Place in news: Char Chinar island

Place in news: Char Chinar island

Part of: Prelims 

Context: The iconic island Char Chinar in the middle of the Dal lake in Srinagar has been brought to life again.

About the Island

• Char Chinar, also sometimes called Char Chinari, is an island in Dal Lake, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir.
• It is located on the Lakut Dal (small Dal) known as Ropa Lank (Silver Island).
• The second Chinar Island, known as Sone Lank (Gold Island), is located on the Bod Dal (Big Dal).
• The island became popular in the 1970s when the famous Bollywood song ‘Achha To hum Chalte Hai’, starring Rajesh Khanna and Asha Parekh, was shot there for the movie ‘Aan Milo Sajna’. 

Chinar trees

• These trees characteristically grow in Eastern Himalayas. 
• They have been an important part of Kashmiri tradition.
• These trees have survived for ages, because Chinar is basically a long-living tree. 
• 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.

News Source: TH