Srinagar’s tulip garden to open on March 26

Srinagar, March 21

Nestled between the Dal Lake and the Zabarwan hills, Asia’s largest tulip garden will open for the public on March 26 to mark the beginning of the tourism season in the Kashmir Valley, officials said today.

The Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip Garden was set up by Ghulam Nabi Azad, the then-Chief Minister of the erstwhile state in 2007, to advance the tourist season in Jammu and Kashmir that was earlier limited to summers and winters.

Formerly known as Siraj Bagh, the garden will be opened to the public as tulips of different colours have started to bloom, Floriculture Department officials said.

The department plants tulip bulbs in a phased manner so that the flowers remain in bloom for a month or more.

“The garden will be thrown open to the public on March 26,” said Asif Ahmad, assistant floriculture officer at the tulip garden. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah will throw open the garden, he added.

Preparations for the garden’s opening are in full swing and final touches are being given to make it ready, Ahmad said. The department has added two new varieties of tulips to the garden this year, he said. About 17 lakh tulip bulbs have been planted in the garden that spreads over 55 hectares, Ahmad said. — PTI