Annual Mela Kheer Bhawani celebrated with religious fervour in Kashmir

The Jammu and Kashmir unit of the BJP has said the high number of devotees for the annual Kheer Bhawani mela in Ganderbal district shows that there is an atmosphere of peace in the Union Territory. Hundreds of Kashmiri Pandits from various parts of the country have thronged the Ragnya Devi temple in the central Kashmir district to celebrate the annual Kheer Bhawani mela. The annual Mela Kheer Bhawani was celebrated on Monday, June 22, 2026, with religious fervour and gaiety on the occasion of Jyeshtha Ashtami. This is one of the most important festivals for the Kashmiri Pandit community during which devotees offer Kheer (rice pudding), milk, flowers, and aromatic leaves to Mata Ragnya Devi. The mela symbolizes faith, resilience, cultural reconnection, and communal harmony.  
The largest gathering of devotees assembled at the shrine of Mata Ragnya Devi at Tulmulla in Ganderbal district, where thousands of community members from Jammu and Kashmir and across the country converged to hold special devotional rituals, prayers, and aartis. The festivities were also conducted at other Mata Ragnya Devi shrines in North Kashmir’s Tikker Kupwara district and South Kashmir’s Logri Pora Aishmuqam, Anantnag district and Manzgam and Devsar areas in Kulgam district. Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha visited the shrine in Tulmulla and offered special prayers there.