SRINAGAR - The sprawling tulip garden in Jammu and Kashmir’s summer capital is being thrown open to visitors Tuesday as thousands of flowers impart a mesmerising ambience to this 90-acre tourist attraction in the Valley.

Nearly 1.3 million tulip bulbs comprising 70 varieties of various colours have been grown in the garden, inaugurated by United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi March 2008, and one more terrace has been added to the already multi-terraced garden.

‘We have increased the number of bulbs sown in the garden and this time, tulips of varied colours are in full bloom here,’ said Ghulam Sarwar Naqash, the director of the local floriculture department which maintains the vast tulip garden overlooking the Dal Lake in the city.

Tulips have been imported from Holland for the garden and since the flower is short-lived - lasting just the few spring months, authorities are planning to grow other varieties of flowers in the garden so that the it can be kept open for visitors round the year.

Located close to the famous Mughal gardens of Chashma Shahi, Nishat and Shalimar, the Kashmir tulip garden is seen as a milestone in making holidays memorable for thousands of domestic and foreign tourists who come to the Valley each year.

‘Encouragingly, locals are also taking a keen interest in visiting the garden. Hundreds of locals including school children and families visited the garden daily in addition to those coming from outside the Valley last year. This year, the number of visitors is likely to increase,’ Naqash said.

The director said an entry fee of Rs.50 per adult and Rs.20 per child have been fixed.

‘Last year, we earned Rs.30 lakh (Rs.3 million) and this year it is likely to go up,’ he added.