With strict social distancing measures, a cap on the number of visitors and no on-the-spot entry, the famed Mughal Gardens of the Rashtrapati Bhawan has kickstarted its annual "Udyanotsav" amidst the coronavirus pandemic.
The iconic garden at the Rashtrapati Bhawan has been opened to the public and visitors will be allowed in the sprawling garden, which boasts of thousands of flowers and plants, ranging from roses, daisies to lilies, throughout the week, barring Mondays. Photograph: ANI Photo
People who wish to visit the garden will have to make bookings on https://rashtrapatisachivalaya.gov.in or https://rb.nic.in/rbvisit/visit_plan.aspx There will seven slots from 10 am to 5 pm and 100 people will be allowed in each slot to maintain social distancing. Not more than five people will be allowed to stand at one place so that appropriate distancing can be maintained. Photograph: ANI Photo
Among the major attractions at the Mughal Garden will be different types of roses like "American Heritage", "First Prize", "Kiss of Fire" and "Double Delight", and bulbous flowers like "Narcissus", "Dahlia", "Sparaxis", "Ranunculus", "Hyacianth" and "Asiatic Lily". Photograph: Kamal Singh/PTI Photo
SEE: The Mughal Gardens in full bloom
The visitors can also see some rare types of roses such as the "Green Rose" with thin and long green petals, "Oklahoma" and "Bonne Nuit" with their almost black texture, and "Blue Moon" and "Lady X" with a definite blue hue. The garden is also adorned with multi-coloured pansies and Alyssum flowering plants. Photograph: ANI Photo
Officials said that the cap on the number of visitors was unavoidable due to the pandemic. "It is going to be limited because we have to maintain and follow our social distancing norms. There will be 100 people per slot. That means everyday 700 people will visit these gardens. But this is something that we have to keep in mind because of the pandemic. We don't our visitors to face any problems." Photograph: ANI Photo
