Irfan Tramboo
SRINAGAR, Oct 19: The City Centre here has burst into a riot of colours as nearly 3,000 Chrysanthemums-locally known as ‘Gul-e-Dawood’-are on a two-day display to attract visitors.
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The large-scale floral installation at the foot of the iconic Ghanta Ghar showcases more than 15 indigenous varieties and over 80 colours of the hardy autumn bloom.
Seen as a first-ever attempt to attract tourists to the Valley’s autumn season, the show is organised jointly by SKUAST-Kashmir, Srinagar Smart City Limited (SSCL), and the Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC).
As the flowers went on display, transforming the City Square, tourists found the installation both captivating and photogenic.
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Alok Choubey, a tourist from Bihar, told Excelsior that his wife was so fascinated by the flowers that he couldn’t resist capturing the moment.
“This is a great attraction. We were roaming around and saw this-it caught our attention. We clicked pictures and will post them on social media so that more people are encouraged to visit,” he said.
The initiative aims to position Srinagar as a year-round floral and tourism destination, bridging the gap between summer and winter visitors.
The show was inaugurated by Divisional Commissioner Kashmir, Anshul Garg, who said the concept had been in planning for three years. He described the Chrysanthemum Show as the administration’s “invitation to tourists.”
“Just as tulips define the Valley’s spring, Gul-e-Dawood should become the signature of autumn. We want visitors from across India and abroad to experience this colourful season too,” he said.
Notably, the exhibition will continue till November 20 and will complement Srinagar’s Smart City public spaces.
“The idea is not only to beautify the city but also to extend the tourist calendar,” Garg added, noting that the cut-flower industry holds promising opportunities for local farmers.
Sandeep Singh, another tourist from Punjab, described the show as a “perfect Diwali delight.” “It’s better to come here and enjoy the moment. This is heaven in India. People must come here-this place brings peace,” he said.
SKUAST-K Vice Chancellor Prof Nazir Ahmad Ganai during the inauguration of the show stated that Ghanta Ghar was chosen deliberately to bring the university’s research closer to the public.
“We wanted to turn the heart of the city into a Gulistan this autumn,” he said. “This marks the beginning of an annual effort to make autumn as visually rich as spring.”
The show features an array of indigenous Chrysanthemum types nurtured through local research, symbolising Kashmir’s growing floriculture potential.
Many visitors described the transformation as Srinagar’s shift “from Gul-e-Lala to Gul-e-Dawood.”
Organisers said the Ghanta Ghar display will serve as a curtain-raiser to the month-long Chrysanthemum exhibition at SKUAST-K’s Shalimar campus, beginning tomorrow. They expressed hope that the City Centre bloom will become a permanent autumn fixture.
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