TULMULLA, Kashmir : Emotional scenes were witnessed today when Kashmiri pandits, who migrated in 90’s to different parts of the country, attended the night-long puja at Hindu Goddess, Ragnya Devi temple at Khirbhawani in central Kashmir district of Ganderbal. Chairman of administrative committee Ram Krishan Maha Samalan Ashram (RKMSA) B L Bhat told that about 30,000 devotees were expected to take part in the Mela which will conclude on May 28.
However, he said, for the first time after 90’s, migrant pandits are visiting their respective areas and organising “Hawan” on the occasion, including Kupwara, Anantnag, Kulgam and Badgam districts.
Thousands of Kashmiri Pandits, including those visiting for the first time after their migration, attended the annual festival of Khirbhawani, providing the much-needed opportunity to them to visit their roots. “This in fact has provided us an opportunity to meet our Muslim brethern though we remained in touch during all these years on phone,” the Kashmiri pandits said.
However, they said that they did not see any change in the relations between different communities though, people with vested interest from both communities, had made attempts to create a wedge, said a group of Pandits who had come from Jammu felt.
Similar views were expressed Muslims, who had come all the way from a different parts of the valley to meet their neighbours, separated in 90’s.
”Nothing has changed except that we are living in Jammu and our muslim neighbours in Kashmir,” the migrant pandits said.
A large number of Muslims had come from different parts of the Valley to meet their Pandit brethern, who had come from Jammu, Delhi, Chandigrah, Himachal Pradesh and other parts of the country.
Kashmiri pandits, who had come for the first time after their migration from here, could not control their emotions when they talked about their past in Kashmir.
”We were born here, played with our Muslim friends, completed our education, but had to migrate to places, which are still unknown for us despite spending more than two decades there,” they said.
Those who were born after 90s, said Kashmir is very beautiful and we want to live here. However, others said that they were now settled outside, where there were vast opportunities for employment and education. But majority of them could not speak in Kashmiri.
Elders, who had spent their entire life in Kashmir, wanted to return to their roots before the end. The devotees, who participated in the night-long puja, prayed for early peace in the state so that they could return to the valley once again.
The prayers were going on for the past few days in the temple, where adequate security measures had been made for the peaceful pilgrimage. However, devotees said they did not feel any insecurity.
The annual festival is held here on Jesht Ashtami (May-June) when Kashmiri Pandits offer prayers to seek the blessings of the diety.
The pandits said that before their migration from Kashmir, they used to visit the temple on every Shukla Paksh Ashtami round the year and perform ‘hawan’ to please the Mother.
The historic temple of Khirbhawani was built by Maharaja Pratap Singh in 1912 and later renovated by Maharaja Hari Singh.
Different government departments besides a number of private organisations had set up stall for the devotees. The authorities have made all arrangments for the mela at Khir Bhawani temple at Tulmulla in the central Kashmir district of Badgam, where it is said that a holy spring changes its colours from time to time.
The number of devotees, which declined after the migration of the Pandit community from here in early 90s witnessed several-fold increase during the past few years.
However, this has provided an opportunity to Pandits to reunite with their Muslim brethern.
Mr Bhat a retired bureaucrat said under the RKSA, the Nagdandi Ashram Achabal had set up langar for the devotees. We started the langar from May 23 and it will continue till May 28. We are expecting more than 30000 devotees this time, he said adding last year the number of somewhere between 20000 to 25000. However, during 1990 to 1994 only few hundred devotees were visiting the temple.
This, he said, is a sign of confidence building among the two communities who always believed in Kashmiriyat. Mr Bhat said he was happy to see youths from both sides, including those who were born after 90s, meeting, talking and sharing their experience with each other.
Infact, youths employees under Prime Ministers employment schemes have started renovating their houses and started living in their villages, their parents had left in 90s, he said adding this will further help to rebuilt confidence among the members of both the communities.
He said these youths were living in protected places and they were feeling suffocated there.
In his message to both the communities, Mr Bhat said let us leave behind what has happened in the past and start afresh in the valley of Sufis and Saints. (AGENCIES)
Follow our WhatsApp channel