Tsoont Kol (

Kashmiri Kashmiri may refer to: * People or things related to the Kashmir Valley or the broader region of Kashmir * Kashmiris, an ethnic group native to the Kashmir Valley * Kashmiri language, their language People with the name * Kashmiri Saikia Baruah ...

: / t͡sũ:ʈʰ kɔl/, ''literally'' 'Apple Stream') is a navigational canal running through the

Srinagar Srinagar (English: , ) is the largest city and the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It lies in the Kashmir Valley on the banks of the Jhelum River, a tributary of the Indus, and Dal and Anchar lakes. The city is known for its natu ...

city of the Indian state of

Jammu and Kashmir Jammu and Kashmir may refer to: * Kashmir, the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent * Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), a region administered by India as a union territory * Jammu and Kashmir (state), a region administered ...

, that also helps to regulate the water level in the Dal lake. It branches out from the

Jhelum Jhelum ( Punjabi and ur, ) is a city on the east bank of the Jhelum River, which is located in the district of Jhelum in the north of Punjab province, Pakistan. It is the 44th largest city of Pakistan by population. Jhelum is known for p ...

just near the northern end of the

Zero Bridge The Zero Bridge is an old wooden arch bridge located in the city of Srinagar in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. It crosses the Jhelum river in a roughly North-South direction connecting Sonwar in the north to Rajbagh in the Sou ...

and rejoins it in the Maisuma locality of the

old city Old City often refers to old town, the historic or original core of a city or town. Old City may refer to several places: Historical cities or regions of cities ''(by country)'' *Old City (Baku), Azerbaijan * Old City (Dhaka), Bangladesh, also ca ...

, a few metres downstream of the Budshah Bridge. It has a lock gate known as Dal Gate to regulate the water level in the Dal lake which is located at a slightly higher elevation. The canal also has an island just after the Dal Gate, known as Chinar Bagh.

History

The canal has existed since ancient times when it bore the name "Mahasarit". Its main purpose has always been to take the surplus waters of the Dal lake into the Jhelum. The canal gets its name from the Kashmiri word for

quince The quince (; ''Cydonia oblonga'') is the sole member of the genus ''Cydonia'' in the Malinae subtribe (which also contains apples and pears, among other fruits) of the Rosaceae family (biology), family. It is a deciduous tree that bears hard ...

, "bamb-tsoont", as there were many quince trees on its banks.

References

Canals in Jammu and Kashmir Canals in Srinagar {{India-struct-stub