The Dhambaali is Kashmiri folk dance origin of which in the valley is difficult to trace. Some believe it is an indigenous shade of the famous darvesh dance of Rumi cult in Central Asia performed by ascetics as a prelude to communion with God. The tradition of Dhambaali in Kashmir is, however, linked to the times of Baba Naseebuddin who, it is believed, organised such shows to collect people for carrying out social services like building of mosques and public facilities, in which he spent his life-time. Shah whose ancestors were also associated with Dhambaali dance, says that Baba Nasseebuddin Ghazi also used Dhambaali for collection of people for mass prayers at times of natural calamities. The Dhambaali would be followed by prayers to Almighty who would deliver the people from the calamity, he added.

Baba Naseebuddin Ghazi was born in Sialkote (now in Pakistan) in 1569 AD. He came to Kashmir along with his parents in search of spiritual enlightenment and became a disciple of Baba Dawood Khaki who himself was a great scholar and a follower of the exalted spiritual personality of Kashmir, Hazrat Sheikh Hamza, popularly known as Makhdoom Sahib. Naseebuddin would spend his time in devotion to Allah and in service to the mankind, especially the deprived. He visited places across Kashmir to preach Islam and built mosques, in villages and towns. He is credited with building 1200 mosques at different places in the valley.

Meanwhile, 19000 tourists visited Kashmir valley during the first five months of this year as compared to over 30,000 tourists who visited the valley during the same period last year.

Attributing the decline, to the January 26 earthquake in Gujarat, wherefrom majority of the tourists visit Kashmir in April-June month, the Jammu and Kashmir Minister of State for Tourism, Ms Sakina Itto said that measures were being taken to woo more tourists to the valley. Talking to reporters at Bejbehara yesterday on the occasion of the annual festival of Baba Naseebuddin, she said that efforts were being taken to attract pilgrims visiting Vaishnodevi shrine near Jammu to visit picnic spots of Kashmir. These spots were being thronged by the domestic and foreign tourists prior to the militancy with the highest number of over seven lakh of them during 1988. Tourism regarded as one of the major industry in Kashmir, earned Rs 500 crore annually, prior to militancy.

The recent invitation of Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee to the Pakistan military ruler General Pervez Musharraf, has also attracted some tourists to visit the valley, reports here said. Many of such tourists have visited the Dal Lake in Srinagar and picnic spots of Pahalgam and Gulmarg. Contrary to this the untoward incidents like that of the intrusion in Kargil sector of Ladakh region in 1999, have led to a blow to the smooth flow of tourists to the valley.

Giving details of the measures taken by the Tourism Department to attract more tourists to the valley, the Minister, Ms Sakina Ittoo said that a meeting of the travel agents was held here recently. The meeting impressed upon the travel agents to encourage the pilgrims touring Vaishnodevi shrine to visit Kashmir, which the tourists have been avoiding over the years. There was a need to inculcate the sense of “safety and security” among the tourists to visit Kashmir, she said. She cited several instances of the tourists in famous tourist spots, who had turned to Kashmir after having visited the Vaishnodevi shrine near Katra in Jammu region.

Giving details of the number of tourists, Sheikh Nissar Ahmad, Director, Tourism Department, Jammu and Kashmir Government said that majority of the 19,000 visited the valley during April and May. The last month registered a record number of 11,842 tourists including 11,291 domestic and 551 foreigners followed by a total of 3129 during April, which included 2417 domestic and 712 foreigners. As compared to this a total of 30,808 tourists visited the valley during the first five months of last year. These included 27,940 domestic and 2868 foreigners.