Kupwara, Jun 13: The annual Mela Kheer Bhawani, the most important festival of Kashmiri Pandits, associated with Hindu goddess Ragnya Devi was celebrated with religious fervour at Tikker in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district on Thursday.
Hundreds of devotees participated in the function and paid obeisance at the temple in Tikker.
The devotees participated in Pooja Archana and Havan and offered floral tributes to the idol of the goddess.
Walking barefoot, the devotees carried rose petals and milk and offered tribute to the goddess.
The devotees prayed for peace and return of Kashmiri Pandits to the Valley.
“During the prayers, we prayed for peace and our return,” said Aasha, a Kashmiri Pandit devotee.
“We don’t want to come here like tourists. We want our permanent settlement here. We are living in Jammu due to compulsion,” she said. A group of female devotees, who had come to Kashmir after 35 years, to participate in the mela, said that they felt nostalgic to take part in the mela.
“Our hearts cry whenever we remember the golden days of the past,” they said.
The annual festival presented emotional scenes of harmonious coexistence and cultural bonding between the Kashmiri Pandits and Muslims.
“In the eighties, we could celebrate this festival together and during the last several years, the same scenario can be seen here,” said a local Muslim.
The Kupwara district administration had made arrangements for the devotees including accommodation, water, electricity, and medical assistance.
Talking to media persons, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Kupwara, Shobhit Saxena said that robust security arrangements had been put in place for the yatra. Saxena said that 37 buses full of devotees had arrived in Kupwara to take part in the festival.
“We are here to provide a cordial atmosphere to the devotees so that they can have the best experience during their stay in Kupwara,” he said.