15 lakh tulips in full bloom: Srinagar’s iconic garden thrown open to public

Kashmir’s Tulip Garden, which is one of the biggest in Asia and has become synonymous with spring in the Valley, was thrown open to the public on Wednesday

Kashmir’s Tulip Garden, which is one of the biggest in Asia and has become synonymous with spring in the Valley, was thrown open to the public on Wednesday. Almost 1.5 million flowers of 68 varieties are adorning the 30-hectare terraced garden at Siraj Bagh in Srinagar .

A girl clicks a selfie at the Tulip Garden in Srinagar which was thrown open to the public on Wednesday. The picturesque garden is located on the banks of Dal Lake. (Waseem Andrabi/HT)

Locals and tourists jostled to get a glimpse of the iconic garden, after it was declared open by J&K chief secretary Arun Kumar Mehta. “You rarely find such beauty anywhere -15 lakh tulips in bloom. For tourists, no time can be better than this and we hope they come to be mesmerised,” said Mehta.

The picturesque garden, located on the foothills of the Zabarwan mountain range and banks of majestic Dal Lake – has multiple varieties of red, yellow and pink early blooming and late blooming tulip bulbs. Besides, other flowers like hyacinths, daffodils, narcissus, muscaria and Iris adorn the garden, while a Japanese ornamental cherry theme garden is also a part of the aesthetic appeal. The garden also has ornamental trees like apricots and almonds, which coincide with tulip blooming.

People will now be able to book tickets online to visit the garden rather than waiting in a queue outside. “We are happy to have come here. It is unbelievable to see such a large number of flowers here and the mesmerising beauty of Kashmir,” said a tourist from Gujarat. The bloom is expected to remain for a few weeks of April.

The garden plays an important part in wooing more tourists during spring, particularly after the Covid disruptions since March 2020. Last year, the garden saw 2.25 lakh visitors, including tourists and locals.

While the garden was closed in the spring of 2020 owing to the pandemic, in 2019, the garden attracted 2.58 lakh visitors including many locals, and 1.9 lakh in 2018 as the annual Tulip Festival has been gaining in popularity and attracting tourists.

Tourism numbers break records

Mehta said that the number of tourists in Kashmir this month have already crossed one lakh. “This is the highest number ever in March,” he said.

“Despite Covid, the tourist numbers from October to January 2022 were also the highest ever,” he added.

Around 6.65 lakh tourists visited the Valley in 2021, with 3.58 lakh from October to December. “The income of shikarawalas and others who are dependent on tourism will also increase and the visitors will also have a good time,” Mehta said.