"If I have borne the harshness of winter with you ,
I do deserve the fragrance of your spring."
The spring is the metaphorical reminder of life itself, astonishingly beautiful yet fleeting. In Kashmir, if the autumn is about the blushing chinars; winter ,a fairyland draped in the white, then pink almond blossoms is surely the melody of spring in the valley .
Spring season is called ‘Sonth’ in Kashmiri, starts from mid March and ends in mid May. In this season the valley is vivid again and the breathtaking views are the manifestation of colours infused in consuming hill topography. The season gives much deserved new life and fragrance to the trees, revive the greenery and bring a pleasant joy in the air .
Kashmir is full of gardens, umpteen such trees which becomes a blooming fest for the tourists in this season but to enjoy this seasons in its true essence, I have these five places are must and you can get yourself soaked in spring here.
1. Tulip Garden, Srinagar
Set against the foothills of the Zabarwan Range on the banks of Dal lake and spread over an area of 80 acres ,the Indra Gandhi Tulip Garden (largest Tulip garden in Asia) with almost 15-20 lakh flowers in more than 65 varieties becomes a must visit place in this season .These tulips bloom only for a short period of time ,consequently it sees a huge footfall of tourists as well as of locals .The tourism department also hosts an Annual tulip festival here ,which includes many things like music, food, handicrafts, shopping etc. This year the garden is opening on 19th March for the public, so plan your trip accordingly.
2. Badamwari Bagh, Srinagar
If you aren’t been able to witness the famous cherry blossoms of Japan, fear not ,you can get these visuals here in Badamwari. A garden located at the foothills of Kochi-Maraan mountain on 300 kanals of land and has more than a 1000 almond trees. The flower bloom inside this garden at Shahr-e-khaas heralds the arrival of spring in Kashmir, bidding farewell to the harsh winters. The pink and white flowers on these almond trees are no less than a floral wonderland. This can rightly be called Japanese cherry blossom in India as the number of trees is enormous and presents a visual treat .
3. Pampore mustard fields
Pampore about 12kms from Srinagar is globally known for saffron production but if you are here in the spring season, be prepared to be greeted by the vast and vibrant yellow fields of mustard with abundance of peach trees in bloom. This Pampore plateau is also known for its wild tulips and in the recent years this place has gained much popularity among the tourists and has become every photographer’s favourite destination for the spring season.
4. Pulwama
It’s about 30Kms from the main city of Srinagar. Like Pampore, this place is blessed with endless mustard fields and the clear blue sky with snow clad mountain range forms the perfect background for a visual treat.
But there is a surprise, if you go inside from the highway, you will find thousands of almond trees lining together, the trees are more than 2000 in numbers and I am sure there isn’t any such kind of bloom of this magnitude as one can witness here but problem is not much is known about this place and it literally isn’t possible to find it without a local with you
5. Kashmir Arts Emporium, Srinagar
I feel myself so blessed to find this place in this season. I was travelling on the flyover near by when I first saw this place and thousand little white flowers blooming on the green grass and the beautiful building behind it .It actually is an art gallery but it’s park is so beautiful with these little flowers.
Huge chinar trees, empty benches, there just is too much poetry around this place, provided you find it empty. If you can ,you should pay a visit to this to get more of this spring season and engrave it in your memory.
Kashmir is an all season destination where every season comes with a different colour and a different vibe. If you truly wish to witness heaven on Earth, explore it in all its seasons and if that isn’t possible, don’t miss the spring at least.
And if you stories to share from Kashmir, do let me know in the comments below.