Asia’s largest tulip garden was greeted by a throng of visitors in Srinagar earlier today. Spread over 30 hectares and featuring over 68 varieties of blooms, the attraction celebrates the arrival of spring in the valley. By Eshita Srinivas
A visit to Paradise on Earth during the months of March and April promises breathtaking sights of colourful spring flowers, namely almond blossoms and tulips. Thousands flock to Jammu and Kashmir every year to witness these blooms at their peak. This year, Asia’s largest tulip garden in Srinagar received a similar response, attracting a flurry of tourists as soon as it was thrown open for the general public. The lush region will play host to this year’s Tulip Festival and is expected to see 15 lakh tulips of over 68 varieties in full bloom.
Over 50 gardeners put in work towards Asia’s largest tulip garden
The #LimitedEdition Tulip Garden opens today! 50+ gardeners have put in their best, over months. Don’t forget to click with them as well! 🌷🌈 pic.twitter.com/tpeJhNWEU0
— Shahid Choudhary (@listenshahid) March 23, 2022
Located on the banks of the popular Dal lake, by the Zabarwan mountain range, this garden has over seven terraces, each with a different variety of tulips, Rising Kashmir reports. Each year, new flowers and varieties are cultivated by gardeners. This year, over 50 of them worked over months to have them bloom in time for the upcoming Tulip Festival, a news report by NDTV adds.
Jammu and Kashmir chief secretary A.K. Mehta inaugurated the garden, adding that Jammu and Kashmir had seen the highest ever footfall of tourists over the past six months, with the month of March coming out on top. He further stated that the government was looking forward to an increase in numbers over the course of the next few weeks.
#WATCH | J&K: Government opened Tulip Garden for tourists & visitors in Srinagar earlier today. Chief Secretary of J&K Arun Mehta along with other senior officials of the Floriculture & Tourism department inaugurated the opening pic.twitter.com/vfMIVJzFrx
— ANI (@ANI) March 23, 2022
“We have been working for nine months and expect more tourists this year,” Sheikh Fayaz, Commissioner of Jammu and Kashmir’s Department of Floriculture added, as per a news report by WION. Director Tourism Kashmir Ghulam Nabi Itoo reflected on the importance of the garden in a news report by Zee News. “It is the main attraction for tourists who visit Kashmir. Without visiting the tulip garden they think their tour is incomplete. Besides, it has preponed the tourist season of Kashmir by about one month.”
The inauguration was followed by a host of visitors, who were greeted with musical and cultural events. In addition to tulips, many could spot hyacinths, daffodils, and ranunculus. This sets the tone for the Tulip Festival, an annual event in the region that is known to draw crowds. “The tourism department will hold a grand tulip festival very soon. All necessary preparations are afoot with some national celebrities and local artists said to perform at the event.” Itoo was quoted saying in the report by United News of India.
Feature and hero image: @listenshahid/Twitter
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