SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday extended a warm invitation to tourists from across the country, as well as local residents, to visit Srinagar’s vibrant Bagh-e-Gul-e-Dawood (Chrysanthemum Garden) and experience its breathtaking autumn splendor.
After inaugurating the garden for the second consecutive year, Abdullah urged people to explore the floral attraction, capture its beauty through photographs, and create lasting memories with family and friends.
“I invite not only tourists from across the country but, more importantly, our own people from Srinagar and surrounding areas to come, enjoy the beauty of this garden, take photographs and carry home beautiful memories,” the Chief Minister said.
The Chrysanthemum Garden, developed by the Department of Floriculture, was conceived as a unique autumn attraction to strengthen Kashmir’s tourism offerings during the latter part of the year. While the world-famous Tulip Garden overlooking famed Dal Lake heralds the arrival of spring and attracts thousands of visitors at the beginning of the tourism season, officials recognised the need for a similarly iconic attraction towards the season’s end.
Nestled at the picturesque foothills of the Zabarwan Range and overlooking the serene environs of Dal Lake, the Chrysanthemum Garden is spread across nearly 100 kanals (12.5 acres) within the Nehru Memorial Botanical Garden complex. The floral destination showcases an extraordinary display of more than 1.2 million chrysanthemum blooms this season, cultivated from approximately 350,000 plants and shrubs. The garden presents visitors with a spectacular tapestry of colours and textures, transforming the landscape into a vibrant celebration of autumn.
This year, the garden features an impressive collection of 72 distinct varieties of chrysanthemums, marking a significant expansion from the 35 varieties displayed last year. The blossoms create a stunning visual panorama in shades of yellow, red, pink, purple, white, and other striking hues, offering visitors a unique floral experience rarely seen in the region. Complementing the seasonal blooms are majestic Chinar trees, maples, and ginkgoes, whose golden and crimson foliage enhances the beauty of the garden and creates an unforgettable autumn setting.
According to Director Floriculture, Gardens and Parks, Kashmir, Mathoora Masoom, the Chrysanthemum Garden is more than a floral showcase. “It celebrates Kashmir’s stunning autumn landscape while offering visitors a new seasonal experience. With millions of blooms and an expanded range of varieties, we invite travelers to discover a different side of Kashmir’s charm,” she said.
Highlighting the vision behind the project, the Chief Minister said the garden was created to bridge that gap and ensure that Kashmir remains a vibrant destination beyond the peak tourist months.
“The Tulip Garden attracts a large number of tourists at the beginning of the tourism season, but we did not have any major attraction to offer visitors towards the end of the season. This garden has been developed to fill that gap,” he said.
The Chief Minister emphasised that the government’s broader objective is to establish Kashmir as a destination that offers distinctive floral experiences throughout the tourism calendar, from the colourful tulip bloom of spring to the dazzling chrysanthemum displays of autumn.
Spread across landscaped lawns and pathways, the garden showcases an impressive variety of chrysanthemum flowers in a spectrum of colours, shapes and sizes, creating a visual spectacle against the backdrop of Srinagar’s autumn landscape. The attraction has rapidly emerged as a favourite destination for nature lovers, photographers, families and tourists seeking a unique seasonal experience.
Expressing satisfaction over the garden’s development, Abdullah noted that the floral destination has undergone significant improvements since its inaugural season last year. He said visitors familiar with the garden’s first edition would immediately notice the transformation and enhanced presentation of floral displays.
“Those who attended last year’s inauguration and visited the garden today must have noticed the remarkable progress. We will continue to develop and improve it in the coming years,” he said.
The Chief Minister also highlighted one of the garden’s key advantages over the Tulip Garden. Unlike tulips, whose bulbs are sourced from foreign countries, the chrysanthemums grown at Bagh-e-Gul-e-Dawood are propagated locally by the Department of Floriculture. This not only reduces dependence on imports but also strengthens local horticultural expertise and sustainability.
“We propagate and multiply these plants ourselves. Our effort will be to introduce something new in the garden every year,” Abdullah added.
Officials believe the continued expansion and diversification of the Chrysanthemum Garden will further boost autumn tourism in the Kashmir Valley, attract greater footfall from both domestic and local visitors, and establish Bagh-e-Gul-e-Dawood as one of Srinagar’s signature seasonal attractions. With its ever-evolving floral displays and locally nurtured blooms, the garden is steadily carving out a place alongside the iconic Tulip Garden in Kashmir’s growing portfolio of world-class tourist destinations.
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