Srinagar Dal Lake Shikaras Pashmina Kashmiri Craft Heritage

Srinagar district in the Kashmir Valley centres on Dal Lake — a 26 sq km urban lake ringed by floating gardens (rad) where vegetables including lotus stems (nadru), water chestnuts (singhara), and tomatoes are cultivated on woven reed-mat plots by Hanji boatmen communities. The shikara (ornate wooden lake boat) and doonga (houseboat) economy of Dal Lake supports thousands of families in tourism, vegetable transport, and fishing. Srinagar is the hub of Kashmir's pashmina economy — raw pashm fibre from Changthang plateau goats is spun and woven into Kashmiri pashmina shawls with sozni embroidery (needle embroidery) and kani shawl weaving (tapestry loom technique). The city's papier-mâché craft, walnut wood carving, and carpet weaving make it one of India's most concentrated handicraft export centres.