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| Thousands pay obeisance at Kheer Bhawani | | KPs express wish to return to their roots | |  S Tahir-ul Haq
Early Times Report
Jammu /GANDERBAL, June 20: Thousands of Kashmiri Pandits from across the country on Wednesday thronged the Kheer Bhawani temple in Tulmulla Ganderbal in this central Kashmir district for the annual festival, but their feelings brought tears in the eyes of many.
Some pandits while talking to media said that, Center government and state government has said lot about our rehabilitation but nothing has been done on the ground level. Ravinder Raina from Rainawari Srinagar said that, I left at the age of 22 and presently I am 52; now tell me for God sake what I will earn for my family when rest of the life has been ruined in wandering here and there. We don't want separate colony, we want to live with other Kashmiris, and we have to work with our Muslim brethren, as we have seen together joys and sorrows of life, said Raina
Another pandit said that "from past twenty eight years we are wondering like anything some people in the government said that they will provide us land, and others said that they will be rehabilitated but nothing has been done so for". "Both centre and state governments are making castles in the air, presently I am living in Delhi and it has become difficult to live outside the state. We are losing our identity", said pandits.
If the government is really interested in rehabilitating us, let them take some initiatives at the earliest. A local resident of Ganderbal, Aijaz Ahmad told early times that, without Kashmiri pandits, the identity of Kashmir is incomplete; they are part and parcel of Kashmiri culture.
"Government should take some important steps in rehabilitating these isolated pandits, we want peace and prosperity, let the state government support them financially and morally in all respects", said a local. Meanwhile thousands of devotees drawn from different parts of Jammu today thronged the holy temple of Mata Kheer Bhawani Peeth at Bhawani Nagar Janipur here to participate in the annual mela. The temple of Bhawani Nagar is the replica of original temple of Mata Kheer Bhawani at Tulmulla and Jesht Ashtami being the most auspicious festival of Kashmiri Pandits they celebrate it at Bhawani Nagar temple after the mass migration of the community from the Valley in 1989. The rush of the devotees started from early in the morning and it swelled by the afternoon . The devotees with the pooja material and flowers paid their obeisance to the Goddess in a traditional way. The Sanstha looking after the management of the shrine also performed a Maha Yagya on the occasion. The hawan started yesterday and puranahuti was performed this afternoon which was followed by serving of prashad to devotees.
Entire Bhawani Nagar area housing the temple complex of Mata gave a festive look. The Sansthan in cooperation with the local administration had made elaborate arrangements of drinking water, medicare facilities, transportation etc for the pilgrims visiting the shrine. A contingent of police was also deployed at the shrine for security of yatris. |
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