The usual rush of devotees was missing this year, presumably due to the Pahalgam terror attack and the military action between India and Pakistan following it.
Kashmiri Pandits offered special prayers at the Mata Kheer Bhawani temple in Tulmulla Ganderbal near Srinagar, June 8, 2022, during the annual Kheer Bhawani Mela celebrations.
The Gandhi siblings first drove from their hotel in Srinagar to the shrine of Ragnya Devi, popularly known as Mata Kheer Bhawani temple, in Tullamula area of the central Kashmir's Ganderbal district, the officials said.
However, the usual rush of the devotees was missing due to the recent targeted killings in the valley.
Tullamulla village, 27 kilometre from Srinagar in Ganderbal district where the Kashmiri Pandits' holiest shrine is located, wore a festive look despite the overnight heavy rains in Kashmir.
Pandits, including women and children, converged at the temple, some 20 kms from Srinagar, from various far-off places including Delhi and Jammu, to offer special prayers on the occasion of Zyeshth Ashtami.
From a trickle in 1990, when militancy erupted in the valley, the numbers have, however, gradually seen an upward trend.
Amidst Covid scare, hundreds of pilgrims paid obeisance at the famous Ragnya Devi temple in Jammu and Kashmir's Ganderbal district on Friday for the annual Kheer Bhawani mela, praying for peace in the union territory and for the pandemic to end.
Rahul Gandhi visits the Mata Kheer Bhawani temple and the Hazratbal shrine in Kashmir.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said that the county will never forget the sufferings of the Kashmiri Pandit families.
'We do not want Kashmiri Pandits to migrate from Kashmir.'
The police asked Kher to return to Delhi as there were apprehensions of law and order problems.
Priyanka Gandhi made a low-key visit to Kashmir during which she offered prayers at the Mata Kheer Bhawani shrine in Ganderbal district, officials said on Friday.
Nearly half of all coronavirus patients in the country have been cured, taking the recovery rate to over 48 per cent.
'We know the situation has worsened in the valley, but we are taking the first step.' 'We have lost 30 years of our life. We do not want to wait any longer.' 'The political class always said, you come down to Kashmir.' 'So, we are going to be there and we are going to demand a place to stay.' 'After all, it is our own land.'
Using phones and computers to spread rumours, jihadis are waging a new, unconventional war.
'There is no point in just saying, 'hum wapas bhej denge (we will send Kashmiri Pandits back)'.'
"I can tell you that I understand you, my family must have drank water from the river Jhelum. Kashmiriyat, the culture and thought process must be in me too. When I come here, I feel like I am coming home," he said, while referring to his family ties to Kashmir and added that he had come with a message of love and respect.
While there was unrest in the rest of the Kashmir valley, the Dal Lake was serene and peaceful.
'Kashmir belongs to us all, even if we differ with each other.' 'Statesmanship demands that we sit together and let the left, right and centre of the political spectrum converge on the solution,' says former MP Tarun Vijay.
"Whether we are back or away, if they put Kashmiri Pandits in isolation, they will never see peace in Kashmir."
'Pakistan has a big role to play in fomenting trouble, but we need to ask ourselves why ordinary Kashmiris are coming out in large numbers to attend the funerals of terrorists.'
© 2026 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances