation that he built many more houseboats lined up along the River Jhelum.

An important addition to houseboat design owes its origin to a humbler source. A local shopkeeper, Pandit Narayan, set up business on a boat after his wooden shop in the crowded old town burned down. Narayan replaced the traditional woven roof with shingles, thus adding stability and longevity to the craft. His business went well. Before long, a European visitor offered to buy the craft. This gave Narayan the idea of going into boatbuilding; his first houseboat, "The Kashmir Princess," was finished in 1885. The idea soon caught on, as we know from the diary of the English army officer, explorer, and spiritual writer Sir Francis Younghusband, that by 1906, many houseboats were plying their trade on Dal Lake. The Pandit family continued as the Valley's main houseboat builders until Independence in 1948. 

An Inner Tradition

From their beginning, houseboats in Kashmir were associated not only with the woodcarving, carpet weaving, and natural beauty for which the area is famed but also with its spiritual heritage. Akbar was famed for his religious tolerance and attempts to find a universal system—the Din-i-Ilahi—that incorporated the essentials of all creeds. We can imagine him hosting debates long into the night with scholars and divines on his royal houseboat. We know that Swami Vivekananda, the man who brought yoga to the West, stayed here on one in 1897.

The turbulent 1920s and 1930s saw the annual numbers of Raj visitors swelled by a new type of traveller—Western spiritual seekers who began visiting the peaceful Valley during international turbulence. In the 1960's, another time of great changes, the houseboats hosted Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and his students for several meditation courses. While here, Maharishi took the opportunity to visit his friend Swami Lakshmanjoo, a great saint in the tradition of Kashmiri Shaivism, who had his ashram next to the Nishat Gardens, where Emperor Jahangir, Akbar's eldest son, once sat and listened to discourses from his own Sufi teachers. The blend of Hindu and Sufi mysticism had existed happily ever since at least the 14th century when both faiths hailed the local saint and poetess Laleshwari as a woman who knew God.

This is where our houseboat, Sukoon, comes into play.

A Houseboat Of Our Own

The boat "Sukoon"—a Kashmiri word meaning peace or tranquillity and also a Sufi term for a resting place on the spiritual journey to higher states of consciousness—was built in 1976 by my father, Yousuf Chapri, a pioneer of modern trekking and expeditions in the Valley.

During his long career, he worked with Tenzin Norgay, the first man to stand on the summit of Everest, Dr Robert Fleming, the renowned Himalayan naturalist and author of "The Birds of Nepal, Kashmir and Sikkim," and several other well-known writers and explorers of the time. Yousuf named his boat Neil Armstrong as he was a huge fan of astronauts and started writing to him after the moon landing of 1969. A signed picture of Armstrong at that momentous event hangs proudly inside the houseboat to this day.

When it was built, Neil Armstrong was the largest boat on the lake, and it was created to cater to the increasing tide of tourists coming from the UK, Europe and the US. A long family tradition of involvement in the houseboat sector, stretching back to the days of the Raj, lay behind Yousuf's venture. The Chapri family came into the boat business when my grandfather worked as a contractor for Sir James Roberts, helping to build his two-storied houseboat Rousham, named after the famous William Kent Gardens near Oxford. It was moored on the Jhelum River. Sir James and his wife were in love with Kashmir, visiting each summer for over 20 years to explore and trek through its beautiful valleys and mountain regions, and my grandfather accompanied and guided them. When the British left the subcontinent in 1947, Sir James gifted Rousham to him in gratitude for their association, and in time, his son Yousuf continued the family tradition by building his boat.

Sukoon's New Era

When my brother Bilal and I saw the decline of the houseboat industry, with tourists showing no interest in staying in such places, we came up with the idea to take over Neil Armstrong from our father. We renamed it Sukoon in recognition that what was needed was a fresh approach and change of gear to upgrade to luxury tourism, lifting the local industry to a new level. Already well established in tourism, we put all our energy into the scheme, not only for ourselves but to help revitalise the surrounding community.

Most important to us was the necessity to make the project ecologically sustainable, which involved respecting the lake as a natural asset of great beauty and not using it as a dumping ground for waste and rubbish, strictly banning the use of plastic on the boat and maximising the involvement and benefit of the local people. We had knowledge and experience implementing ecological policies from our seaside resort hotel, the lovely Neeleshwar Hermitage in northern Kerala. The approach we pioneered in Malabar was adapted to Kashmir and combined with all the traditional elements of a houseboat stay: extensive contact with natural beauty, enjoyment of a civilised lifestyle and the opportunity to relax and reflect deeply.

All this, equally suited to a family or solo traveller, was couched in aesthetically tasteful surroundings that combine the best traditional materials and decorative motifs with modern comfort and ease. We believe our efforts have not surpassed the result, and we still set the standard in this part of the world for elegance, style, and understated luxury.  

Elegance On Water

Situated in the quietness of the most remote part of Dal Lake, Sukoon has five en-suite rooms, each with a double bed, desk and well-appointed bathroom with shower. It also has a spacious communal living room, a dining room and, best of all, a sundeck where you can enjoy your meals, sunbathe or just relax and take in the view with a book and a drink. Our staff make their guests feel like royalty; their attentive yet unobtrusive service has created an atmosphere that ensures you feel at home when you set foot on deck. And then there is the delicious Kashmiri food, which blends Persian and Indian gastronomic traditions to create a uniquely varied and satisfying cuisine. So, if you come to magical Kashmir, let Sukoon be your home from home.

Altaf Chapri is the founder and managing director of AB Chapri Retreats. He runs Neeleshwar Hermitage in Kerala and Qayaam Gah near Srinagar, focusing on sustainability and responsible tourism.