Kashmir’s Floating Vegetable Market Is One Of India’s Cultural Legacies

One of the single worst experiences of ‘adulting’ is having to buy groceries. Though it does come with a slight sense of accomplishment, nobody truly enjoys having to lug bags of inordinately weighty veg up 3 flights of stairs. But perhaps if we had a set-up like the one at Dal Lake in Kashmir, vegetable shopping would soon be the highlight of our week.

The area surrounding the 15 kilometre expanse of Dal Lake is known as a thriving community that exists as much on the water as it does on the banks. Scattered across the water are numerous houseboats which many families call home. However, living in the centre of a lake comes with some foreseeable difficulties, one of which is having to return to shore every time you need to get some shopping done.

To simplify this process, there appeared a fleet of floating markets which transport goods from local farmers direct to the doorsteps (or gangways?) of the villagers living on and around the lake. Though an ingenious solution to the problem, floating markets are actually a common sight across South-East Asia and there’s a similar set-up in Kerala that has become a regular tourist attraction.

If you’d like to join in on the excitement it will require quite the early start, the peak hours begin at 5 a.m although it’s recommended you organise your shikara (a wooden boat native to Kashmir) the day before. Though just gliding across the lake observing the hustle-bustle of the morning market may be entertainment enough, there are also plenty of opportunities for bird-watching, so keep your cameras at the ready. Some regular visitors to the lake include Greylag geese, Mallards, Pintails, Gladwalls but the extremely rare Brahmini ducks have also been spotted here. For nature enthusiasts or just the travel-hungry this is the perfect way to experience the purest side of Srinagar while checking one off your bucket list.

If you enjoyed this article, we suggest you read:Up Your Organic Food Game At These 6 Farmers’ Markets in MumbaiThis New Year, Switch To Organic Food With These 5 Farmers’ Markets In DelhiEating My Way Through Gujarat’s Iconic Night Food Markets