Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Asia's largest tulip garden in Kashmir opens for visitors on March 19th

Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip Garden in Srinagar anticipates a significant increase in the number of visitors this season

Asia's largest tulip garden in Kashmir opens for visitors on March 19th

Asia's largest tulip garden, Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip Garden, situated in Kashmir between Dal Lake and the Zabarwan hills, is fully bloomed and set to open for tourists from Sunday (19).

The garden will showcase 1.5 million tulips in different colours along with other spring flowers such as hyacinths, daffodils, muscari, and cyclamens. The gardeners have worked year-round to maintain the quality of bulbs and expand the garden.


"Preparations like gardening, engineering, fungicide treatment, nutrient spraying, and minor repair which we do before the tulip show are going on," Inam-ul-Rehman, in charge of the tulip garden, told PTI.

He added, "Every year we expand this garden and new varieties are here. This year we have extended the fountain channel.... It should set an example of gardening professionalism across the globe".

According to Rehman, there will be a colourful display of tulips this year, including yellow, red, crimson, purple, and white. The garden's ambiance, complemented by the shadow of Zabarwan mountains, is a significant factor in attracting visitors, he said.

While Mushtaq Ahmad Mir, the garden's supervisor, mentioned that the preparations for the upcoming Sunday (19) opening are in full swing.

Mir anticipates a significant increase in the number of visitors this season, and as a result, the work is being carried out day and night. There has been a substantial number of inquiries from outside Kashmir regarding the garden's opening, according to him.

He further added that last year was a success with two lakh visitors, and he hopes for an even better turnout this time.

The Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip Garden, previously called Siraj Bagh, was inaugurated in 2008 by the former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Ghulam Nabi Azad to boost tourism during the valley's off-season.

Despite the tulip bloom lasting for only three to five weeks, the ground staff works diligently throughout the year to maintain the quality of the bulbs.

Mir said the garden is prepared year-round, including disease checks and harvesting from May to June. Soil is dug up and fertilizers added in October, with tulip bulbs sown in November. Gardeners stay busy with these tasks throughout the year.

Mohammad Maqbool one of the gardeners added that tulips bloom only at low temperatures.

"Tulips are very delicate flowers. They cannot survive in hot temperatures and bloom only in low temperatures," he said.

According to Ghulam Hassan, the head gardener, the garden spans over 1,050 kanals (52.5 hectares) and started with 50,000 tulips, which has now increased to 15 lakh flowers.

Hassan wants more and more people to visit the garden. "We request the people here and outsiders to visit this garden. On March 19, it will be thrown open to the public," he said.

(With inputs from PTI)

More For You

Streeting hails India’s global role as Labour backs bilateral relations

Wes Streeting addresses the Republic Day reception at the Guildhall in London last Tuesday (28),joined by Sir Lindsay Hoyle and Vikram Doraiswami

Streeting hails India’s global role as Labour backs bilateral relations

WES STREETING spoke of the priority prime minister Sir Keir Starmer and the Labour government attach to relations with India when he addressed a Republic Day reception at the Guildhall in London last Tuesday (28).

But the secretary of state for health and social care won over the large Indian crowd by paying an unexpected tribute to Rishi Sunak.

Keep ReadingShow less
Sri Lanka seeks to negotiate with Adani over renewable energy plants

Gautam Adani

Sri Lanka seeks to negotiate with Adani over renewable energy plants

SRI LANKA’S government started talks with India’s Adani Group to lower the cost of power from two wind power projects the group will build in the island nation’s northern province, the cabinet spokesman said last Tuesday (28).

Sri Lanka has been reviewing the group’s local projects after US authorities in November accused billionaire founder Gautam Adani and other executives of being part of a scheme to pay bribes to secure Indian power supply contracts. Adani has denied the allegations.

Keep ReadingShow less
Badenoch proposes stricter citizenship rules for all migrants

Kemi Badenoch delivers speech on January 16, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

Badenoch proposes stricter citizenship rules for all migrants

CONSERVATIVE PARTY on Thursday (6) proposed a clampdown on all migrants by tightening citizenship rules and barring social benefit claimants from residency rights.

Kemi Badenoch, who took over from Rishi Sunak in November last year, outlined her first major policy agenda as Tory leader in a move seen as an attempt to win back the support of Conservative voters drawn to the far-right anti-immigrant Reform party.

Keep ReadingShow less
New body led by Sir Sajid Javid aims to amplify ‘unheard’ voices
Sajid Javid

New body led by Sir Sajid Javid aims to amplify ‘unheard’ voices

A NEW independent commission to improve cohesion would engage across all nations and regions of the UK by moving beyond Westminster-centric discussions and include more diverse voices, the director of British Future thinktank has said.

Sunder Katwala said building confidence across different groups will be a priority, as economic pressures and tensions due to Middle East conflict have polarised communities in the UK.

Keep ReadingShow less
Pakistan court gives unusual punishment to Youtuber Rajab Butt for owning lion cub

Pakistani zookeeper Mohammad Amir holds the confiscated lion cub at Lahore’s safari zoo last Tuesday (28)

Pakistan court gives unusual punishment to Youtuber Rajab Butt for owning lion cub

A PAKISTANI YouTube star who was gifted a lion cub on his wedding day avoided jail after promising a judge to upload animal rights videos for a year.

Rajab Butt has one of the largest online followings in south Asia, and his week-long nuptials in December were plastered over celebrity gossip websites.

Keep ReadingShow less