Sringar's Dal Lake is famous the world over for its scenic location, for its shikaras (boats) that float on it and for the promotion of aqua sports like water skiing. The Dal Lake is also famous for its 'floating vegetable market', the only one of its kind in India and only the second in the world, the other being the rowing shops along the backwaters of the Mekong Delta in Vietnam.
Floating vegetable vendors are a prime tourist attraction in the Kashmir Valley, and this is reflected in the sales and annual turnover, estimated to be in the range of Rs. 35 crores.
There are no permanent shops on the lake. The floating market first attracted international attention in 1960, when a Japanese photographer featured it in a tourist guide that was published out of Japan.
Around 10,000 kanals (around 1,250 acres) of land along the Dal Lake is being used for the cultivation of vegetables,
"This is a very old market where the sale and the purchase of vegetables take place between 5 am. and to 7 am. everyday. Most of the vegetables are grown on the lakeside and retrieved from the lake before being sold in just 2 hours. Any vegetables left over are taken to street markets. This market is famous. Many tourists come here just to take photographs of it.
Dal Lake is home to vast stretches of lotus plant. Lotus flowers not only balance the wetland ecosystem, but also lend a special kind of beauty to the lake.
The vegetables are supplied not only to markets across Srinagar, but also to the Supply Corps of the defence services and other paramilitary security agencies deployed in the Kashmir Valley.
