Jammu, June 20 (IANS) More than 9,000 pilgrims, mostly Kashmiri Pandits, left Jammu city for the annual Mata Kheer Bhawani Mela in Kashmir’s Ganderbal district on Saturday amid elaborate security arrangements.

Officials said MLA Devyani Rana, DIG Shridhar Patil, and other senior officials flagged off the pilgrimage in the city. The pilgrims are taken to the Kashmir Valley in around 200 Jammu and Kashmir Road Transport Corporation buses under tight security cover.

With participation significantly higher this year, the authorities are expecting a large turnout at the Kheer Bhawani Mela, one of the most revered religious events of the Kashmiri Pandit community.

The annual festival is held every year on Jyeshtha Ashtami at the Mata Ragnya Devi Temple in Tulmul village of Ganderbal district. The shrine, dedicated to Mata Ragnya Devi, is located amid a sacred spring and is considered one of the holiest places of worship for Kashmiri Pandits.

The festival, which is celebrated as the birthday of the goddess, draws devotees from across the country and abroad as well. Pilgrims offer kheer (rice pudding) and milk to the deity. A popular belief associated with the shrine is that the water of the sacred spring changes colour, reflecting the goddess’s blessings or displeasure.

Observed every year on the Ashtami of the Shukla Paksha in the month of Jyeshtha, the mela is also regarded as a symbol of Hindu-Muslim brotherhood, communal harmony, and peace. Local Kashmiri Muslims traditionally welcome the devotees and help arrange milk, flowers, and other items required for the rituals.

Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah have already visited the shrine to review arrangements and ensure all necessary facilities for the pilgrims.

For the Kashmiri Pandit community, the annual mela remains more than a religious gathering. It serves as an occasion to reconnect with their history, culture, traditions, and roots in Kashmir, from where many were displaced during the militancy-driven exodus of the early 1990s.

–IANS

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