Tulip garden
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Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip garden previously Model Floriculture Center is a tulip garden in Srinagar, India. It is the largest Tulip garden in Asia spread over an area of about 12 hectares.[It is situated on the foothills of Zabarwan Range with an overview of Dal Lake. The garden was opened in 2007 with the aim to boost floriculture and tourism in Kashmir Valley
Important Facts:
1. A smooth cruising drive of a mere 9 kilometres from the Srinagar along the soothing Dal Lake towards the south brings us to the Indira Gandhi Tulip Garden.
2.This garden cradles in the gentle slopes of the mighty Zabarwan hills. It is flanked by a manicured lush green golf course in the north and the pristine Dal Lake almost washes its entrance to the west. Antiquity and an ambience of timeless regality are bestowed by the nearby Chashme Shahi and Pari Mahal complexes to this Tulip Garden.
3. An entry into this garden is akin to savouring paradise as God intended it to be. The eye gets riveted to the numerous PARALLEL running rows of more than a MILLION multi-coloured tulip flowers.
4.The garden is full of red, orange, yellow, purple and mauve tulips to name a few. Apart from them there are numerous multi-coloured hybrid flowers too. Nature has liberally run riot with the colour combinations of these hybrid flowers.
5.The flowers too have their own distinctly varied shapes. Some are hemispherical like turbans, others are elongated, many have scattered petals or simply loose and upward flowing petals and sepals that look like erupting flames.
6.However, each hybrid variety is grown in its unique flower bed which is about 1 meter wide and 80 meters long.
7. Tulip garden has been created by carving out seven terraces on a gentle sloping ground; a move in any direction leaves us spell bound by the multi-tier flowers.
8.A gentle uphill climb brings us to the delightful fruit trees that dot the rim of this garden. The slender branches of these trees are covered with different coloured buds and flowers. Since these trees at this time have not yet re-grown their leaves after the winter; the abundant luscious flowers look divine when viewed against a dazzling blue sky.
9.Beyond the trees, further upslope the Pari Mahal benignly smiles at the tulip scapes, much like an aging queen smilingly admires her feminine progeny coming of age.
10. Gazing downhill the eye runs along the striped mosaic of tulips, created by compactly laid complimentary and contrasting coloured flowers that appear to reach all the way down to the shore of the Dal Lake.
11.The lake itself sports beautiful floating fountains.
12. In addition to tulips the other bulbs material grown in the garden include Hyacinths, Narcissus, Daffodils, Muscaria and Iris.
Quick Facts:
How to get there: The Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip Garden is located at Siraj Bagh Cheshmashahi, in the capital Srinagar. It is a very popular location.
Entry Fee: The entry fee to the gardens is Rs. 50 for adults and Rs. 25 for children.
When to go: The flowers bloom only for about 15 -30 days in a year. Depending on the temperature, the blooms may be delayed or arrive early, between end of March and early April.
Timing: The garden opens from 9:00 am to 7:00 pm every day.