Undoubtedly, India has a large number of post offices across the globe. You might have heard of a floating restaurant, floating hotel, floating market, but what if you know that there is a floating post office in India.
It is well-known for its unique style of design or architecture. It might be a little surprising to know that there is a floating post office in Srinagar, which is one of the kind post offices in the entire world.
Jammu and Kashmir are also known as Paradise on Earth, serves as one of the beautiful destinations among tourists. Along with various picturesque destinations, Srinagar attracts numerous tourists over the entire year.
Dal Lake located between the mountains glad the visitors and the floating post office is now added to another jewel to India’s crown.
The architecture covers numerous tourists plus travelers, which makes it one of the vital tourist’s spots to catch-up with. The stamps over the floating post office display the image of Dal Lake.
When was the floating post office launched in Srinagar?
The former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and the Minister for Communications and Information Technology (IT), had launched a floating post office in August 2011.
Since those times, it has been attracting several tourists across the world. India’s floating post office standing on the houseboat enhances the beauty of the Dal Lake.
The floating post office also includes the shop, which sells picture postcards, postage stamps, local souvenir items, greeting cards, stationery items, and various books on Kashmir.
The tourists visiting the floating post office can avail of the facilities of email or call to their family and friends across the world.
The floating post office on Dal Lake has become a vital tourist attraction as the Postal Department of Srinagar, which has opened several other post offices across Kashmir. The locals, as well as tourists, can send their postcards across the world.
The floating post office is the star attraction for the visitors visiting Kashmir. It is open from 10 AM to 6 PM for all days, including Sunday during the tourist season.
The specialty of this floating post office is to book the letters with individual cancellations. It involves special pictures instead of the seal after receiving the post letter.
Visit the floating post office on Dal Lake like no other
The floating post office in India is one such post office across the world, which serves as another location for the tourists to visit in Srinagar. It is one of the greatest innovations by India, which serves as a boon for the tourists visiting Dal Lake.
The floating post office offers standard services of the post office to its visitors along with philately museum and shop that sells postage stamps plus other products.
In addition to it, a floating post office is now considered as the masterpiece of architecture. When the visitors see a glimpse of the boat, they might think that this is the regular Shikara boat.
However, when you look it closer, then you will find the official board which displays the logo of the Indian post office, which says “Floating Post Office, Dal Lake.”
The uniqueness of floating post office
Floating post office Srinagar has been made as visitors focus post office on a houseboat, which provides tourists-friendly service to people. Whether you belong to Kashmir or you are tourists, you will always get unique services through this floating post office.
The special feature of this floating post office is that the letter posted from this post office carries a unique design that has picturesque sceneries of Dal Lake and Srinagar city as well.
The pictures reach wherever the letters get posted and promote Kashmir as a tourist destination across the entire world.
Mail a postcard from the mesmerizing floating post office
People across the world not only visit this floating post office to post their letters. It has become a spot for tourist’s destinations when they come to enjoy the beauty of Srinagar. The tourists can enjoy various facilities here which include internet facilities, and international phone calls.
India’s only floating post office has two small rooms in which one room serves as the usual post office, and another room serves as a small museum that traces the philatelic history of the postal state department.
For the locals of Kashmir, the floating post office is more than a simple object of fascination. Farmers of the laborers who work nearby floating post office or who run the shikara boat business come to this post office to deposit their savings.
The floating post office is the nearby post office for many Dal residents, where they can enjoy various historical images and postcard stamps.
With the majestic Zabarwan mountain range beside Shikaras floating in Dal Lake, there is drizzle that makes atmosphere mesmerizing.
The heritage first floating post office has successfully survived a chequered history of Srinagar. Though the post office was not generating much revenue for the department, still, it serves as a mesmerizing attraction for the tourists to Dal Lake.
The department of floating post office pays around Rs. 30, 000 rents per month for the houseboat.
The main priority of India’s floating post office is the visitor’s attraction instead of making more profits.
Along with the post office services, the department of floating post office provides special envelopes, philately historical stamps, books on Kashmir, and many other things on display.
Many people living inside the Dal lake has invented in the different schemes offered by the floating post office dal lake. There is also a visitor book placed by the department of the floating post office for the visitors where they can note down their reviews about the place.
What makes floating post office No.1 in India?
Being one of the unique architecture, the floating post office has now become a crucial part of the tourist’s Kashmir itinerary. The number of travelers visits the floating post office to send a postcard to their loved ones.
India floating post office is an active post office that is not only visited by the locals of Dal Lake for posting their letters. However, many tourists visit this floating post office to see it.
The seal used on every post from the floating post office is unique. It includes address and date on every postcard along with the design of boatman rowing a Shikara boat on Dal Lake.
There is something critical to be witnessed among the beautiful houseboats floating on the calm and elegant waters of Dal Lake in Srinagar. Such a crucial thing is a floating post office.
It is one of the Government centers which is found floating on the yellow Shikaras boat and attracts various tourists.
“Floating Post Office, Dal Lake” is considered to be one of the kind post offices and is built over a beautifully crafted maroon houseboat.