Pandit devotees throng Kheer Bhawani mela in Kashmir

Hundreds of Kashmiri Pandit devotees on Monday thronged the famous temple of Ragnya Devi in Tullamulla village of central Kashmir district of Ganderbal on the occasion of annual Kheer Bhawani Mela.

Nestled in the shade of mammoth Chinars, the temple received hordes of devotees with local Muslims welcoming them. The revered temple is thronged by devotees, mostly Kashmiri Pandits, every year for paying obeisance.

Kashmiri Pandits, including women and children, converged at the temple from various far-off places including Delhi and Jammu to offer special prayers on the occasion of annual Holy day ‘Zyeshth Ashtami.’

Around 55000 Pandit families left their ancestral homes in 1990 and migrated to Jammu and other parts of the country when a bloody insurgency broke out in Kashmir in 1989.

Reports said amid the thick smoke of incense sticks and diyas (earthen lamps) flowing with the breeze, a group of Kashmiri Pandit women were busy singing traditional religious hymns to mark the annual festival.

Muslims, in a sign of brotherhood, had erected many stalls distributing refreshments and soft drinks among the pilgrims. The devotees believe the colour of the spring water flowing under the temple hints at the situation in Kashmir.

While most of the colours do not have any particular significance, the black or darkish colour of the water is believed to be an indication of inauspicious times for Kashmir.

Some people claim to have observed a murky tinge to the water just before the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and the eruption of militancy in 1989 in the Valley.

Deputy Commissioner Ganderbal, Hashmat Ali Khan said the district administration has made elaborated arrangements for the annual Mela. “All the arrangements of accommodation, transport, security and sanitation have been made,” he said.

Reports said festivity was in the air in Tullamulla and its adjoining villages with people in hundreds welcoming their Pandit brethren. The festival at the Khirbhawani temple is held every year after night long prayers by the devotees invoking the blessings of Hindu goddess Ragnya, the patron deity of the local Pandits.

The Temple is said to be constructed by Maharaja Pratap Singh in 1912. The Temple complex is an archaeologically important site and past excavations near the temple site have unearthed ancient stone statues, believed to be of the Hindu Period.

The eighth day of the full moon in May holds great significance for the devotees of Ragnya Devi. They fast on this particular day and gather at the temple in huge numbers.