Sanjeev Bhat
Set in scintillating beauty of Chinar trees, Kheer Bhawani Tulmulla has historically been an abode of reverence for Hindus.
It is during the “Zaisth Ashthami” that a Mela gets underway every year when thousands of devotees from far-off places come here in large numbers for offering prayers and having the Divine Darshan of Devi Khir Bhawani. Using private vehicles, taxis and state Government provided buses, thousands of devotees flock to the shrine place and pay obeisance to Mata Kheer Bhawani, situated about 24 kms from summer capital of Srinagar city towards its north-east direction in Tulmulla village of Ganderbal district of Kashmir province.
This is perhaps the only mystical spring in the world where the colour of spring keeps on miraculously changing which is ascribed as the manifestation of the Goddess, serving as an advance signal about what is going to happen in the near future. The light green, milky, pink colours of the spring are suggestive of the auspicious omen while as the black is indicative of some inauspicious future happening. In Kashmir these changes are taken for granted as Devi Kher Bhawani’s indications of the future course of events.
The truth about the Mystic Spring is woven with legend and a symbol coinciding with the Ramayan times. The legend goes like this : Shri Ragyna” was put in ‘Sani-wari” (a small earthen pot) by ” Ravana”. After “Ravana” got killed as a consequence of his ‘Dush Karmas , Mahavira’, under the instructions of Mata Ragyna, brought the Devi on his shoulders in the same ‘Sani-wari to ‘Satisar-Desha’ i.e. Kashmir- to make the Tulmuila’s Main Jal Kund her abode. Even those places became ‘Vaishnave pithas’ where even some Jal drops from the ‘Sani-wari’ had fallen during this expedition.
The abode of the ‘Maha Ragyna’ is this Mystic spring. This temple is a divine invitation to all the devotees to see how the Para-Prakriti functions. On the entrance gate of the main temple is “Shree Chakra” which is the indicator of the ‘Shakti” of Devi Bhagwati. This Kheer Bhawani Mystic Jai Kund is situated in the centre of many islands. Around it flows small streams named “Gang-Khi” the water to which comes from the main Sindu river. It is said that water to “GangKhi” seeps in through Amarnath and Gangibal. All the islands are covered by small trees.
It was Bringesh Sahita’ which was the source of all the information related to the Dhams / Holy places of the Kashmir. In one such Sahita titled “Ragyna Pradurbava” -the description of the sacredness of the shrine of ‘Kheer Bhawani’ Tulamulla, Kashmir is given. As per one legend the learned Brahman of Bohri Kadal, Srinagar Sh. Govind Ji Gadoo Upon reading a ‘Dharam Grantha’ set out for locating the sacred place. As per another legend a devout Brahmin Krishna Taploo envisioned the Goddess who came in his dream and manifested herself as a serpent and directed him to move in the north- east direction. He then set-out on the Yatra by following a Serpent, finally reaching the sacred spot to which the Serpant had led him to.
When the Serpent demarcated the Holy Kund, Panditji marked the place where the Serpent had stopped, stood- up and finally immersed. That is how this sacred “Jal Kund’ became known to the masses who would thereafter come to this place in large numbers.
Earlier a Shatoosh tree which had grown in the main Jal Kund was the place considered as the Vas Sathal” of Devi Bhawani and the prayers were offered there. Later Dogra Rulers beautified the main “Jal Kund”. The existing temple was built by Maharaja Pratap Singh in 1896 A.D. Under the supervision of Pandit Vedi Lal Dhar this small marble shrine was constructed in the shape of an island in the middle of the sacred spring, furnished with metal railing and its surroundings paved with Baramulla Stones. One Shah Radha Krishen constructed the retaining wall for the ‘Amrit Kund’. Currently the Shrine is being looked after by the Dharmarth Trust.
The design of the main “Jal Kund, having seven corners, is somewhat irregular and has allegorical meaning. The temple in which the Goddess resides is the Centre (Bhindu) the spiritual fountain of power. The surrounding water of the island is the ocean of infinite life energy full of dormant potentialities, which spread, unfold, expand and transform into tangible reality – and the Goddess under the Canopy is the Precious Stone that grants all desires.
Before entering the Shrine premises the devotees take a Holy dip in the Gang-Khi. Devotees do “Parikrama” of the Holy Kund. They gather in front of the Holy kund along with the “Pooja Samigri” for prayers as per the conventions and immerse in the Holy Kund water, Milk, Sugar, Badam, Mishri, Kishmish, flower Petals and Lotus Flowers as their “Shradha-Suman”. As these flower petals gather along with the other “Pooja-Samigri” on the surface of the Kund it looks like a “Divya Darshan” and this floating splendor looks like a “Devi-Prasad”. Devotees do “Samohik Arti” by lighting the earthen Ghee lamps and by singing the praise of the Devine Mother and seek to get merged themselves in “Adi-Shakti-Saroopas Divinity.
Unprecedented rush of displaced Kashmiri Pandits at Kashmir shrine of Khir Bhawani (Tulmulla) on Zeistha Ashthami- the Mela day (which this year falls on Monday, June 17) has, in fact, over the years, turned the shrine place into an abode for re-unification of KPs as this shrine place has eventually become a call-back epicenter- inducing the Kashmiri Pandits from across the country to visit Kashmir valley to celebrate Zaistha Ashthami in form of a Kheer Bhawani Mela thereby bridging gaps in minds of Kashmiri Pandits besides reinforcing communal amity between Hindus and Muslims as besides most Kashmiri Pandits, the local Muslims also flock the Kashmir valley on this day to participate in the annual Mela at the shrine place.
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