Amid tight security, Kashmiri Pandits gather at Tulmulla Ganderbal
This year's celebration comes in the aftermath of the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, which claimed the lives of 25 tourists and a local. The attack has cast a shadow over the turnout at the festival, held at the revered Kheer Bhawani temple located around 27 km from Srinagar.
The mela is among the most significant religious events for the Kashmiri Pandit community.
Last year, over 25,000 devotees visited the temple to pay their respects.
While this year's participation has been affected by security concerns, a considerable number of devotees still made their way to the shrine, with the air resonating with the chanting of hymns and the ringing of temple bells.
To ensure the smooth and safe conduct of the festival, the Jammu and Kashmir administration has put in place elaborate arrangements.
Officials said a heavy deployment of Jammu and Kashmir Police and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel has been made in and around the temple premises. All approach roads to the shrine have been fully sanitised, officials said.
Several political leaders have greeted the people on Mela Kheer Bhawani.
UNI MJR PRS
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News18
an hour ago
- News18
Six Naxals arrested, explosives seized in Chhattisgarh
Agency: Sukma, Aug 2 (PTI) Six Naxalites have been arrested from Sukma and Bijapur districts of Chhattisgarh, police said on Saturday. Podiyam Nanda (40) who carried a reward of Rs 2 lakh on his head, Hemla Joga (28), and Hemla Ganga (45) were arrested and explosives were seized from them in Sukma district on Friday, a senior police official said. They were apprehended from a forest in Rabdipara village under the Kerlapal police station limits during an anti-Naxal operation of the District Reserve Guard (DRG), local police and 159th battalion of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). Nanda was active as a militia commander under Kerlapal Area Committee of the outlawed Maoist organization while the other two were its members, the official said. Two `tiffin-bombs' weighing 3 kg each, three detonators, two gelatin rods, cordex wires, electric fuse wires and two batteries were recovered from them, he added. In Bijapur district, three lower-rung Maoist cadres, identified as Sukki Hemla (50), Soma Uika (35) and Kallu Hapka (22), were apprehended on Saturday from a forest between Peddakorma and Bodla-Pusnar villages under the Bijapur police station limits, another police official said. The DRG, local police, along with 222nd battalion of CRPF, as well as 201st and 202nd battalions of CRPF's elite Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) were out on an operation in the area, he added. Maoist uniforms, Naxal literature, a colour printer machine and other items were recovered from their possession, he said. The trio were involved in a gunfight with security forces on July 29 in the forest of Peddakorma-Bodla-Pusnar villages of the district, the official added. PTI COR KRK view comments First Published: Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Deccan Herald
2 hours ago
- Deccan Herald
Reserving two assembly seats for Pandits would have brought them close to Muslims: Mehbooba Mufti
"I believe the biggest CBM (confidence building measure) for (return of) Kashmiri Pandits would have been reserving two assembly seats for them in the valley instead of sending two members of the community through nomination," Mufti told reporters here.
Hindustan Times
5 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
2 terrorists killed in overnight encounter in J&K's Kulgam
Two terrorists were killed in an encounter with security forces in Jammu and Kashmir's Kulgam district on Saturday, officials said. A CRPF vehicle moving past people standing on a roadside during an encounter between terrorists and security forces in the Akhal area of Kulgam district on Saturday. (PTI Photo) The overnight encounter began after security forces launched a cordon and search operation in a forest area at Akhal in the south Kashmir district, following specific intelligence inputs about the presence of terrorists there. After an initial exchange of fire between the two sides on Friday evening, the operation was halted for the night, the officials said. The cordon was strengthened, and additional reinforcements were rushed to the area. Firing resumed on Saturday morning, during which two terrorists were killed, the officials said. The identity and group affiliation of the slain terrorists are being ascertained, they added, noting that the operation is still underway. Operation Akhal is the third major encounter in the last seven days. Earlier on Wednesday, two terrorists were eliminated during Operation Shivshakti, in a gunfight with security forces near the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district, following an infiltration attempt. The encounter began on Tuesday night in the Kalsian-Gulpur area after Indian forces intercepted a group of terrorists attempting to infiltrate the border. On July 28, three Pakistani terrorists were killed during an encounter in J&K's forested Lidwas area near Harwan, located on the outskirts of Srinagar. The operation named 'Operation Mahadev' eliminated the terrorists who were behind the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack. One of the terrorists was identified as Suleiman, the mastermind of the Pahalgam attack, while the others were identified as Afghan and Jibran. All three were senior operatives of the Pakistan-based banned group Lashkar-e-Toiba. (With PTI inputs)
