Are you aware of the only floating post office across the globe? It is in Kashmir, India. Read on to know more about this unique post office and about the experiences of the postmen who work here.
It Floats On Dal Lake, Kashmir
Termed the ‘Paradise on Earth’ due to its heavenly beauty, Kashmir has unique things that will make you more eager to plan a trip. You might have heard, watched, or been to a floating houseboat or floating garden. But have you ever heard of a floating post office? If not, there is one on the Dal lake in Kashmir. The post office began during the English rule in India and has a long history of approximately 200 years. The delivery is done by postmen by traveling in a shikhara( a light, flat-bottomed boat). Postmen use a special seal of a shikhara and put it on the envelope.
Those Who Provide Services For This Post Office
Farooq Ahmad, a postmaster, as quoted by DNA says,” This is a 200-year-old post office from even before the Maharaja’s time to the British Era. It was finally called a floating post office. There is no change in the number of posts sent across. When there is tourist flow, we don’t have time to even talk. Thousands of people come to take pictures in this post office. They can buy special covers, postcards, and stamps from here. The postman hires a shikhara and delivers the letter to houseboats. This has been going on for years and still continues. ”
More About The Unique Post Office
Mohd Ismail, another postman, says about his working experience (as quoted by DNA web) ”I have been delivering letters in Dal Lake for ten years. It’s so good for my health to breathe fresh air on the lake. I deliver around 100-150 letters a day. There is also a CRPF camp inside the lake, they receive a lot of letters and I deliver them. It takes me hours to deliver these letters. I start at 11 and finish at 5;30. ”
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The locals and houseboat owners say that the use of emails, the internet, and social media have restricted the use of postcards and letters. Amid that also, the post office continues to deliver letters to the people living there. Locals also use this place for doing financial transactions and investing in small schemes. The post office had a museum that contained a collection of old stamps. It was damaged in the 2014 floods.
