Jana,a middle-aged Muslim woman,is eagerly waiting for June 9,hoping to meet some of her Kashmiri Pandit neighbours who left the strife-torn Valley and return only once a year for a festival at the temple of goddess Ragnya Devi here. Jana sells arti thalis (plates used in worships) outside the Kheer Bhawani temple,27 kilometres from Srinagar,and the reasons for her anticipation are two-fold economic as well as social. "A large number of Kashmiri pandits used to live in my neighbourhood in Ganderbal but left the Valley in unfortunate conditions. Although we wish them to return permanently,this annual festival provides us with a chance to meet once a year," Jana said. The devotees,mostly Kashmiri Pandits,fast and gather at the temple,which has large number of springs,on the eighth day of the full moon in the month of May or June. This year the full moon falls on June 9. According to belief,the goddess changes the colour of the spring's waters,which are ascribed to different manifestations of the goddess. Turning of the colour into shades of black is supposed to signal approaching disaster. Many Kashmiri Pandits and the Muslims living in Ganderbal area claim that before the exodus of the Kashmiri Pandits from the valley,the colour of the water had turned completely black in 1990. Jana says that the annual festival also provides the local populace an opportunity to earn a livelihood. "The temple is thronged by Hindus throughout the year but at the time of the Mela,the rush is huge which means good business for us," she said. However,she feels that it is not only about earning money. Many people from this area come and work as volunteers during the festival in the hope meeting an old friend or acquaintance among the Kashmiri Pandit devotees,she added. Kheer Bhawani festival has emerged as a symbol of communal harmony in Kashmir over the past eight years. In 2003,more than 50,000 Kashmiri Pandits visited the temple following efforts by the state government to assure the community about their safety. Meanwhile,a Kashmiri Pandit organisation has claimed that nearly one lakh Kashmiri Pandits are expected to congregate at the Kheer Bhawani for the festival this year. "We are expecting more than 80,000 Kashmiri Pandits to be present at the three temples of Mata Kheer Bhawani," All Party Migrant Coordination Committee (APMCC) President Vinod Pandit said. Last year,the festival at the ancient Kheer Bhawani temple here on the outskirts of Srinagar,witnessed one of the biggest congregation of Pandits in Kashmir in last 21 years. Pandit appealed the state government to make proper arrangements for accommodation for the devotees at the temple.
