With spring in full swing in most parts of the country, lanes and alleys across length and breadth spot a riot of colours. And one can spot these colours even in the icy valley of Kashmir. Situated at the bottom of the Zabarwan range in Kashmir is Asia’ largest tulip garden — Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip Garden — which is once again open for visitors now. This year arrangements for an open air cafeteria have also been made to cater the visitors.
Overlooking the renowned Dal Lake, the tulip garden is home to over a million tulips in nearly 60 varieties and colours and is one of the major tourist attractions in Srinagar. After being shut for almost nine months, the garden was reopened recently by Chief Secretary Arun Kumar Mehta and is now also all set for the upcoming annual Tulip Festival. The festival, organised by the government of Jammu and Kashmir, is an annual affair to mark the spring season and kick off the tourism season. During the festival one can witness various cultural programmes, musical events as well as food fest. The dates for this year’s festival are yet to be announced by the government. Over the course of the past nine months many hands have been on deck to prepare the garden for the festival.
The Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip Garden was formerly known as Siraj Bagh and was opened by Ghulam Nabi Azad in 2008 and since then each year the garden witnesses a huge footfall when the spring season arrives and the tulips are in full bloom. If you’re planning to visit the garden, tickets can now be booked online. The garden remains open from 8am to 7pm and will remain open until the end of April, till the time the tulips are in full bloom.
