Kashmir Pulse · Cultural Deep-Dive
Floating Gardens of Dal Lake: How Kashmir Farms on Water
Quick Answer: The floating gardens of Dal Lake are strips of farmland that float on the water in Srinagar. Called raad in Kashmiri, they are woven from lake reeds, layered with weed and mud, and planted with vegetables. Growers reach them by boat and sell the harvest at the dawn floating market.
Last updated: 13 November 2026. By Kashmir Pulse Editorial. Kashmir Pulse is Via Kashmir's editorial channel, written by locals.
Most visitors see Dal Lake from the Boulevard: open water, houseboats, the hills behind. Take a shikara into the back channels and the lake changes character. The water narrows into lanes. Willows lean in. And on both sides lie long green beds of vegetables that move, very slightly, when your boat passes. These are the floating gardens, and they have fed Srinagar for generations.
At a Glance
What: floating vegetable beds called raad, plus firmer plots called demb
Where: the inner channels of Dal Lake, Srinagar, reached only by boat
Best time: dawn; greenest from late spring to early autumn
How: a shikara ride of about two hours; see shikara rides on Dal Lake
Plan with locals: ViaKashmir.in Srinagar trip planning
What are the floating gardens of Dal Lake?
They are working farms, not a garden in the Mughal sense. A raad is a long, narrow mat of living and rotting lake plants, thick enough to hold soil and crops, and light enough to float. One study cited in writing on the lake puts the floating gardens at about 7.5 square kilometres of Dal. The growers belong to the lake's own community, the Hanjis; our guide to the Hanjis of Dal Lake tells their story.
The simplest way to say it: on Dal Lake, the field floats and the farmer arrives by boat.
How is a floating garden made?
Accounts by PARI, Down to Earth and Outlook Traveller describe the same broad method, with small differences from family to family.
- Choose the water: a calm, shallow stretch where reeds already grow thick.
- Weave the base: farmers work two lake plants by hand, pech (a bulrush) and nargasa (a tall reed), into a long mat.
- Layer the weed: lake weed is piled on for about 30 days until the strip firms up and floats as one piece.
- Add the soil: mud from the lake bed is spread on top. The weed underneath rots slowly and feeds the crop.
- Keep it narrow: a raad is kept to about six feet wide, so every plant can be reached from a boat. Length is open; 40 to 50 yards is common.
- Plant and tend: seedlings go in, and the grower weeds, waters and harvests from a small flat boat.
Because a raad floats, it rises and falls with the lake, so the crop is not drowned when the water level changes. It can also be moved. Old accounts of the valley even mention gardens being towed away in the night, which may be the only farmland in the world that could be stolen by rowing.
Raad vs demb: what is the difference?
| Raad | Demb | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A floating mat of reeds, weed and mud | A firmer plot built up along shallow edges |
| Does it float? | Yes, it moves with the water | No, it behaves like land |
| Typical crops | Tomatoes, cucumbers, melons, gourds | Haakh, peas, cabbage, cauliflower, turnips |
| How it is worked | From a boat alongside | On foot and by boat |
| Feel underfoot | Springy, gives slightly | Solid |
Published sources say much less about how a demb is made than about the raad, so treat the table as a guide. Ask your boatman to point out both; the difference is easy to see once you know it.
What grows on the floating gardens, and when?
Summer is the generous season: tomatoes, cucumbers, melons, pumpkins and bottle gourd. The cooler months belong to haakh, our collard greens, with turnips and radish. Nadru, the lotus stem, comes from the lake itself and not from the gardens; see our nadru guide.
By mid November, as we write, the summer crops are over. What you see now are dark beds of winter greens, bare willows and mist on the channels. It is less colourful than July, and many locals think it is the more beautiful time. Our Dal Lake in November guide covers the lake this month.
How do you see the floating gardens of Dal Lake?
Go by shikara, and go early. Growers paddle their harvest to the floating vegetable market, which trades from about 5 to 7 am in the channels on the inner side of the lake. The market is thin in deep winter. Our Dal Lake floating market guide has the timings and the route.
- Ask for the garden channels, not just the open lake circuit.
- Allow about two hours from the Boulevard ghats.
- Stay in the boat. A raad is someone's field, and it will not always hold a visitor's weight.
- Ask before you photograph people at work.
- Dress warmly from October to March; dawn on the water is colder than the shore.
Staying on the water makes the early start easy. Via Kashmir books verified houseboats and lakeside hotels, and our boatmen partners know which channels are open that week. For anyone planning Srinagar with a local, ViaKashmir.in is the place to arrange the ride, a cab for the rest of the city, or a full Kashmir package.
Are the floating gardens under threat?
They are under pressure. Dal Lake has shrunk through pollution and encroachment, and several lake families have been relocated to the shore. A recent Greater Kashmir report noted that a growing share of the vegetables at the floating market now comes from nearby villages and not from the lake itself. Visiting respectfully, with a local boatman, puts money in the hands of the families who still farm the water.
Frequently asked questions about the floating gardens
What are the floating gardens of Dal Lake called?
They are called raad in Kashmiri. Firmer garden plots built up along the shallow edges of the lake are called demb. Both are used to grow vegetables for Srinagar.
Do the floating gardens really float?
Yes. A raad is a mat of woven reeds, lake weed and mud that floats on the water and rises and falls with the lake level.
What vegetables grow on Dal Lake?
Tomatoes, cucumbers, melons, pumpkins and bottle gourd in summer, and haakh, turnips and radish in the cooler months. Lotus stem, or nadru, is gathered from the lake itself.
Can tourists visit the floating gardens?
Yes, by shikara. Ask the boatman for the garden channels and the floating vegetable market, and go at dawn. Visitors should stay in the boat and not step onto the gardens.
What is the best time to see the floating gardens?
Early morning, when growers are at work. The gardens are greenest from late spring to early autumn; in winter they are quieter, with winter greens and mist on the water.
Planning a trip to Kashmir? Via Kashmir offers custom itineraries, verified hotels, and local cab services, planned by people who live here.