Rows of tulips bask in the Sun’s glory at the garden
Visitors in the Valley have been flocking to Asia’s largest tulip garden in Srinagar since it was thrown open to the public on March 26.
Located at the base of Zabarwan hills in Srinagar, the majestic mountain range bordering the central part of Kashmir, the garden is drawing attention away from the traditional favourites like Gulmarg and Pahalgam.
“It feels like a dream—vibrant and calm all around,” said Praveen Kumar, a tourist from Uttar Pradesh.
He said that he returned from Gulmarg, but it was the garden that had his heart.
Tourist influx
The garden has drawn more than half a million tourists over the last three weeks, making it one of the most-visited attractions in the Valley.
According to official data, between March 26 and April 17, a total of 7,48,248 tourists visited the garden. Of these, over 2,600 were foreign tourists, 3,99,973 domestic, and the remaining were local.
Dr Inam-ul-Haq, a senior official at the Department of Floriculture, Kashmir told businessline that a record number of tourist arrivals were witnessed this season.
An aerial view of the tulip garden in Srinagar
He said the garden would keep drawing visitors for as long as the flowers remain in bloom.
“It usually remains open by the end of April,” said the officer.
Last year, more than 4.6 lakh tourists visited the garden, compared to 3.7 lakh in 2023 and 3.6 lakh in 2022.
Established in 2007 by then Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, the 74-acre garden was part of a strategic push to revive tourism in the region amidst heightened militancy. In a bid to create a world-class attraction, thousands of tulip bulbs were imported from the Netherlands to bring the vision into reality.
“The garden indeed enhances business activity in Srinagar and advances the tourist season,” said a local businessman.
Politics amid petals
While the tulip garden continues to draw lakhs of visitors, it recently found itself at the centre of an unexpected political moment. On April 7, CM Omar Abdullah and Union Minister Kiren Rijiju happened to visit the garden at the same time. The chance meeting—as both the leaders claimed—quickly sparked political chatter.
What was supposed to be a quiet stroll in the garden turned into a talking point across newsrooms and social media with the opposition PDP calling it a “Waqf law bonhomie”.
Despite the controversy, the garden itself remains the star attraction, drawing droves of visitors who come to enjoy the tulip bloom.
Published on April 18, 2025
