Srinagar

Autumn is here and so is the time when the whole of Kashmir Valley turns red. It seems as if someone has brushed the valley with magical colours. A surreal change that attracts thousands of tourists from across India and the world to come and be a part of the majestic season. 

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The Chinar (Maple) trees in Kashmir look as if they have been decorated with layers of colours. The visuals that tourists have seen only in Bollywood films. 

The world-famous Mughal gardens of Kashmir have a red carpet of these Chinar tree leaves with the background of Zabarwan Hills. 

The Nishat Garden, Shalimar Bagh, Naseem Bagh, and Chinar Bagh are witnessing a huge rush of tourists enjoying these beautiful visuals and taking photos in these breathtakingly beautiful locations. 

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''It's beautiful, clean and very big, The place is so huge, and the maple leaves are also very big, I love maple leaves especially when they change colour. When I saw the Hindi films I loved how they use the maple trees and leaves. That's why I asked my friend to come to Kashmir. I love Bollywood and the way they throw maple leaves. I did the same and my photos have come so well. I had a fantastic trip and I will tell my friends to come to Kashmir,'' said Ammie, a tourist from Malaysia. 

Some of the tourists have just read about autumn and have never seen it. The rest of India does not have four seasons like the Kashmir Valley. The government has also announced special festivals for the tourists coming to the Valley during the autumn season. While the Mughal Gardens in the Valley are seeing a steep rise in the footfall, specially to see the Chinar trees. 

''It's so beautiful and we have come from Delhi. This is my second trip to Kashmir Valley the first time we came here was in May and it was completely a different experience and now in November, it's a different experience altogether. We are enjoying it a lot. We took so many photos of the chinar leaves. Kashmir is so unique and different in every season. Chinar is looking extremely beautiful," said Ranjana Malhotra, a tourist. 

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Kashmir Valley has been witnessing a record-breaking number of tourists in the last few years. This year all the previous records have been broken with over 1.88 crores visiting the Valley in the first ten months. 

''The numbers are mind-boggling, Last time we had the highest numbers of 1.88 crores. This year we have already bypassed those numbers in the first ten months. Which is very positive. It has impacted the economy in a good way, '' said Abid Rashid Shah, Secretary of Tourism JK.

The Autumn season and the falling of leaves all over the gardens and roads is also an indication of winter. It simply means that winter is not far.