18,000 Kashmiri Pandits visited Kheer Bhavani temple in Valley: MHA

But targeted killings cast a shadow on the annual Pandits’ festival  

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said on Wednesday that around 18,000 Kashmiri Pandits and other devotees visited the Kheer Bhavani temple in Kashmir Valley’s Ganderbal district on Jyeshtha Ashtami.

The statement comes in the wake of a string of targeted attacks against Kashmiri Pandits and members of the Hindu community in the Valley since October 2021. Many Pandits have left the Valley in the past few days citing threat to life. The festival couldn’t be held in 2020 and 2021 due to COVID-19.

The MHA said that over the years, the Kheer Bhavani congregation has become a symbol of communal harmony and brotherhood in Kashmir.

“Elaborate security arrangements were made and the event was monitored by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha,” the statement said.

Around 2,500 Kashmiri Pandit devotees participated in the evening aarti, the Ministry said. The religious sanctity of the Mata Kheer Bhavani temple, built atop a holy spring, has a special spiritual significance among Kashmir Pandit devotees across the world.

The MHA said that a free bus service was run from Srinagar Airport, Tourist Reception Centre, Dal Lake Side Nehru Park, Shankaracharya Temple, Shivpora, Bibi Cantt, Indira Nagar, etc., in areas where Hindu communities live in large numbers.

“Full attention was given to ensure that devotees do not face any kind of problem. Parking facility was provided for vehicles near the temple premises. Mobile urinals have also been made available at all suitable places,” the MHA said.