Kashmiri Pandits Celebrate Annual Kheer Bhawani Mela; PDP Chief Mehbooba Joins In

Hundreds of Kashmiri Pandits on Sunday paid their obeisance at the famous Ragnya Devi temple in Ganderbal district and celebrated the annual Kheer Bhawani mela.

Nestled in the shade of mammoth Chinar trees in the central Kashmir district, the temple witnessed massive crowds of devotees, most of them Kashmiri Pandits, who made the journey from across the country.

The devotees, walking barefoot, carried rose petals and offered tribute to the goddess as men took a dip in the stream close to the shrine.

As the devotees jostled with each other to move closer to the main temple complex, the chants of hymns echoed through the temple compound and paid obeisance to the deity while offering milk and kheer (rice pudding) at the sacred spring within the complex.

The mela, a symbol of communal harmony, passed off peacefully as the administration had made elaborate arrangements, including security related, for the devotees.

Gudi Zutshi, a devotee from Jammu, said their ‘pooja’ is incomplete without visiting the temple shrine on the occasion of the annual mela held on the birthday of the deity.

“She is our deity. It is an important day for us and without her, our pooja is incomplete, so we have to come here to celebrate her birthday. The deity has taken the form of water here. The colour of the stream keeps on changing when something happens,” she said.

It is believed that the colour of the sacred spring water which flows below the temple indicates the situation in the Valley.

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. However, the water in the spring was clean and milky white this year.

Zutshi said last year when she was here, she had witnessed that the colour of the stream water was red, apparently referring to the several attacks on the minority community in the Valley.

“Its colour turned black when there was Corona. The same happened when the Kargil war happened,’ she added.

However, she said, this year, the colour of the water was very good. It means there will be prosperity in Kashmir, Jammu and Delhi. “We want prosperity everywhere. Today, the situation is good in Kashmir. The arrangements are good for the mela.” Zutshi said as the situation had proved in the Valley, they prayed for the return of the community members who had left Kashmir in the early 1990s.

“We want to return to Kashmir. We miss the place. Though we come almost every year, we want to return to our homeland permanently. We have prayed for the happiness and prosperity of everyone and the return of Kashmiri Pandits to Kashmir,” she said.

Another devotee, Dileep, said there was about 80-85 per cent improvement in the situation from the 1990s in Kashmir.

“We also want to return to our homeland. We pray whenever we come here and today as well we prayed for our return,” he said.

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti, who also paid obeisance at the temple, said that she prayed for the dignified return of the Kashmiri Pandits to the Valley.

“I came here to welcome our Kashmiri Pandit brothers who have come from Jammu and other places. We are here to pray for the dignified return of these people to their homes so that once again Hindu-Muslim-Kashmiri Pandits live together in Kashmir with brotherhood,” she told reporters.

Asked if the community was wary of targeted killings that took place last year, Dileep said that such incidents happen, we cannot say anything on that. “But the situation is good now”.

“We want that brotherhood back. Our Muslim brothers also want that,” he added.

Apart from the religious significance, the annual festival is important for the Kashmiri Pandit community as they get a chance to visit their homeland and meet with their friends.