Rumours, violence restrain KPs from visiting Kashmir’s Tullamulla temple
SRINAGAR The annual Kheer Bhawani fair in the temple of goddess Rajnya Devi in Tullamulla town of Ganderbal district in Jammu and Kashmir, 27 kilometers from Srinagar, was an unusual affair this year. While thousands visited the temple last year, attendance was thin on Friday. Those who visited the temple said rumourmongering was responsible for creating panic among the Kashmiri Pandit community.
“There are black sheep in all communities. Some people wanted Kashmiri Pandits to boycott the festival for political reasons. But, those who wanted to pay obeisance, visited the temple,’’ said Kiran Wattal, ex-municipal commissioner of Jammu.
On Friday, chief minister Mehbooba Mufti also offered milk to the deity at the temple. This was her second visit to the temple after she became the first head of the Muslim-majority J&K, in a long time, to perform puja at the temple last year. The chief minister called the temple a symbol of Hindu -Muslim unity and wished that Kashmir Pandits are able to “return home soon”.
Meanwhile, devotees at the shrine said the social media also played a role in discouraging people this year. A Kashmiri Pandit, who did not want to be named, said messages on social media were showing pictures wherein the kund (water tank) around the idol had turned red and black, suggesting “inauspicious times” for the region.
“There is a belief that the changing of the kund’s water colour signals calamities. Even before the 2014 flood the water changed its colour to black,’’ said Rajendra Singh, sewadar of the temple. He claimed that the water turned red during the Kargil war.
He added that the rumours about the water changing its colour ahead of the festival is a handiwork of miscreants. “Look at the water, it is crystal clear,’’ he said.
Devotees also blamed the media for the situation. “News channels never say that the protests in the Valley are localised in nature. Seeing them it appears that the entire Kashmir is pelting stone,’’ said Anil Chaudhary, another Kashmiri pandit.
The one-day festival has been an integral part of the Kashmiri Pandits in the Valley for centuries. Even post militancy and migration, Kashmiri Pandits from all over the country visit the state on this important festival that is dear to the community.
While Kashmiri Muslims make arrangements for the fair, the Hindus hold night-long prayers at the temple. Muslims sell not only ‘chunris’ (long scarf) and incense sticks for the puja but also home-made ‘prasad’ (food offered to the deity).
During the festival, devotees offer milk and kheer to the sacred spring which is surrounded by Chinar trees. They also shower rose petals and light earthen lamps in the temple.
“Despite what happened last year, Kashmiri Muslims here are helping the pilgrims as usual,’’ Chaudhary added.