17,465 pilgrims visit Mata Kheer Bhawani temple on Jyeshtha Ashtami

This year’s number is higher by 1450 than 2019

Srinagar, June 10 :  In comparison to 2019 about 1450 more devotees visited Mat Kheer Bhawani temple this year, suggesting that despite the recent spate of civilian killings, a good number of Kashmiri Pandits did not deter from having the Darshan of Mata, revered in high esteem by the Community.

An official told news agency Kashmir Dot Com that 16,031 pilgrims visited Mata Kheer Bhawani temple on Jayeshtha Ashtami, while this number rose to 17,465 on the occasion.

In 2017 an overwhelming number of 18,420 visited the Mela, however in 2018 this number declined to 17,542.

With the advent of global pandemic Covid-19 in 2020, the Mela was cancelled for two years. Now that the situation viz a viz the pandemic has improved, the devotees have again turned up on occasion of Jyeshtha Ashtami this year to pay their obeisance.

Kheer Bhawani Mela is organized at Mata Kheer Bhawani Temple in Tulmulla area of central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district every year coinciding with Jyeshtha with devotees from different parts of J&K visiting the holy shrine.

Tullamulla shrine in addition to being the holiest shrine of the local Kashmiri Pandit community is also the symbol of centuries-old culture and brotherhood among different communities of Kashmir.

Mostly, Kashmiri Pandits were seen performing the rituals of the festival at the temple besides that Muslims were seen greeting pandits and making arrangements. (KDC)