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{{Short description|Canal in Srinagar, India}} | |||
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2018}} | {{Use dmy dates|date=March 2018}} | ||
{{Use Indian English|date=March 2018}} | {{Use Indian English|date=March 2018}} | ||
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|name = Nallah Mar | |name = Nallah Mar | ||
|image = Market boats on Mar Canal, Srinigar.jpg | |image = Market boats on Mar Canal, Srinigar.jpg | ||
|image_caption | |image_caption = Nallah Mar Canal in [[Srinagar]], India | ||
|former_names = | |former_names = | ||
|original_owner = | |original_owner = | ||
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|elev_note = | |elev_note = | ||
|status = Landfilled and replaced by the Nallah Mar Road | |status = Landfilled and replaced by the Nallah Mar Road | ||
|location = [[Srinagar]], [[Jammu and Kashmir (union territory)|J&K]], India | |||
|navigation_authority = | |navigation_authority = | ||
}} | |map=Srinagar illustration with Nallah Mar highlight.jpg|map_caption=Nallah Mar highlighted in red|map_size=260px}} | ||
'''Nallah Mar''' or '''Mar Canal''' (also known as '''Mar Kol''') was a navigational [[canal]] running through the [[Downtown Srinagar|old city]] of [[Srinagar]] | '''Nallah Mar''' or '''Mar Canal''' (also known as '''Mar Kol''') was a navigational [[canal]] running through the [[Downtown Srinagar|old city]] of [[Srinagar]] in the Indian [[union territory]] of [[Jammu and Kashmir (union territory)|Jammu and Kashmir]]. It connected the [[Brari Nambal]] lagoon to the [[Khushal Sar]] lake and thus provided navigability between the [[Dal Lake|Dal]] and [[Anchar Lake|Aanchar]] lakes. It was filled up and converted to a road in the 1970s.<ref name="A Stream Buried"/> Once regarded as the lifeline of the city, it served vital functions in transportation, drainage, and urban life by linking Brari Nambal with Khushal Sar and other water bodies. Lined with stonework and arched bridges, its banks supported a bustling network of workshops, ghats, and stilted homes. However, in the 1970s, the canal was filled to create a road through the old city, an act now widely viewed as an ecological misstep that disrupted Srinagar’s water system and contributed to increased flood risks. | ||
==History == | == History == | ||
The canal was built during the reign of Sultan [[Zain-ul-Abidin]] (popularly known in [[Kashmir Valley|Kashmir]] as 'Budshah'). It was considered as a lifeline of the city even up to the early part of the 20th century. However, with the arrival of motor transport, it gradually lost its sheen. As such, it was filled up to pave way for a road through the old city. The filling up of the canal is considered an ecological disaster as it led to the choking up of Brari Nambal and in turn affected the entire water system of the city.<ref name="A Stream Buried">{{cite web|title=A Stream Buried|url=http://www.kashmirlife.net/a-stream-buried-1281/}}</ref> | The canal was built during the reign of Sultan [[Zayn al-Abidin the Great|Zain-ul-Abidin]] of the [[Shah Mir dynasty]] (popularly known in [[Kashmir Valley|Kashmir]] as 'Budshah'). It was considered as a lifeline of the city even up to the early part of the 20th century. However, with the arrival of motor transport, it gradually lost its sheen. As such, it was filled up to pave way for a road through the old city. The filling up of the canal is considered an ecological disaster as it led to the choking up of Brari Nambal and in turn affected the entire water system of the city.<ref name="A Stream Buried">{{cite web|last=Irfan|first=Shams|date=14 March 2011|title=A Stream Buried|url=http://www.kashmirlife.net/a-stream-buried-1281/|website=Kashmir Life|access-date=6 March 2015|archive-date=2 April 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402111539/http://www.kashmirlife.net/a-stream-buried-1281/|url-status=live}}</ref> In the 1970s, Nallah Mar was filled in and converted into a road to accommodate increasing road traffic, reflecting urban infrastructure priorities of the time but resulting in loss of drainage function and worsened flood risk. The culverting of the canal severely disrupted the hydrology of [[Brari Nambal]] and the Dal-Anchar waterway system.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-04-27 |title=How Human Greed Robbed Kashmir of its Title-Venice of the East |url=https://kashmirobserver.net/2016/04/27/how-human-greed-robbed-kashmir-of-its-title-%c2%91venice-of-the-east%c2%92/ |access-date=2025-07-16 |website=Kashmir Observer |language=en-US}}</ref> | ||
== Architecture == | |||
Nallah Mar, also known as Mar Kol, was a historic canal originally constructed to connect [[Brari Nambal]] lagoon with [[Khushal Sar]] and other water bodies serving both navigation and flood control purposes. It was lined with flattened stones and brick paving and featured numerous arched bridges such as [[Nowpora Kalan Sopore|Nowpora]], Bohri, Saraf, Qadi, and Rajouri Kadals over its winding course through Old [[Srinagar]]. The canal's banks were once lined with workshops and waterfront houses set on stilts, with ghats where locals bathed, washed, and socialized creating a vibrant urban fabric along the water.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sparks |first=Martin |title=The Revival of Nallah Mar: A Journey from Canal to Road and Back Again |url=https://aurica.ai/en/article/martin-sparks/nallah-mar/ |access-date=2025-07-16 |website=aurica.ai}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Drabu |first=Iftikhar A. |date=2023-09-26 |title=The Nallah Mar Story – Part I |url=https://www.greaterkashmir.com/opinion/the-nallah-mar-story-part-i/ |access-date=2025-07-16 |website=Greater Kashmir |language=en-US}}</ref> | |||
== Maps == | |||
<gallery> | |||
File:342 of 'Journals kept in Hyderabad, Kashmir, Sikkim, and Nepal. Edited, with introductions, by ... R. C. Temple ... With maps and illustrations' (11189359016).jpg|1887 | |||
File:Srinagar and Environ map 1911.jpg|1911 | |||
</gallery> | |||
==References== | ==References== | ||
{{Reflist}} | {{Reflist}} | ||
{{ | == Further reading == | ||
* {{Cite web|last=Wani|first=Arif Shafi|date=14 March 2015|title=Filling of Mar Canal a blunder|url=https://www.greaterkashmir.com/health/filling-of-mar-canal-a-blunder|website=Greater Kashmir}} | |||
* {{Cite web|last=|first=|date=2017-04-13|title=Budshah's Nallai Mar|url=https://kashmirlife.net/budshahs-nallai-mar-137732/|website=Kashmir Life}} | |||
* {{Cite web|last=Naqash|first=Rayan|date=7 August 2017|title=Gently down the Jhelum: Is water transport in Kashmir a practical option?|url=https://scroll.in/article/845565/gently-down-the-jhelum-is-water-transport-in-kashmir-a-practical-option|website=Scroll.in}} | |||
* {{Cite web|last=Qayoom|first=Sheikh|date=2014-09-21|others=IANS|title=Jammu and Kashmir floods: Is nature saying "back off"?|url=https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/jammu-and-kashmir-floods-nature-saying-back-27968|website=[[The News Minute]]}} | |||
* {{Cite web|date=27 April 2016|title=How Human Greed Robbed Kashmir|url=https://kashmirobserver.net/2016/04/27/how-human-greed-robbed-kashmir-of-its-title-%C2%91venice-of-the-east%C2%92/|website=Kashmir Observer}} | |||
* {{Cite web|last=Draboo|first=Anisa|date=2014-09-15|title=Man vs nature: Srinagar's flood misery has been heightened by bad planning|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/blogs/toi-edit-page/man-vs-nature-srinagars-flood-misery-has-been-heightened-by-bad-planning/|website=The Times of India}} | |||
* {{Cite web|last=Punjabi|first=Riyaz|date=2020-02-05|title=Remembering Nallah Mar: Lost Artery of the Dal Lake|url=http://www.kashmirtrends.in/jammu-kashmir-news/remembering-nallah-mar-lost-artery-of-the-dal-lake/|website=Kashmir Trends|access-date=21 February 2022|archive-date=13 August 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220813152201/http://www.kashmirtrends.in/jammu-kashmir-news/remembering-nallah-mar-lost-artery-of-the-dal-lake/|url-status=dead}} | |||
== External links == | |||
{{Commons category|Nallah Mar}} | |||
[[Category:Canals in Jammu and Kashmir]] | [[Category:Canals in Jammu and Kashmir]] | ||
[[Category:Canals in Srinagar]] | [[Category:Canals in Srinagar]] | ||
Latest revision as of 16:16, 23 July 2025
| Nallah Mar | |
|---|---|
 Nallah Mar Canal in Srinagar, India | |
 Nallah Mar highlighted in red | |
| Location | Srinagar, J&K, India |
| Specifications | |
| Status | Landfilled and replaced by the Nallah Mar Road |
| History | |
| Date of first use | c. 15th century |
| Date closed | 1970s |
| Geography | |
| Start point | Brari Nambal |
| End point | Khushal Sar |
| Connects to | Khushal Sar |
Nallah Mar or Mar Canal (also known as Mar Kol) was a navigational canal running through the old city of Srinagar in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. It connected the Brari Nambal lagoon to the Khushal Sar lake and thus provided navigability between the Dal and Aanchar lakes. It was filled up and converted to a road in the 1970s.[1] Once regarded as the lifeline of the city, it served vital functions in transportation, drainage, and urban life by linking Brari Nambal with Khushal Sar and other water bodies. Lined with stonework and arched bridges, its banks supported a bustling network of workshops, ghats, and stilted homes. However, in the 1970s, the canal was filled to create a road through the old city, an act now widely viewed as an ecological misstep that disrupted Srinagar’s water system and contributed to increased flood risks.
History[edit | edit source]
The canal was built during the reign of Sultan Zain-ul-Abidin of the Shah Mir dynasty (popularly known in Kashmir as 'Budshah'). It was considered as a lifeline of the city even up to the early part of the 20th century. However, with the arrival of motor transport, it gradually lost its sheen. As such, it was filled up to pave way for a road through the old city. The filling up of the canal is considered an ecological disaster as it led to the choking up of Brari Nambal and in turn affected the entire water system of the city.[1] In the 1970s, Nallah Mar was filled in and converted into a road to accommodate increasing road traffic, reflecting urban infrastructure priorities of the time but resulting in loss of drainage function and worsened flood risk. The culverting of the canal severely disrupted the hydrology of Brari Nambal and the Dal-Anchar waterway system.[2]
Architecture[edit | edit source]
Nallah Mar, also known as Mar Kol, was a historic canal originally constructed to connect Brari Nambal lagoon with Khushal Sar and other water bodies serving both navigation and flood control purposes. It was lined with flattened stones and brick paving and featured numerous arched bridges such as Nowpora, Bohri, Saraf, Qadi, and Rajouri Kadals over its winding course through Old Srinagar. The canal's banks were once lined with workshops and waterfront houses set on stilts, with ghats where locals bathed, washed, and socialized creating a vibrant urban fabric along the water.[3][4]
Maps[edit | edit source]
-
1887 -
1911
.jpg)
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Irfan, Shams (14 March 2011). "A Stream Buried". Kashmir Life. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 6 March 2015.
- ↑ "How Human Greed Robbed Kashmir of its Title-Venice of the East". Kashmir Observer. 27 April 2016. Retrieved 16 July 2025.
- ↑ Sparks, Martin. "The Revival of Nallah Mar: A Journey from Canal to Road and Back Again". aurica.ai. Retrieved 16 July 2025.
- ↑ Drabu, Iftikhar A. (26 September 2023). "The Nallah Mar Story – Part I". Greater Kashmir. Retrieved 16 July 2025.
Further reading[edit | edit source]
- Wani, Arif Shafi (14 March 2015). "Filling of Mar Canal a blunder". Greater Kashmir.
- "Budshah's Nallai Mar". Kashmir Life. 13 April 2017.
- Naqash, Rayan (7 August 2017). "Gently down the Jhelum: Is water transport in Kashmir a practical option?". Scroll.in.
- Qayoom, Sheikh (21 September 2014). "Jammu and Kashmir floods: Is nature saying "back off"?". The News Minute. IANS.
- "How Human Greed Robbed Kashmir". Kashmir Observer. 27 April 2016.
- Draboo, Anisa (15 September 2014). "Man vs nature: Srinagar's flood misery has been heightened by bad planning". The Times of India.
- Punjabi, Riyaz (5 February 2020). "Remembering Nallah Mar: Lost Artery of the Dal Lake". Kashmir Trends. Archived from the original on 13 August 2022. Retrieved 21 February 2022.