Floating Gardens in Dal Lake | Kashmir's Living Heritage on Water

You will not be able to believe your eyes upon seeing the Floating Gardens in Dal Lake - one of the most beautiful places to visit in Kashmir. The locals call these gardens "Rad," which are farm plots floating on water! Farmers have cultivated in this manner for centuries.

When you're looking for entertaining Things to do in Kashmir, ride a wooden boat through these gardens. It's quite fantastic to see farmers toiling on the water itself, cultivating ordinary vegetables such as tomatoes and cucumbers on what appear to be floating islands.

Attempt to go there in April through October, when everything grows just wild—the gardens are totally beautiful at that time. Our Kashmir Tour Packages will bring you there, generally also stopping at the houseboats and lovely Mughal Gardens nearby. These floating gardens just highlight how unique Kashmir is!

Formation of Floating Gardens

The Formation of Floating Gardens in Dal Lake is a remarkable blend of traditional knowledge and natural resources. These gardens are mainly made out of two species of aquatic weeds that grow in large quantity in the lake: pech (Typha angustata) and nargasa (Phragmites australis). The procedure consists of interweaving these weeds into floating mats that form the basis for cultivation.

Here's the step-by-step description of the process of formation:

1. Weed Harvesting: The pech and nargasa weeds are collected by farmers from the lake.

2. Formation of Mats: The gathered weeds are carefully knitted into loose mats, creating a strong foundation.

3. Layering: More layers of pruned weeds are added later on, which increases the mat's thickness and buoyancy.

4. Maturation: These mats take around three years to mature into strong floating gardens measuring approximately 2 meters in thickness, 3 meters in width, and 45 meters in length. Their sizes can differ according to certain needs.

This traditional process produces fertile, floating plots suitable for cultivating vegetables.

Suggested Read: Nigeen Lake Vs Dal Lake