The Mata Kheer Bhawani temple is one of the Kashmir Valley’s most famous and venerated shrines.
Visiting this temple located in J&K’s Ganderbal district to offer homage and prayers to the presiding deity is an integral part of every Kashmiri Hindu’s (Pandit’s) life.
The temple’s resident deity, Kheer Bhawani, is a favourite of Hindus in this region. A seven-sided spring is a key feature of this temple and is situated around the deity.
This holy spring is known to change its colour and according to devotees, each colour is indicative of a message from the Goddess. The colour of the water in the spring can become red, pink, orange, light green, blue, and white.
Recently, the spring turned a dark red before changing to a lighter crimson, which Kashmiri Hindus viewed as a bad omen.
Brighter Kashmir spoke to a couple of people to understand the significance of the change in the colour of the water.
“I have been noticing that the colour of the water in the temple has been turning red/crimson for the last 10 to 15 days. This is not a good sign. For the first time in my life I am seeing the water turn red. Two years ago, the colour of the water was red and we saw the emergence of Corona and people started dying. We faced a terrible situation. Now the water is turning red again and I feel we are again going to go through a terrible or bad phase,” Gauhar told Brighter Kashmir.
She further revealed that the water in the temple changes colour frequently.
“We have heard and some of us have even experienced that whenever some difficulty is to come or surface, the water’s colour changes to red/crimson. It is a beautiful sight to see how the water changes colour. This reddish colour only means danger; that something terrible is going to happen. We do havans, I did a havan last year; my guru did a havan, wherein he prayed for the safety and welfare of all Kashmiris; to save them from this deadly virus,” Gauhar added.
According to Hindu tradition, when the sacred spring water turns red or black, they consider it disturbing and a forecast of a sorrowful event.
A male devotee told Brighter Kashmir: “Two days ago, the colour of the water was a deep red, which is not a good sign. If the water is black or red, it is not a good sign for us. The water has other colours too, such as light green, or bluish. These are good signs for us. In the 90s, the colour of the water was black and Kashmir faced a great catastrophe; there was a full blown massacre of Kashmiri Pandits and most of them had to leave the valley.”
He further said: “During the time of Covid, Mata Kheer Bhawani sent us a sign; the water turned a light red, and now in recent days, killings have taken place, the killing of innocent people. A warning is being given to all of us by her. Prayers are held in the temple every day so that humanity is saved from such calamities.”