National Conference leader Dr Sameer Kaul on Friday participated in the annual Mela Kheer Bhawani here and hoped that the occasion further strengthens the bonds between Kashmiri Pandits and Muslims.
As part of National Conference delegation that visited the historic Kheer Bhawani temple in Tulmulla, Ganderbal, Dr Kaul interacted with devotees and expressed hope that Kashmiri Pandits won’t “give up” the decades-old bonding with the festival.
“It is a day of hope and I sincerely feel that Kashmiri Pandit community doesn’t cut whatever thread is left in the cord. I hope the community strengthens the connect with this festival since it is an age-old sign of ‘Kashmiriyat’. Rather than allowing the few threads to snap, Pandit community should strengthen the attachment,” said Kaul.
Pertinently, the number of Kashmiri Pandits visiting the shrine for the festival this year has considerably dropped.
Sending devotees like Dr Kaul down the memory lane, the ‘langars’, ‘hawan kund’ (the place of performing hawans) and devotees bathing in nallah at Kheer Bhawani is a testimony to composite culture which Kashmir is known for.
“As per vision and the colours of the holy spring at the temple, I found it crystal green this time and perhaps a good omen for times to come for Kashmiris irrespective of their religion,” Kaul said.
As he paid obeisance at the Kheer Bhawani shrine, Kaul said the disappointment on faces of Kashmiri Muslims due to dip in number of Pandits visiting the temple was quite evident. “Mela Kheer Bhawani is a unique partnership and an occasion for integration where Kashmiri Muslims facilitate and Kashmiri Pandits participate. I wonder why the ‘mela’ is not being projected as a symbol of hope. Situation in Kashmir has to become normal first for local Kashmiri Muslims so that Pandits can return back,” he said.
Gogi Bhat, a devotee from Hawal, Shopian said although she was disappointed at the lukewarm response from Kashmiri Pandit community to the festival this year, she expressed optimism on return of Kashmiri Pandits to the Valley.
Local Muslims at the shrine, like previous years, have been enthusiastic about the festival.
Ghulam Hassan, a resident of Tulmulla recounted how elders used to narrate stories of how the shrine came into being. “They used to tell us that Pandits had a strong belief that a drop of tear from Mata Bhawani turned into a holy spring. We have also heard about Mata’s existence at this shrine. For last several years thousands of Kashmiri Pandits used to visit the shrine but this year the number of Pandits has unfortunately taken a nosedive,” Hassan said.