Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti on Sunday visited the famous Raganya Devi temple in Ganderbal district and celebrated the annual Kheer Bhawani fair with devotees, including Kashmiri Pandits.
Mufti, who paid obeisance at the shrine, said she prayed for the dignified return of Kashmiri Pandits to the Valley.
Located in the shade of towering Chinar trees in the central Kashmir district, the temple witnessed a huge influx of devotees, most of whom were Kashmiri Pandits, who traveled from across the country.
Devotees walked barefoot, carrying rose petals and paying homage to the goddess, while men took a dip in the stream close to the temple.
As devotees jostle with each other to get closer to the main temple complex, the temple complex echoes with hymns and offerings of milk and kheer (rice pudding) to the deity at the holy spring inside the premises Did.
Symbol of communal harmony, the fair passed off peacefully as the administration made elaborate arrangements including security for the devotees.
Mufti says she wants Pandits to return to the Valley
“I have come here to welcome my Kashmiri Pandit brothers who have come from Jammu and other places. “We are here to pray for the dignified return of these people to their homes so that Hindu-Muslim-Kashmiri Pandits can once again live together in brotherhood in Kashmir,” Mufti told reporters.
Additional Director General of Police, Kashmir, Vijay Kumar also paid obeisance at the temple. He said, ‘Ganderbal police has made very good security arrangements. Srinagar Police also deployed ROP (Road Opening Party). There is tight security here and the local people have also supported the police. I wish them all the best.”
Meanwhile, thousands of migrant Kashmiri Pandits in Jammu offered prayers to Raganya Devi on the occasion of ‘Jaisht Ashtami’ at Kheer Bhawani Peeth in Janipur area on Sunday.
The ‘Peeth’ was constructed as a replica of the original temple at Tulmulla following the large-scale migration of the community from the valley in the early 1990s. “We missed the trip to Tulmulla this time and decided to offer our prayers here… We are witnessing the same atmosphere as at the Kheer Bhawani temple in Kashmir during the annual fair,” said Ratika, a devotee visiting the Jammu temple .
The management of the temple, the Ardh Ratri Maha Reghneya Seva Sanstha Trust, had set up several stalls for the convenience of the devotees, who came to the attractively decorated temple to offer their traditional way of worship. A member of the trust said that the institution had made adequate arrangements for the smooth conduct of the festival in the peeth with the help of local authorities.
(With inputs from PTI)
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