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| “Kheer Bhawani spring” changing colours | | | J K Ganhar/Sandeep Bhat
According to great historian of Kashmir, Pandit Kalhan “there is not (in Kashmir) a space as large as a grain of sesumums that is without Tirtha (pilgrim’s), and today after eight centuries that a quite a few of these shrines are still fortunately extant, despite the ravages of times and vandalism of some rapacious rulers.
Many of these place of worship were and continue to be in Kashmir valley, whether these places of worship are on the top of hill, mountains, spring or on the bank of river etc are not visited only by Kashmiri Pandits but by other non-hindus and tourist as well.
Among these shrines is the celestial spring shrine of ‘Mata Ragni Devi, commonly know as ‘Khir Bhawani,’ in village Tulla-Mulla in newly created district of Ganderbal about 25 Kms away from the summer capital of Jammu & Kashmir state.
Since ages people particularly Kashmiri Pandits have been visiting this place to seek divine mothers blessing. Keeping in view the heavy rush of pilgrims on the eve of annual mela of Goddess Khir-Bhawani on ‘Jeeth-Ashtami’, which this year falls on May 31, 2009, the state administration hold number of meetings and finalized the arrangements for smooth conduct of yatra. Beside this other social and religious organizations have also made advance arrangements for the yatriees.
Like the mysterious formation of Ice-Lingam of Lord Shiva in the world famous cave of Shree Amarnathji, the spring of Goddess Khir-Bhawani is also mysterious because the colour of water in the spring gets changed from time to time, such as rosy, lemon, yellow, green, red, milky white on various occasions. But there is no definite period for this change of colour. Any sort of black colour is supposed to be inauspicious. Such a mysterious spring is found nowhere in India or abroad.
The shrine of Khir-Bhawani is set in a grove of ancient chinars, and the temple rises from the surrounding waters of the spring. The spring of goddess is in a irregular septagonal shape with a apex called PAAD (feet) to the east. The northern and southern sides are longer than western side which is called SHEER (head). From the spring there are rising bubbles out of the water and are forming three lines round the islet not regularly complete, but a part here and there though in perfect order. These lines are said to be the dawara of the Chakra. Chakra is a mystic symbol of Mata Khir Bhawani. The Chakra consists of seven parts enclosed one within the other. The Chakra popularly known as Yantra embodies Mother Goddess with her Shakties. It is said, that the discovery of the spring was made on Ashara Sapthani (June-July), but pilgrims from all parts of Kashmir used to come here on every eight day (Asthmi) of the bring fortnight of every lunar month, while the main festival is held in Zetha-Ashtami (May-June), every year.
The historical reference about the shrine is that when Lord Sri Rama, king of Ayodhya invaded Lanka and his army generals Sugrev and Hanuman killed Ravan’s brother Kumbakaran and his son Megnath. Mandudhari the wife of Ravana requested Ravana to make peace with Lord Rama, but Ravana refused this and tried to evoke the blessings of the Goddess (Parvati). But the Goddess, wrathful at King Ravana’s misdeads cursed him and ordered Hanuman to take her to Sati-Sar the Kashmir. As directed Hanuman selected a spot in the northern side of the valley and installed the Goddess with all her satellites. Here she was called Khir-Bhawani.
According to another version which is said to have brought the spring to light is that a pious Brahman Krishna Pandit saw a vision in which he was informed by an angle that the spring of Khir Bhawani lay among the swamps of Tulamulla. In locating the holy spring a serpent will guide him, when he will reach near the spring, the serpent will jump into it and that is the spring. The Brahman did the same as was told and since then this place become known all over Kashmir and people began together their to worship the Goddess in spring. There used to be a mulberry tree in the spring. Now there is a marble temple which was built by the Maharaja Pratap Singh the Dogra ruler of the J&K state. At the time of festival and when devotees visit the shrine they offer milk, flowers, money, big and small flags, miniature gold and silver umbrellas and even gold ornaments to the holy spring. Devotees light rattan deep (the earthern lamps filled with ghee) burn dhup (ncense) and ringing of bells. Beside this, offering made to spring is Khir, Milk, Sugar (Kand) and flowers. The most common flower used for the worship is VENA (Mentha Sylvestris). Throughout the Mela hymns in Sanskrit are dedicated to Goddess from scriptures are recited individually as well as collectively. Hymns in praise of Goddess are sung in Kashmiri and Hindi also.
At the time of dawn and dusk yatries assemble round the holy spring with diya for mass Arthee (Prayer) accompanied by Sadhus with the blowing of counch shells and ringing of bells and waving big tufs of peacocks tail. The pilgrims who stand in a devotional mood concentrate on the image of the Goddess and crave her blessing.
Over 100 year ago, Swami Vivekanand also visited this holy spring and worshipped the Devi with a maund of Khir etc. as offering. The people living around the shrine wheather Hindu or non-hindu’s have great veneration for the Goddess. They never eat fish or meat when they visit the shrine. Beside who so ever goes there have to take bath in nallah Sindh, which flows near the feet of Devi, before entering the premises of the spring.
The management of this holy shrine is in the hands of the dharmarth Trust of J&K State. The trust has constructed number of yatree niwas and dharamshallas for yatries/ tourists who visit this place off and on.
The pilgrims upto 1960 used to visit the shrine by boats. The religious minded preferred the journey on food. The most enjoyed journey was by Donga ( a big water boat) from Srinagar in the Vetasta (Jehlum) and reach Shadipor where the confluence of the river Sindh and the Vetasta takes place. The place is called Prayag and is sacred to Hindu’s from where the boat moves upward in Sindh Nallah upto the shrine.
There are other places in the valley also which are associated with Goddess Khir-Bhawani such as Lokatpor and Devi-Bal in Anantnag District, Tikker in Kupwara district and Manj-Ghom in district Kulgam and Raithan in Badgam district. Some years back migrant Kashmiri Pandits constructed a small Khir-Bhawani temple in the midist of small water tank in Bhawani Nagar, near Janipur, at Jammu to worship the Devi, as they were doing at Tallamulla the most famous and frequented shrine of Khir-Bhawani in the Kashmir valley.
Mention of this sacred place have been found in Kalhan’s, Rajtarangni, Abufazal’s, Ain-e-Akbari, in Jonaraja writing and also in Walter Lawrence book valley of Kashmir. These well known writers have spoken high of this place and about the brahmins of Tulla Mulla who were well learned persons of the time. According to them Khir-Bhawani has been the centre of Sanskrit learning and literature since many ages. Lawrence fondly remembered by all Kashmiri as Lawrence Sahib in his book has describe Kashmir as a country of pilgrims.
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