A view of Kheer Bhawani Temple.

Kheer Bhawani: The Goddess Ragnya Devi is symbolised as a sacred spring at Tula Mula village, near (27 kms) Srinagar, Kashmir. The spring of Kheer Bhawani is quite large and has always been held in veneration by the Brahman population of Srinagar.

Within the spring is a marble temple. The temple-spring complex is affectionately known as Kheer Bhawani as thousands of devotees offer milk and 'kheer' to the sacred spring.

Mela Kheer Bhawani - the Annual Festival: The devotees of the Goddess fast and gather here on the eighth day of the full moon in the month of May (The Annual Festival, held here on this day, is a public holiday in Kashmir) when, according to belief, the Goddess changes the colour of the spring's waters, which are ascribed to different manifestations of the Goddess. Turning of the colour into shades of black is supposed to signal approaching disaster.

Kheer Bhawani Mela.

Some people say that before the exodus of the Pandits (Kashmiri Brahmans) from Kashmir the colour had turned completely black in 1990!

According to the legend, there were 360 springs surrounding the main spring but all of these seem to have disappeared as the land has become marshy all around.

In the last half century the pilgrimage has become the most important for Kashmiri Brahmans who come here from all over the State and even from outside. Kheer Bhawani is considered to be the Presiding Deity of most of the Kashmiri Brahmans.

Click here to view news coverage on "Minister Tourism and Culture took stock of Mela Khir Bhawani arrangements and stressed on timely completion of Rs 15 crore Khir Bhawani project"

Click here to view news coverage on "Minister for Rural Development and Panchayats tours Kheer Bhawani, oversees arrangements for Mela.