Asia’s largest tulip garden set to open to visitors in Kashmir Valley

SRINAGAR:  Asia’s largest tulip garden in Srinagar with a flower carpet of 16 lakh tulips of different varieties, colours and fragrances would be thrown open for visitors on March 19.

The tulip garden in Srinagar is spread over 30 hectares and is situated along the bank of world famous Dal lake at the foothills of the Zabarwan range.

Inam-ul-Rehman, the garden's in charge, said the tulips in the garden have started to bloom and the carpet of tulips will mesmerize the visitors.

“This year the garden will have 16 lakh tulips of  68 varieties, including four new varieties. The tulips will give a new and even more picturesque look to the garden,” Rehman said.

Over 100 gardeners are working hard to prepare the flower carpet for over a month.

Head gardener Tulip garden Mohammad Yousuf said there are early to mid to late varieties of tulips in the garden and they are planted accordingly to ensure that the garden remains open for a month and the visitors get a different look.

Rehman said tulips need a low temperature for survival. “With the temperature hovering over 20 degrees celsius, the garden this year is being opened early due to early bloom of the tulips.”

The carpet of flowers, which gives a feeling of paradise, is attracting a lot of tourists and locals every year.

In 2020, a record 3.60 lakh tourists visited the garden for the beautiful sight of lakhs of tulip bulbs of myriad colours in full bloom. Rehman said the tourists from the iconic Keukenhof flower garden in the Netherlands — dubbed as the world’s largest Tulip garden — had visited the garden last year.

The garden has become one of the major tourist attractions of the valley since it was inaugurated in 2007 by then Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad. The opening of the garden has advanced the tourism season in Kashmir and it signals the arrival of spring.