Marking the beginning of the new tourist season in the Kashmir Valley, Asia’s largest tulip garden overlooking the world-famous Dal Lake has opened for tourists, with around 1.6 million tulips of 68 varieties set to enthrall visitors this year.
The Indira Gandhi Tulip Garden is located between Dal Lake and the Zabarwan hills in Srinagar. It has over 15 lakh tulips of various colours and hues. Besides tulips, the garden has other spring flowers, such as hyacinths, daffodils, muscari and cyclamens, on display. The Floriculture Department of the garden plants the tulip bulbs in a phased manner so that the flowers remain in the garden longer than a month.
At the opening ceremony, Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha said that the garden witnessed 3.60 lakh visitors last year, which is the highest since it was opened. Hoping the footfalls to cross last year’s numbers, Mr Sinha said a new tulip garden will be opened in April in the Sanasar, Jammu, where 2.75 lakh tulips of 25 varieties will bloom.
The Indira Gandhi Tulip Garden, also known as Siraj Bagh, has been meticulously maintained to create an idyllic and serene atmosphere for visitors. In addition to well-maintained flora, the garden has public amenities such as potable drinking water and shelters to shield visitors from rain.
