The Mughal Gardens will be open on March 11 exclusively for special category visitors.
The presidential palace Rashtrapati Bhavan's lush green Mughal Garden in Delhi is welcoming visitors from February 6 till March 10. The lovers of nature will be in for a treat as 10,000 tulips, 137 varieties of roses and over 70 varieties of seasonal flowers will greet them at the sprawling 15-acre gardens. The special attraction of this year's "Udyanotsav" are bulbous flowerings and exotic imported flowers from the Netherlands and Japan. The President's Garden is a riot of white, yellow, red and orange. Floral carpets and beautiful patches of Pasadena, Pansy, China Man, Marigold, Antigun, Pink Parfait, Dahlia, Zambra, Laptosinia floral varieties will be a sight for sore eyes, say officials.
Set against the majestic backdrop of the presidential residence, Mughal gardens will open as part of the annual "Udayanotsav" -- a long-standing tradition of the Bhavan. President Ram Nath Kovind inaugurated the garden festival on February 4.
President Ram Nath Kovind and his wife Savita Kovind pose for a photograph during a preview of the Mughal Gardens.
Here are the time, dates, details of online booking and other important things to know for your Mughal Garden day-out:
What to expect at the Mughal Garden:
Apart from the vast flower gardens, visitors can go to a spiritual garden showcasing plants significant to all religions, a herbal garden with patches of Brahmi, Giloy and Ashwagandha plants, a Bonsai garden and a musical garden.
A corner with varieties of cactus and succulents will also be a major attraction. Air purifying plants and organic fresh vegetables and fruits will also be on display.
What's new this year in Mughal Garden:
From this year, visitors can use the online booking facility is available seven days in advance. The online booking has been divided into seven hourly slots - starting from 9 am to 3 pm on weekdays (Monday to Friday) and three hourly slots - 9 am, 10 am and 11 am - on weekends (Saturdays and Sundays) and holidays.
Each hourly slot on weekdays is for 1,000 visitors and weekends/holidays is 2,500 visitors.
The online booking is in addition to the direct walk-in entry like previous years and it is free of cost.
Here's how you can book online for Mughal Garden:
Online Booking at Mughal Garden can be done by visiting https://presidentofindia.gov.in/ and following the Mughal Gardens visit link or https://rashtrapatisachivalaya.gov.in and following explore and tour link. Online Booking link is also available at https://rb.nic.in/rbvisit/visit_plan.aspx
A maximum of 10 visitors can register in a single booking for weekday's visit while a maximum 5 visitors can register for weekend and holidays. A mobile number is mandatory for online booking and only one booking is permitted from one mobile number.
There will be a separate queue for online visitors. It will be mandatory for them to stick to their allotted time slots. If visitors arrive outside the booked time slot, they would be requested to join the queue of "direct walk-in (offline)" visitors.
The Mughal Garden is a riot of white, yellow, red and orange.
Dates for Mughal Garden:
The Mughal Gardens will remain open to the general public from February 6, 2019 to March 10, 2019 (except on Mondays which are maintenance days).
Timings of Mughal Garden: Between 9 am to 4 pm.
Details of entry and exit:
Entry and exit for all online/walk-in visitors will be from Gate number 35 of the President's Estate, close to where North Avenue meets Rashtrapati Bhavan.
What not to bring when visiting Mughal Garden:
Water bottles, briefcases, handbags/ladies purses, cameras, radios/transistors, boxes, umbrellas, eatables are not permitted inside the Mughal Gardens.
Facilities at the Mughal Garden:
Drinking water, toilets, first aid/ medical facility, rest rooms for senior citizens, women and children.
President Ram Nath Kovind and his wife Savita Kovind take a walk in the Mughal Gardens.
Special entry timings for differently-abled and visually impaired people:
The Mughal Gardens will be open on March 11 exclusively for special category visitors - farmers, differently-abled persons, defence/paramilitary forces and Delhi Police personnel - from 9 am to 4 pm. Entry and exit will also be through Gate Number 35.
For visually impaired people, the Tactile Garden will be open on March 11 from 11 am to 4 pm.
Visitors can go to the adjoining Rashtrapati Museum that tells the story of Indian Presidents; they can also witness the Change of Guards ceremony.
Over 5.54 lakh people visited the Mughal Garden in February and March last year.
You can book your slot online and take a few hours break from the city's rising pollution. It sure will be worth it!