Shrine of Khir Bhawani

Sanjeev Bhat
Khir Bhawani is the shrine set in scintillating beauty of Chinar trees, which encircle the shrine place making the surrounding pleasant. It is situated about 24 kms from Srinagar city towards its north-east direction in Tulmulla village of Ganderbal, District.
This is perhaps the only Mystical Spring in the world where the color of spring keeps on miraculously changing which is ascribed as the manifestation of the Goddess, serving as an advance signal about what is going to happen in the near future. The light green, milky, pink colours of the spring are suggestive of the auspicious omen while as the black is indicative of some inauspicious future happening. In Kashmir these changes are taken for granted as Devi Kher Bhawani’s indications of the future course of events.
The truth about the Mystic Spring is woven with legend and a symbol coinciding with the Ramayan times. The legend goes like this : Shri Ragyna” was put in ‘Sani-wari” (a small earthen pot) by ” Ravana”. After “Ravana” got killed as a consequence of his ‘Dush Karmas, Mahavira Hanuman’, under the instructions of Mata Ragyna, brought the Devi on his shoulders in the same ‘Sani-wari to ‘Satisar-Desha’ i.e. Kashmir- to make the Tulmulla’s Main Jal Kund her abode. Even those places became ‘Vaishnave pithas’ where even some water drops from the ‘Sani-wari’ had fallen during this expedition.
The abode of the ‘Maha Ragyna’ is this mystic spring. This temple is a divine invitation to all the devotees to see how the Para-Prakriti functions. On the entrance gate of the main temple is “Shree Chakra” which is the indicator of the ‘Shakti” of Devi Bhagwati. This Khir Bhawani Mystic Jal Kund is situated in the centre of many islands. Around it flows small streams named “Gang-Khi” the water to which comes from the main Sindu river. It is said that water to “Gang-Khi” seeps in through Amarnath and Gangibal. All the islands are covered by small trees.
It was Bringesh Samhita’ which was the source of all the information related to the Dhams / Holy places of the Kashmir. In one such Samhita titled “Ragyna Pradurbava” -the description of the sacredness of the shrine of ‘Khir Bhawani’ Tulamulla, Kashmir is given.
As per one legend the learned Brahman of Bohri Kadal, Srinagar Govind Ji Gadoo Upon reading a ‘Dharam Grantha’ set out for locating the sacred place. As per another legend a devout Brahmin Krishna Taploo envisioned the Goddess who came in his dream and manifested herself as a serpent and directed him to move in the north- east direction. He then set-out on the yatra by following a serpent, finally reaching the sacred spot to which the serpant had led him to. When the serpent demarcated the Holy Kund, Panditji marked the place where the Serpent had stopped, stood- up and finally immersed. That is how this sacred “Jal Kund’ became known to the masses who would thereafter come to this place in large numbers.
Earlier a mulberry tree which had grown in the main Jai Kund was the place considered as the Vas Sathal” of Devi Bhawani and the prayers were offered there. Later Dogra Rulers beautified the main “Jai Kund”. The existing temple was built by Maharaja Pratap Singh in 1896 A.D. Under the supervision of Pandit Vedh Lal Dhar this small marble shrine was constructed in the shape of an island in the middle of the sacred spring, furnished with metal railing and its surroundings paved with Baramulla Stones. One Shah Radha Krishen constructed the retaining wall for the ‘Amrit Kund’. Currently the Shrine is being looked after by the Dharrnarth Trust.
The design of the main “Jai Kund, having seven corners, is somewhat irregular and has allegorical meaning. The temple in which the Goddess resides is the Centre (Bhindu) the spiritual fountain of power. The surrounding water of the island is the ocean of infinite life energy full of dormant potentialities, which spread, unfold, expand and transform into tangible reality – and the Goddess under the Canopy is the Precious Stone that grants all desires.
Before entering the Shrine premises the devotees take a Holy dip in the Gang-Khi. Devotees do “Parikrama” of the Holy Jai Kund. They gather in front of the Holy kund along with the “Pooja Samigri” for prayers as per the conventions and immerse in the Holy Jai Kund water, milk, sugar, almonds, mishri, kishmish, flower petals and lotus flowers as their “Shradha-Suman”. As these flower petals gather along with the other “Pooja-Samigri” on the surface of the Kund it looks like a “Divya Darshan” and this floating splendor looks like a “Devi-Prasad”. Devotees do “Samohik Arti” by lighting the earthen ghee lamps and by singing in the praise of the Divine Mother and seek to get merged themselves in “Adi-Shakti-Saroopas Divinity.
It is during the “Zaisth Ashthami” that a Mela gets underway every year when thousands of devotees from far-off places come here in large numbers for offering prayers and having the Divine Darshan of Devi Khir Bhawani. Because of the unfortunate exodus of the Kashmiri Pan-dits the number of Yatris declined in the subsequent years. However due to the changing circumstances the number of pilgrims coming the Holy Shrine has appreciably increased in the past few years.

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