Migrant pandits miss Kashmir visit on 'Jyestha Ashtami'

Many Kashmiri migrant pandits gave a miss to a visit to their roots in the Valley on 'Jyeshtha Ashtami' which was celebrated in a subdued manner due to the COVID-19 pandemic with most of the devotees offering prayers to goddess Ragnya Devi from their homes. The usual hustle and bustle at the main Mata Kheer Bhawani temple in Ganderbal district of south Kashmir and its replica at Durga Nagar in Jammu was missing with only a handful of priests and some Kashmiri pandit devotees making it to the temples. "After our migration from Kashmir about three decades back, we used to wait for the annual mela to reconnect with our roots by visiting our patron goddess Ragnya Devi at Tulmulla and using the occasion to visit our ancestral places as well but this time the outbreak proved a spoilsport," R K Bhat, a Kashmiri migrant pandit, said. Bhat, who is one of the members of the management committee of Mata Kheer Bhawani temple, built by the community at Durga Nagar in Jammu after their migration, said this was for the first time that they missed a visit to Kashmir on Jyestha Ashtami in many years.

He said thousands of pandit devotees, who could not visit Tulmulla, used to come to this temple to offer their prayers at the goddess Ragnya Devi. "This is almost deserted and only a handful of devotees living in its close vicinity came here to offer their prayers while maintaining social distancing," he said, adding the management had already clarified that there would be no congregation at the temple in view of the pandemic and the guidelines of the government. Maharaj Krishan, another Kashmiri pandit, said the visitors offered prayers to seek blessings of the goddess to eradicate this infection which has brought life to a standstill across the globe. Meanwhile, the lieutenant governor's advisor Farooq Khan released a specially designed a 'LED Glow' of Mata Kheer Bhawani here to mark the occasion of Jyeshtha Ashtami.

The 'LED Glow' made by Mata Kheer Bhawani ji Welfare Society (MKBJYWS)contains audio Katha (story) of Ragnya Bhawani and 35 most popular devotional Kashmiri songs in her praise and prayer, an official spokesman said. The glow also contains the story of Ragnya Devi which has been written by renowned writer and poet Agnishekhar.

The remote-controlled hi-tech glow was to be installed at Mata Kheer Bhawani shrine at Tulmulla as a newer attraction but was cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic. The society, however, decided to release the device in Jammu and would be subsequently installed at the Mata abode as soon the conditions become conducive, a spokesman said.

Khan greeted the Kashmir Pandit community on the auspicious occasion of Jyeshtha Ashtami and hoped that the blessings of Mata Kheer Bhawani would spare humanity from this pandemic and soon the situation would turn normal for holding the Mela with the traditional enthusiasm and fervour. LG's advisor also hoped that the social harmony that the Jyeshtha Ashtami festival has nurtured over centuries will get strengthened as society comes together to help each other during the occasion.

Speaking about the new initiative, Kiran Watal, convenor of the MKBJYWS said there is always a need to attract young people to our heritage and culture and this is an attempt in that direction. "Also, the power of story and music is immense, so having it around the holy seat will add to the devotional atmosphere," he added.