Basit Zargar/Tulmula(Kashmir)

Six weeks after terrorists fled Kashmir in the wake of the Pahalgam terrorist attack, hundreds of Kashmiri Pandits gathered at Tulmulla in central Kashmir on Jyeshtha Ashtami at the Kheer Bhawani temple.

Devotees offering milk to the Goddess at Kheer Bhawani

The ancient temple located in the Ganderbal district’s Tulamulla village is the venue of the annual Kheer Bhawani Mela, and symbolizes Kashmir's rich cultural and spiritual heritage.

Young devotees standing in a queue for prayers at Kheer Bhawani temple

Despite a freak weather and security concerns, hundreds of Kashmiri Hindus came to the shrine from Jammu and other cities in buses and private vehicles for the annual mela.

Devotees dancing at Kheer Bhawani temple

The exodus of Kashmiri Pandits after the outbreak of terrorist attacks in 1990, thousands of Pandit families had left Kashmir to escape terrorist violence.

A devotee with Kand (sugar confectionery) offering at the temple

As per records, over 64,000 Kashmiri Pandit families are living outside Kashmir Valley - among them 43,000 in migrant camps in Jammu and over 19,000 in Delhi.'

The shrine of Ragynya Bhagwati

The temple is dedicated to Goddess Ragnya Devi, and the Kheer Bhawani Mela is one of the largest Hindu gatherings in the Valley, second only to the Amarnath Yatra.

Devotees waiting for the darsan of the Goddess

Elaborate security arrangements have been made for the Mela. Hundreds of Jammu and Kashmir police and CRPF personnel have been deployed in and around the temple.

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All roads leading to Kheer Bhawani have been sanitised to ensure a hassle-free moment for the devotees.