Watercolours: A Floating Morning Market on Dal Lake, Srinagar India

Man paddling a shikara full of flowers, Dal Lake Kashmir India

Shikara in the Morning Flower Market
Early on a Tuesday morning, I was in the back of a shikara full of locally-grown flowers gliding through the dreamlike waterscape of algae, lily pads, and lotus on Dal Lake in Srinagar, Kashmir India.

I’ve heard it described as a chocolate-box scene: you know, like those pastel-painted views of idealised or conventionally pretty locations that were on the front of old-fashioned chocolate or sweet tins.

They are not wrong!

Dal Lake, Srinagar, in India’s Kashmir, is impossibly beautiful.

The way the autumn light filtered through the willow trees at the water’s edge; the shades of green in the irregular patterns of the floating plants and algaes on the water’s surface; the colours of the blooming flowers; and the soft plonk of oars as wooden shikara boats make their way through the maze of channels – this all reminded me of Monet’s garden, and made me feel as if I’d wandered into one of his paintings.

I know I have said similar things before (see: Water, Dreams, and Woodwork), but never was this more true than on our second full day on the lake.

Our small group of photography enthusiasts was staying in houseboats in the middle of the lake. Long before sunrise, we were up and out on our floating porches to be collected by shikaras – the traditional Kashmiri deodar cedar boats. Our drivers paddled us through the watery laneways to the location of the morning market. Apparently a daily occurance, this floating produce market starts very early: it was still pitch black when we were deposited on a section of elevated wooden walkway that seemed to go nowhere in both directions.

Then, before the sun broke the horizon, wooden boats were around us and engaged in trade. Many were laden with vegetables; many more were colourful with freshly-cut flowers.

After having a small cup of tea, we had the chance to ride behind one of the vendors as he plied his way through the still-dusky waters.

Join me on the waters of Dal Lake:

Single light over a houseboat on Dal Lake in the dark, Srinagar, Kashmir India.

Houseboat on Dal Lake
The sky was inky black and everything was quiet when we got up to wait for our transport.

Shikaras in the dim light of predawn, Srinagar, Kashmir India.

Shikaras in the Morning
The oars plonk rhythmically as we make our way through the network of interconnected water channels that run between the floating buildings and gardens.

Pre Dawn on the Lake
Like the boats, most of the buildings around the lake are built of local water-resistant deodar cedar.

Watercolours
It is almost six am and the sky is getting lighter. The waters are dotted with men transporting their vegetables.

Wooden Walkway
Elevated walkways wind over the lotus leaves, connecting groups of buildings.

Flowers
The flowers and vegetables on Dal Lake are grown in traditional floating plots made of matted vegetation and soil. The crops are tended, harvested, and transported for sale, by boat.

The Flower Seller
Like Impressionist paintings, scenes on Dal Lake are characterized by broad brushstrokes of colour in ever-changing light.

Raptor on a Pole

On the Waters

Lotus on the Lake
All around us, sacred lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) are growing on the waters – with their roots anchored in the soil of the lake-bottom, far below. These long-living perennials typically bloom from June to September.