Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday said that his coalition Government is keen for smooth and peaceful return of Kashmiri Pandits to their native land. He said the tradition of communal harmony in Kashmir requires that Pandits and Muslims lived together again.
The Chief Minister was interacting with Kashmiri Pandits who arrived here to attend the annual festival at Kheer Bhawani temple at Tulmulla, 25 kilometres from here. The temple dedicated to Rangya Devi, an incarnation of Goddess Durga, is one of the most prominent temples in Kashmir.
“My Government wants smooth and peaceful return of Kashmiri Pandits to live in harmony and brotherhood with Muslim brethren so that the trait and tradition of communal amity, Jammu and Kashmir State is known for, is strengthened and nurtured,” Abdullah said.
The Khir Bhawani festival has emerged as a prime occasion for the Kashmiri Pandits to visit the Kashmir Valley for over a decade. The receding level of violence in Kashmir is encouraging more Pandits to arrive at the famed temple compared to early years of militancy in 1990s when the temple remained almost deserted on the occasion.
The Pandits believe that the colour of water inside a spring in the temple enclave under the shade of mammoth chinars foretells the year’s future.