As spring season, called Sonth in Kashmiri, has arrived in Kashmir, Nature has spread all its colours on the canvas of the land.

A local youth criss crossing a mustard field

Pink blooms on almond and cherry trees, and a vast expanse of the land turned into patches of resplendent yellow with mustard (called Til googule) crops in full bloom make the landscape vivid.

A Young tourist throwing up petals of almond flower in a Mustard field

Hundreds of tourists who were driven by the valley with the opening of Asia’s biggest Tulip Garden in Srinagar can be seen clicking pictures in the middle of the mustard fields along the Srinagar-Jammu national highway. 

A couple encapsulating a sweet memory of their Kashmir trip during spring

Besides major tourist spots, these mustard fields on vast tracts of land have become another attraction for tourists.

Tourists visiting Pahalgam hill station in south Kashmir or those travelling to the ski-resort of Gulmarg in the north come across huge mustard fields in full bloom.

Tourists creating a cinematic moment in Kashmir's mustard field

The highway stretch from Srinagar to Pahalgam has large mustard fields, many tourists are bewitched by the scenic view of blooming mustard flowers. 

A woman enjoying the colours of Kashmir spring

Sandeep Rawat, a tourist from Gujarat, who works in Europe, said driving on the highway through mustard fields gives him a feeling of being in Switzerland.

While drawing a parallel between the combination of green and yellow hues in the backdrop of snow-capped mountains, he said, “In scenic beauty, Kashmir is more beautiful than Switzerland. But it lacks world-class tourist infrastructure. Hope in coming years Kashmir can come up with better facilities for high-end tourists.”

Tourists clicking pictures in Mustard field

The mustard crop is sown in October-November. As temperatures rise after winter, the mustard crop blossoms and is harvested towards the end of May. Mustard growers say that following sufficient snowfall and rains this winter, the crop yields are much better than the previous year.