India’s third tulip garden becomes attraction for tourists in Shimla

Himachal’s first and country’s third tulip garden in Craignano Nature Park, 30km from Shimla, is starting to figure high on the list of attractions for tourists and locals.

Around 4,000 red and pink tulips are blooming in the garden at present and it is expected to see more such flowers in the next season.

This small tulip garden amid oak, pine and cedar trees is becoming source of attraction to the local and tourists. It is attracting more than 100 tourists in a day. “Daily around 100 people come here asking about the tulip garden. There are many other things which are yet to come up in the nature park but people are curious about tulip garden,” said forest guard Surender Kumar.

The nature park was inaugurated in 2017. The forest department has been developing this garden at an altitude of over 7000 feet above from sea level with the tulip seeds brought from Chandigarh, originated in Holland.

“We are procuring yellow and blue tulips for next season. So far Rs 2 lakh has been spent on the Tulip garden,” said conservator of forest Nagesh Guleria.

“I was not aware of this place. Manager of a hotel told me about it. It is beautiful. Tulips blooming mid of forest is a rare scenario,” said Ankush Ohri, a tourist from New Delhi.

Another tourist from New Delhi Somesh Malhotra said, “This is the most beautiful place in Shimla. Though the work is on but tulip garden even at its beginning stage is stunning. It is the soul of Craignano Nature Park.”

The entry fee of the park is Rs 20. “Asia’s largest tulip garden is in Kashmir and second famous tulip garden is Mughal Gardens in Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi,” said Guleria, adding, “This is third Tulip garden. Though it is in the beginning stage, but we will be increasing the number of flowers and varieties every year.” Craignano Nature Part is proposed to be set up in nine hectare forest area, mostly covered by oak, pine, Rhododendron trees.