Wangun is the main wholesale vegetable market of Srinagar's old city, receiving produce from both the floating gardens of Dal Lake and from the agricultural land of the valley floor. The market operates from early morning and is at its most active between 5am and 9am. The produce reflects the season sharply — spring brings lotus stems and fresh greens, summer brings tomatoes and courgettes from the floating gardens, autumn brings root vegetables and the end of the lotus crop.
The market is worth visiting for the produce itself as well as for the scene: buyers and sellers negotiating in Kashmiri, the distinctive vegetables of the region (morels in spring, water chestnuts in autumn), and the physical connection between the lake-based agriculture and the city kitchen. For cooks, the opportunity to buy fresh Kashmiri morels (when in season) at a fraction of their price in the rest of India is reason enough to visit. The market is also where the local spice blenders operate; the Kashmiri masala mixes sold here are less standardised and often more interesting than packaged versions.