'Truly special morning', Kiren Rijiju and Omar Abdullah go on Tulip garden walk in Srinagar

Srinagar, April 7 (IANS) Union Minister for Minority Affairs Kiren Rijiju said on Monday that he had a refreshing morning walk in the famous Tulip Garden of Srinagar. He was accompanied by Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.

The Union Minister said on X, “A refreshing morning walk amid the vibrant hues of the Tulip Garden, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, with Hon’ble CM Shri Omar Abdullah ji and also glad to meet Dr Farooq Abdullah Sahab. Nature at its finest and conversations filled with warmth & vision, a truly special morning.”

Minister Rijiju, along with Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, inaugurated the Lok Sanvardhan Parv in Srinagar on Sunday. The event celebrated the cultural diversity and artistic heritage of Jammu and Kashmir while addressing regional challenges.

Both the leaders visited the Tulip Garden in the morning. Known as Asia’s largest Tulip Garden, the garden is presently open for visitors.

A record 81,452 people visited the Tulip Garden on Sunday. This is an all-time record since the garden was laid and thrown open in 2007 when Ghulam Nabi Azad was the chief minister.

It is situated at the base of the Zabarwan mountain range on a sloppy ground in a terraced fashion consisting of seven terraces overlooking the Dal Lake.

The garden was opened to boost floriculture and tourism in the Kashmir Valley. Formerly known as the Siraj Bagh, it was named Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip Garden in 2007.

About 1.75 million tulip bulbs, all in multiple colours, were brought from the Tulip gardens of Amsterdam and were grown here.

Besides Tulips, there are 46 varieties of flowers, including hyacinths, daffodils and ranunculus, which were also brought from Holland.

Today, the garden is home to around 77 varieties of tulips. It is maintained by the local floriculture department, and scores of gardeners and experts are employed at the garden round the year to improve, grow and transplant spring flowers of various varieties and colours.

Srinagar’s Tulip Garden has become an iconic destination for tourists, VVIPs, honeymooners and locals. No tourist itinerary is complete unless it includes a visit to the Tulip Garden for spring visitors to the Valley.

Given the short life of the fragile Tulip flower, the garden remains open barely for a month each year.

--IANS

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