Jammu and Kashmir: Kashmiri Pandits throng Khee Bhawani temple in Ganderbal

The temple is about 27 km from Srinagar.

Kashmiri Pandits, including women and children, converged at the temple and offered special prayers on the occasion of the annual ‘Zyeshth Ashtami.’

The devotees at the temple prayed for peace, prosperity and brotherhood.

“ I have been coming here regularly and this year the footfall is impressive,” said a devotee at the shrine. “The famous spring at the Tullamulla shrine is known for its ‘changing colours’ that ‘foretell’ the coming months of the state. So I prayed for peace and brotherhood in J&K and country.”

At the temple premises, emotional scenes were visible as some Muslim youngsters were seen helping the visitors. Some Muslims also lined up outside the temple.

Pilgrims said that peace was prevailing in Kashmir and it has helped that more devotees visit the shrine today.

" This year the colour of the the water in the spring was clean which means there will be prosperity in the country including J&K," said another devotee.

Besides non-migrant Kashmiri Pandits, the migrants from outside the Valley thronged the shrine in large numbers during the fair.

The over 100-year-old spring temple, built by Hindu monarch Pratap Singh, has over the years been a magnet for the Pandit community. Despite the migration of Pandits, there has been no let-up in the rush of devotees at Mela Kheer Bhawani.

Meanwhile, the former Chief Minister of erstwhile state Jammu Mehbooba Mufti on Sunday paid obeisance at the temple.

"It is our collective duty to safeguard the special bond that Kashmiris enjoy with each other irrespective of our religions. We used to live side by side as one people and we should never forget our past. The traditional harmony between Kashmiri Pandits and Muslims can only be maintained by respecting each other and our shared past," Mufti said to those present at the mela.

The Peoples Democratic Party President along with Kashmiri Pandits has been visiting the holy shrine almost every year to observe the mela. The occasion highlights the special bond between Kashmiri Muslims and Pandits.

(With UNI inputs)