Srinagar, April 3: Sandwiched between Zabarwan Hills and the picturesque Dal lake, Asia's largest Tulip Garden here reverberated with music as famous singers, including rapper Badshah, mesmerised the audience with some popular numbers on Saturday at the beginning of a six-day festival.

The 'Tulip Festival' was thrown open by Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha in the presence of Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan at the majestic Tulip Garden which was opened for visitors last month after two years. Kashmir's Tulip Festival 2021 Dates, Travel Tips & Itinerary: Everything You Want to Know About the Beautiful Celebration of Spring Arrival at Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip Garden.

Tulip Festival 2021

Hundreds of visitors, locals as well as tourists, flocked the garden on the first day of the festival amid an almost full bloom of the tulip bulbs to be a part of the festival organised by tourism and floriculture departments. The 30 hectare-garden presented a colourful look as 15 lakh tulip bulbs of various colours and 62 varieties captivated the visitors.

Several singers, including local ones, from the Union Territory performed some famous numbers, enthralling the audience. But it was singer and rapper Badshah who stole the show and hearts of many. Badshah treated the audience to many of his hit numbers, including his famous track 'Abhi toh party shuru hui hai', drawing huge applause and whistles from them.

For many visitors it was a double treat – to visit Asia's largest Tulip Garden and to see one of their favourite artistes perform. "It is such a treat for us. We knew there was some festival, but we never imagined we would see Badshah perform in front of us,” Gauri, a tourist, said. The tourist said the festival made their visit to Kashmir special.

"I will cherish this visit for long. It was a dream to come here and seeing all this beauty and being a part of this celebration is something I will remember and cherish for long,” she said. Another tourist, Mahi from Dehradun, said she had heard a lot about the garden but found it better than her expectations.

"This is such a beautiful place. We have enjoyed it a lot,” she said, adding that the festival was an added bonus. A host of activities, including cultural activities, musical evenings, will be held during the festival, officials said.

On the sidelines of the festival, various stalls have been set up to display and promote the rich traditions, culture, cuisines and crafts of the valley, they said. This has been done so that tourists become familiar with the valley's rich culture and values, the officials said.

They said the festival presents a unique opportunity to display the diverse culture and cuisine of Jammu and Kashmir. Speaking on the occasion, Sinha said his administration is taking several steps to increase tourist footfall.

Despite the COVID pandemic, the tourism sector is seeing a significant boom in the UT with tourists coming in large numbers, he said. He said the Tulip Festival provides a perfect opportunity to display the diverse beauty of Kashmir and more plants and varieties would be added to the garden in the coming year to extend the duration for which the garden remains open.

Sinha expressed gratitude towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi for encouraging people from across the country to visit Jammu and Kashmir and experience the pristine beauty of "paradise on earth". Sinha said many new destinations are being opened up for tourists to extend their stay in Jammu and Kashmir.

"The union territory is endowed with unparalleled beauty and natural landscapes which have huge potential for tourism. Earlier, tourists were visiting other famous gardens and tourist places of Kashmir, but now Tulip Garden has become an iconic destination and attraction for them, the Lt Governor added.

Appealing to tourists as well as filmmakers to visit and shoot in the valley, Sinha assured them of a secure environment and all the support. He called upon the visiting tourists to "carry the fragrance of J&K" with them and share their memorable experiences with others.

Jammu and Kashmir offers a host of attractions to tourists to experience the scenic beauty, warm hospitality, rich culture and heritage, the Lt Governor said. Meanwhile, the Kerala Governor said not only is Kashmir the most beautiful place in the world but the people living here, their thoughts and vision is beautiful as well.

"This is the people's legacy which they have inherited from the great Reshis as the valley is the land of Sufi Reshis who have given Kashmiri people a rich culture, tradition and ethos,” he said, adding, Kashmir is the Crown of India.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)