Over 9,000 Kashmiri Pandits leave Jammu for Mata Kheer Bhawani Mela in Kashmir
Jammu, June 20
More than 9,000 pilgrims, mostly Kashmiri Pandits, left Jammu city for the annual Mata Kheer Bhawani Mela in Kashmir's Ganderbal district on Saturday amid elaborate security arrangements.
Officials said MLA Devyani Rana, DIG Shridhar Patil, and other senior officials flagged off the pilgrimage in the city. The pilgrims are taken to the Kashmir Valley in around 200 Jammu and Kashmir Road Transport Corporation buses under tight security cover.
With participation significantly higher this year, the authorities are expecting a large turnout at the Kheer Bhawani Mela, one of the most revered religious events of the Kashmiri Pandit community.
The annual festival is held every year on Jyeshtha Ashtami at the Mata Ragnya Devi Temple in Tulmul village of Ganderbal district. The shrine, dedicated to Mata Ragnya Devi, is located amid a sacred spring and is considered one of the holiest places of worship for Kashmiri Pandits.
The festival, which is celebrated as the birthday of the goddess, draws devotees from across the country and abroad as well. Pilgrims offer kheer (rice pudding) and milk to the deity. A popular belief associated with the shrine is that the water of the sacred spring changes colour, reflecting the goddess's blessings or displeasure.
Observed every year on the Ashtami of the Shukla Paksha in the month of Jyeshtha, the mela is also regarded as a symbol of Hindu-Muslim brotherhood, communal harmony, and peace. Local Kashmiri Muslims traditionally welcome the devotees and help arrange milk, flowers, and other items required for the rituals.
Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah have already visited the shrine to review arrangements and ensure all necessary facilities for the pilgrims.
For the Kashmiri Pandit community, the annual mela remains more than a religious gathering. It serves as an occasion to reconnect with their history, culture, traditions, and roots in Kashmir, from where many were displaced during the militancy-driven exodus of the early 1990s.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Respect to the security forces for ensuring safe passage, but let's not forget the painful exodus of the 1990s. For us, this mela is a bittersweet reminder of lost homes and fractured community ties. While I'm glad the participation is growing, I hope one day we can return to Kashmir permanently, not just as pilgrims. 😔
A big shoutout to the local Muslim community for welcoming the pilgrims and helping with offerings. This is the real Kashmir—where Hindus and Muslims have lived together for centuries. The colour-changing spring at the temple is a mystery even scientists can't fully explain. Truly divine! 🌊✨
I'm from the US and finding this fascinating. It's incredible how a community maintains its faith and traditions even after decades of displacement. The support from the local Muslim community is a powerful example of interfaith harmony that the world could learn from. Safe travels to all pilgrims!
I appreciate the sentiment, but we need to ask hard questions: Why do 9,000 pilgrims need 200 buses and tight security just to visit a temple in their own homeland? The trauma of displacement is still raw. The government should focus on creating conditions for permanent return, not just annual pilgrimages. This is a band-aid on a deep wound. 😐
Mata Ragnya Devi ki jai! 🙌 Growing up in Delhi, I've heard my grandparents talk about the mela with such nostalgia. The kheer offering, the sacred spring changing colours—it's not just mythology but a living tradition
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