Shikaras decorated in colours of Indian flag create a visual treat in Srinagar

Rooftops of 120 shikaras on Dal Lake were decorated in the colours of the Indian flag by the Srinagar District Administration to commemorate the 75th Republic Day yesterday.

It provided a stunning visual treat for the people.

The boats displayed the saffron, white, and green colours of the national flag with an Ashoka Chakra in the middle.

The district administration released a drone video of the spectacle.

Shikaras, which are made of wood, are used for transportation and other purposes on Dal Lake and other water bodies in Srinagar.

Meanwhile, Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha yesterday laid a wreath at the ‘Eternal Flame’ of the Balidan Stambh War Memorial in Jammu to pay tribute to the fallen heroes on the occasion of 75th Republic Day.

The Jammu and Kashmir LG paid tributes with a ceremonial guard of honour in the presence of other ranks of the Tiger Division.

Taking to social media platform, X, Sinha said that the nation will forever remain indebted to the brave hearts for their supreme sacrifice in safeguarding the sovereignty of the motherland.

“Paid tributes to the bravehearts of Police, Army and CAPFs. The nation will forever remain indebted to the brave hearts for their supreme sacrifice in safeguarding the unity, integrity and sovereignty of the motherland,” he wrote on X.

Balidan Stambh meaning ‘Tower of Sacrifice’, has been constructed to commemorate the sacrifice of soldiers who laid down their lives in service of the motherland on soils of Jammu and Kashmir in various battles and counter-insurgency operations since independence.

Being the country’s tallest war memorial with the tower height of 60 meters, Balidan Stambh was built in 2009 at a cost of Rs 12 crores expanding over 21 acres.

A necklace of 52 memorial pillars entails 7512 braveheart names and murals of nine Param Veer Chakras and 27 Ashok Chakras have been constructed on the inscription wall of the memorial. The historic day of January 26 is observed every year at Balidan Stambh with pride to mark the Republic Day celebrations.