GANDERBAL: The Mela Kheer Bhawani, the most important festival of Kashmiri Pandits, was celebrated on Friday on the occasion of Zyestha Ashtami with over 2000 devotees offering pooja amid COVID protocol in the central Kashmir district of Ganderbal.
Thousands of devotees from different parts of the country participate in three-day pooja every year though in 2020 the mela was cancelled while the Aarti was telecast online in view of outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic.
Lt Governor Manoj Sinha, former chief ministers Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti besides scores of other leaders have greeted people, particularly Kashmiri pundits, on the occasion.
Government used to make special arrangements to bring pundits, including women and children, in buses and other mode of transport from Jammu to Tulmula in Ganderbal. However, this time no such arrangement was made. The festival also used to give an opportunity for divided pundits and their Mulsim brethren to meet each other.
Officials said this time due to Covid-19, less number of devotees, including women and children, have come to participate in the Mela Kheerbawani amid COVID-19 scare. ?About 1800 non-migrant Kashmiri Pandits and around 200 from outside Kashmir have come to participate in the mela this year, they said.
They said the rituals and Aarti of the deity would be conducted as per tradition by priests in the Kheerbhawani Temple on Friday. Last year, the Aarti was telecast on social media as on one was allowed to take part in the mela, they said.
A Kashmir Pandit, Sham Lal Tikku, said he and his family have come to take part in the mela despite COVID-19 as they are sure that the Goddess would protect them.
We have been coming here every year from last six years it is a very important part of our lives. Last year we couldn’t come because the mela was cancelled and the Aarti was shown online.
But, physically coming to this place and offering poora given ultimate peace which can’t be achieve through online darshan, he said.
He said this year the number of devotees is very small as compared to previous years when there was no COVID-19 scare.
We offered special players this year so that we as human being come out of this pandemic, he added.
It is said that a holy spring in Kheer Bhawani Temple at Tullamula changes its colours from time to time.
It takes on various hues like red, pink, orange, green and blue, besides light green, red rosy and milky white shades. Any shade of black colour is considered to be inauspicious for the inhabitants of the valley, Kashmir pandit priests, looking after the shrine, told UNI.
Thousands of devotees from different parts of the country and within the state visit the shrine on the occasion every year. The number of devotees, which declined after the migration of the Pandit community from here in early 90s due to eruption of militancy, later witnessed manifold increase during the past about a decade.
Many times, rising of bubbles have been observed, which form the mystic Chakra on the surface of the water. Such a sacred and mysterious spring is found nowhere else in India.
The spring, dedicated to Goddess Kheer Bhawani, has an irregular septagonal shape with its apex called Pad (feet) to the East. The northern and the southern sides are longer than the western side which is called Shir (Head).
In the centre of the holy spring where once stood a mulberry tree, there is one marble temple which enshrines some idols found at the time of cleansing the spring.
There are many interesting stories related to this festival. One of them is that when Ravana was killed at the hands of Rama, Goddess Bhawani ordered Hanuman to carry her to Satisar-Kashmir along with 360 Nagas.
Hanuman selected the site and installed the Goddess in the Northern part of the valley. She came to be known as Kheer Bhawani or Ragyna Bhagwati as her favourite offerings consisted of rice cooked in milk and sugar, and all other vegetarian forms of diet.
There is also an interesting story about how this spring came to light among the people. It is said one Brahmin named Krishna Pandit of old city Habba Kadal had a vision wherein he was informed by a Deva to offer Puja to Kheer Bhawani in the swamps of Tullamulla.
The pandit was guided by a snake through the swampy and marshy land, until he reached the hollow trunk of a mulberry tree. The pandit took the clue and after performing Puja poured milk which he had brought for this purpose. It is thus that the holy spring was discovered and was known to Kashmirs.
It is believed that the discovery of the holy spring has been made on Ashadha Saptami, the seventh day of the bright fortnight of the month of June-July.
Kashmiri Hindus come here every Ashtami – eighth day of the bright fortnight of each lunar month and majority of Kashmiri Hindus consider Kheer Bhawani as their guardian Goddess.
The annual festival is held on Jesht Ashtami (May-June) when Kashmiri pandits visit the place in large number to offer prayers to seek the blessings of the deity.
Devotees also throng on every Shukla Paksh Ashtami round the year and perform ‘hawans’ to please the goddess. The historic Temple of Kheer Bhawani was built by Maharaja Pratap Singh in 1912 and later renovated by Maharaja Hari Singh. The deity of Goddess Ragyna is decorated in a small white Marble Temple. (AGENCY)
Follow our WhatsApp channel
