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Srinagar’s tulip garden gets over 1.6 lakh visitors In 11 days
“Till April 2, there was a record tourist footfall of 1.6 lakh and it is just 10 days yet. Every day, 10,000 to 15,000 visitors make it to the mesmerising place,” said garden in-charge Asif Yatoo
Over 1.6 lakh people have visited Srinagar’s iconic tulip garden in the 11 days of its opening on March 23.
The Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip Garden, earlier known as Siraj Bagh, is Asia’s largest such flower plot and has earned a spot in the World Book of Records (London). This year, it has 1.7 million flowers on display, comprising 73 varieties.
Officials said that since its opening, visitors, mostly domestic, have made a beeline to the garden.
“Till April 2, there was a record tourist footfall of 1.6 lakh and it is just 10 days yet. Every day, 10,000 to 15,000 visitors make it to the mesmerising place,” said garden in-charge Asif Yatoo.
Situated on the foothills of Zabarwan mountain range, the 30-hectare terraced garden on the banks of the Dal Lake in Kashmir’s summer capital Srinagar has caught the attention of visitors from across the country and outside.
“Some 200 foreigners were also among the visitors,” added Yatoo.
This year, the floriculture department has increased the number of tulip bulbs to 1.7 million and added five varieties of the flower, taking the overall to 73. Usually, the bloom starts by late March.
The average life of a tulip flower is 20 days and can stretch up to 25. The overall bloom is extended by adding late-blooming varieties. The temperature-sensitive flowers need mercury to stay between 15 and 25 degrees Celsius.
The Valley witnessed intermittent rains in Spring, causing the temperatures to dip. This had led to a delay in the bloom.
“The bloom is increasing. So far, around 50% of the tulips have bloomed and things are going well,” Yatoo said.
Alongside the iconic tulips, there are delicate daffodils, hyacinths, roses, ranunculi, muscaria and iris at the garden, creating a tapestry of colours and fragrances. There is a central fountain channel with waterfalls and high-rise fountains.
The garden is divided into 36 plots with 16 to 18 beds in each plot. There are three parks inside the garden as well, where visitors can sit and visualise themselves in a sea of colours, dominated by the Zabarwan Mountains. Various small ornamental trees, including the tulip, decorate the sides of the paths.
The garden played an important part in wooing tourists during the past few years. Last year, it saw an all-time high of over 3.7 lakh visitors, up from 3.6 lakh visitors in 2022 and 2.3 lakh in 2021.
“Owing to Ramadan, locals visited in less numbers. On and after Eid we expect a huge rush, particularly of locals,” Yatoo said.
