Asia’s largest Tulip Garden to open in Srinagar on March 16: Ticket price, timings, what to expect

Spring is about to arrive in Kashmir with the opening of the Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip Garden in Srinagar, widely recognised as Asia’s largest tulip garden. The garden will open to the public from March 16, marking the start of the spring tourism season in the Valley.

Situated on the foothills of the Zabarwan Range and overlooking the iconic Dal Lake, the garden attracts thousands of visitors every year with its colourful floral display and scenic views.

Director of Floriculture Kashmir Mathoora Masoom confirmed that the garden is ready for the season and will feature a record number of blooms this year.

“The Tulip Garden will be opened to the public from March 16th. The Chief Minister will inaugurate it... Like every year, we have made efforts to improve the garden... This time we have planted 18 lakh tulips... More than 70 varieties have been planted... The facility of purchasing tickets through the online medium is also being started... We are trying to provide all kinds of facilities to the people... People will be encouraged to come, enjoy and maintain a clean environment in the garden... We hope that their experience will be beautiful and better.”

Apart from tulips, visitors will also see several other flower species in bloom, including daffodils, hyacinths, roses, ranunculi, muscari and iris, creating a vibrant mix of colours and fragrances.

The garden also hosts cultural programmes, Kashmiri music performances, handicraft stalls and local food, making it one of the most popular tourist attractions in the Valley during spring.

The garden will remain open daily from 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM during the festival period.

Chief Executive Officer Ahsan-ul-Haq Chisti said the dredging began around four to five months ago to remove accumulated silt, clear blocked water channels and increase the lake’s carrying capacity.

According to him, around 1.3 square kilometres of the lake area has been dredged so far, while nearly 7,000 cubic metres of weeds have been manually removed.

Residents say the effort is already showing results, with migratory birds returning to the lake after several decades.

"For many years, the lake was getting filled with weeds and silt, which affected fishing and the overall water flow. After the dredging work started, we can see a visible improvement, and we hope the lake will return to its earlier condition," resident Abdul Ahmad said.

Another resident, Sajad Ahmad, added, "We have started seeing more birds visiting the lake again. This is a positive sign that the ecosystem is recovering. We appreciate the efforts taken by the authorities to clean and conserve the lake."

Residents believe the restoration effort will not only improve the lake’s ecosystem but also support local livelihoods dependent on it.