After a gap of two years, hundreds of Kashmiri Pandits and tourists gathered in Tulmulla village of central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district on Wednesday to participate in the annual Kheer Bhawani mela.
An official spokesperson said around 18,000 Kashmiri Pandits and devotees visited the Mata Kheer Bhawani Temple on the auspicious occasion of Jyeshtha Ashtami.
“Every year, on this auspicious day, Kheer Bhavani Mela is organized at Mata Kheer Bhawani Temple in Tulmulla, Ganderbal and devotees from different parts of Jammu and Kashmir visit the holy shrine here,” officials said.
Kheer Bhawani is considered to be the deity of Kashmiri Pandits, who have a lot of recognition there. Jyeshtha Ashtami holds immense religious significance for Kashmiri Pandit brothers and sisters. Over the years, the Kheer Bhawani Mela has become a symbol of communal harmony and brotherhood in Kashmir. Elaborate security arrangements were made in this event, it was monitored by the Lt. Governor Shri Manoj Sinha himself.
Around 2,500 Kashmiri Pandit devotees participated in the evening aarti. The religious sanctity of Mata Kheer Bhawani Temple, built atop a holy spring, has a special spiritual significance among Kashmiri Pandit devotees across the world. The event could not be held here due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021.
A free bus service was run from Srinagar Airport, Tourist Reception Centre, Dal Lake Side Nehru Park, Shankaracharya Temple, Shivpora, BB Cantt, Indira Nagar etc. in areas where Hindu communities live in large numbers.
Full attention was given to ensure that devotees do not face any kind of problem. Parking facility was provided for vehicles near the temple premises. Mobile urinals have also been made available at all suitable places.
Several NGOs and civil society had also made arrangements to provide wheelchairs and other aids for the convenience of the devotees at the fair.
The shrine of Mata Ragnya Devi in Tulmulla is the holiest shrine for Kashmiri Pandit community and a symbol of J&K’s centuries-old brotherhood among different communities of Kashmir.
According to reports, hundreds of devotees gathered at Tullamulla village and flocked the sacred temple to pay obeisance before the deity. Among the officials who visited the shrine were Advisor to Lieutenant Governor, R.R Bhatnagar, Chief Secretary, Arun Kumar Mehta, Additional Chief Secretary Agriculture Production Department, Atal Dulloo, Deputy Commissioner Ganderbal, Shyambir.
The devotees participated in the annual Kheer Bhawani mela and also paid obeisance at Mata Kheer Bhawani temple. Political leaders including Dr Nirmal Singh ,G A Mir, MY Tarigami, Darakshan Andrabi and SMC Mayor Junaid Matoo also attended the mela.
A Kashmiri Pandit said the shrine had opened after a gap of two years and they have come to seek peace and prosperity in Jammu and Kashmir. “We pray for the entire humanity and we urge others to visit the temple,” he said.
Another Pandit, who is a regular at the annual festival, said that the number of devotees was less this year as compared with previous years, “Perhaps it is because of the situation. One can only hope and pray that peace returns to Kashmir soon,” he said, wishing to remain anonymous.
Some tourists were also seen paying obeisance at the temple. A group of tourists from Gujarat said that they were visiting the temple for the first time.
“It is a great feeling to be here. There is solace and we feel enchanted over seeing Muslims and Pandits celebrating the mela together. It reflects the true essence of Kashmir,” Rajinder Shah, a resident of Ahmedabad, said.
A group of Kashmiri Pandits were seen engrossed in performing the rituals of the festival at the temple while some Muslims were seen greeting the pilgrims and making arrangements.
“A sign of communal harmony is always revisited at this temple during the historical festival which provides an opportunity to local Muslims who wait eagerly to re-unite with the Pandit community who migrated from Kashmir in the early 1990s. Muslims were seen greeting Pandits by showering flower petals,” a news gathered reported.
A special feature of the shrine is a spring which has historic significance because its water changes colour on the festival day, a sign of the events that follow till the next year. The shrine is under the custody of a local Dharmarth Trust.