Kashmiri Pandits give Kheer Bhawani Mela in Kashmir's Ganderbal district a miss

Tribune News Service

Samaan Lateef

Srinagar, June 8

Amid a spate of civilian killings in Kashmir, the majority of Kashmiri Pandits gave a miss to the annual festival at Kheer Bhawani, a revered temple of Mata Maha Ragnya in Kashmir’s Ganderbal district.

The number of Pandit pilgrims was on the lower side on Wednesday but the spirits of the devotees who took part in the mela were high. “Unlike past, very few people have come today to pray here because of the increasing violence in Kashmir,” said Guddy Zutshi, 59, a Kashmiri Pandit.

The Kheer Bhawani Mela, which is taking place after two years due to the Covid restrictions, usually sees thousands of devotees every year. However, due to a string of attacks on civilians, very few devotees reached Tulmulla to celebrate ‘Zyestha Ashtami’ after Kashmiri Pandit employees and Mata Kheer Bhawani Asthapan Trust had appealed to all devotees, Kashmiri Pandits in particular, to cancel the annual mela in view of the recent targeted killings.

“The mela began on a subdued note this year. You would have seen a huge rush here because it was happening after two years. Unfortunately, the violence forced the people to cancel their tickets,” said Zutshi.

“We want to return to Kashmir and live with the Muslim community here. Unless security situation returns to normal, I don’t think that will happen. We want to live and die in our homeland,” she said.

Hundreds throng Jammu temple

Jammu: Hundreds of Kashmiri Pandits visited the Kheer Bhawani temple in Jammu’s Janipur, which is the replica of the main temple in Ganderbal of Kashmir. Due to the situation in Kashmir where many targeted killings have taken place, many Pandits preferred visiting the Jammu temple only. Sham Kaul, a government employee, said Kashmiri Pandit youth were fleeing the Valley. “There’s a sense of fear among community members. They do not want to risk their lives and go to the Valley for Mela Kheer Bhawani,” he said.

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