Amidst Covid scare, hundreds of pilgrims paid obeisance at the famous Ragnya Devi temple in Jammu and Kashmir’s Ganderbal district on Friday for the annual Kheer Bhawani mela, praying for peace in the union territory and for the pandemic to end.
The annual mela was held after two years as last year it was a low-key affair with only the ritual pooja taking place at the abode of the deity due to the outbreak of COVID-19.
The mela, which attracts a large number of people, especially Kashmiri Pandits, from across the country, was cancelled last year by Dharmarth Trust of Jammu and Kashmir, which organises the festival, because of the pandemic.
However, this year, celebrations were held at the mela amidst chanting of religious hymns and sound of temple bells even as most of the devotees followed Covid protocols.
Nestled in the shade of mammoth Chinar trees in Tulmulla village in this central Kashmir district, the temple witnessed hundreds of devotees who made the journey from across the valley and Jammu region.
Filling the atmosphere with a religious fervour and brotherhood, devotees, walking barefoot, carried rose petals and offered tribute to the goddess as the chants of hymns echoed through the temple compound.
The devotees paid obeisance to the deity while offering milk and kheer (pudding) at the sacred spring within the complex.
KO Photos By Abid Bhat
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