Ganderbal (Jammu and Kashmir): Devotees offered prayers at the Mata Kheer Bhawani Temple in Tullamulla during the annual Kheer Bhawani Mela. Ashok Kumar, a devotee from Srinagar said, “It is an auspicious occasion today as it is the birthday of Mata Kheer Bhavani. People of every section and community come here. It is a famous mela. People have come from America, Canada, Germany, and from across the country. The mela teaches us brotherhood. Even the Muslims and Sikhs are also here. Everyone can attend the prayers. I want to pray for peace and harmony. I wish the time that Valley witnessed before the ’90s would come back. Kashmiri pandits and Muslims used to eat together and were indistinguishable.”
Sahil Sharma, a devotee from Jammu expressed, “The government and administration have made an extremely good arrangement. My family has been visiting this mela for the last 8 years. The environment is peaceful here. There is adequate deployment of security personnel including CRPF staff. People are enjoying it very much. I appeal that more people come here.”
Yatra convenor from Jammu said, “I am the yatra convenor. I got the lightning done, and organised mata langar for around 8,000 people on Wednesday. The administration has made a good arrangement. The cleanliness, bus arrangement, electricity, water, etc. have been taken proper care of. There is nothing to fear.”
Sapna, from Jammu, shared her experience saying, “It feels good here,” and added that it was her second visit to the mela.
Nivedita, from Punjab, said she learned about the mela through her relatives and had a pleasant experience visiting the place.
