Srinagar, March 27 -- Kashmir's iconic Tulip Garden, the biggest in Asia, on Wednesday was thrown open to public and saw a rush of tourists on the first day, officials said.

Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah inaugurated the garden that boasts more than 17.5 lakh flowers of 74 tulip varieties, many of them in full bloom.

With mild rain lashing the area, tourists had a gala time at the picturesque garden that came up in 2006.

Donning a white Pheran, or Kashmiri gown, Omar visited the garden and took some pictures. He also posed for selfies with the visitors.

After his visit, Omar took to micro-blogging platform X. "After more than a decade I was back at the Tulip Garden in Srinagar to officially throw it open to visitors. O...