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| Kheer Bhawani festival unites Hindus and Muslim in Kashmir | | | Tumula, (Srinagar) : Located 18 miles north of capital Srinagar, the Kheer Bhawani shrine at Tulmula, attracts thousands of people from all over the country.
The temple is dedicated to the Goddess Rajnya Devi, popularly known as Kheer Bhawani. The name 'Kheer Bhawani' is derived from the fact that thousands of devotees offer milk and "Kheer" or pudding to the sacred spring, as they believe the pudding turns black to warn of impending disaster.
Be it Hindus or Muslims, devotees from all across India throng the temple during the Kheer Bhawani festival.
"Devotees from all walks, places and faiths come here to make offerings and we get to meet everyone. I appeal to everyone who comprise our Kashmiri Pandit brothers too, without whom we are incomplete. That if peace is to be restored in Kashmir, then everybody should come back home.The Kashmiri Pandits, even if they revolt against us. They have all the right to do so and also to place their thoughts before everyone," said Shabir Shah, a Muslim devotee.
Among the thousands of devotees are many Hindu Kashmiri Pandits who migrated from the state when terrorism was at its peak in the valley. Many of them have now settled in other states. However, for many of them, the annual pilgrimage to this temple is a sort of homecoming, a return to their roots.
It is at this temple that the age-old tradition of communal harmony comes to the forefront as the local Muslims set up stalls for the convenience of Kashmiri Pandits who visit the shrine. Around 250,000 devotees, mostly migrant Hindus, participate in a 'Maha Yagna', a traditional offering, at the shrine.
"The Kheer-Bhawani festival is celebrated each year here. We are delighted to welcome our Hindu Kashmiri Pandit brethren who have travelled from Delhi, Jammu and elsewhere for this festival. We erect these stalls and are so glad when the Pandits come and buy from us, have a chat with us and that is when it touches a chord in our heart of the old days when they lived amongst us. We are so saddened when they go away after the fair. We really wish they can return and wish that the government sends them back home," says Ghulam Nabi, a Muslim caterer.
The enthusiasm of Muslim residents of Tulmula is a perfect example of Hindu Muslim brotherhood in Kashmir. It is also a perfect example of religious harmony that is so special to Indian culture.
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