The Kashmiri Pandit community celebrated Ramnavmi in the summer capital on Saturday with gaiety.
Special prayers were held at Ram Mandir at Barbar Shah, Durga Nag Mandir, Kathleshwar Mandir at Habba Kadal, Hanuman Mandir Hari Singh High Street and other temples across Kashmir.
Devotees thronged Ram Mandir at Barbar Shah where they recited Bhajans and prayed for fast recovery of COVID19 patients. On the occasion, members of Muslim community greeted Pandits on the occasion and exchanged sweets.
“Kashmir is known for brotherhood and our Muslim brothers and sisters never forget to greet us on the special festivals,” said Ashok Bhat, a Kashmiri pandit.
He added that Muslim brethren greeted them through various mediums including social media, personal messages and also visiting their homes.
He said that devotees at temples prayed for peace and prosperity of J&K.
“We hope that all of us come out of COVID19 crisis and prayed for everyone today, especially for patients admitted in hospitals fighting this disease. We also prayed for frontline COVID19 warriors who are together trying their best to get us of us these health crises,” said Amit Wanchoo, a social activist.
LG greets people: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha has extended his warm greetings on the occasion of Mahanavami and Dussehra to the people of J&K.
In his message, the LG has prayed for peace, prosperity and development in the Union Territory.
“Mahanavami marks the end of the 9-day Navratra festival and the devotees are filled with renewed energy and enthusiasm in their lives. I pray that with the divine blessings, may we all steer ahead the task of overhauling Jammu & Kashmir for our future generations,” he has said. Highlighting the significance of Dussehra, the LG has said that the day marks the victory of good over evil.
Meanwhile, Chief Secretary, B V R Subrahmanyam in his greeting message said that ‘this festival is a celebration of victory of good over evil, truth over untruth and inspires us to adopt the principles of honesty, truthfulness, and righteousness in our lives.”
Advisors to LG, Rajeev Rai Bhatnagar, KK Sharma, Baseer Ahmad Khan also extended Ramnavmi greetings.
The Jammu and Kashmir National Conference Party President and Member of Parliament from Srinagar Dr Farooq Abdullah and vice President Omar Abdullah extended warm greetings to the people on Maha Navami, Dussehra. In a statement, the duo in their message said that festivals like these reflect J&K’s cultural and religious richness. NC general secretary Ali Muhammad Sagar, additional general secretary Dr Sheikh Mustafa Kamal, Provincial presidents Nasir Wani Sogami, Devender Singh Rana have also extended warm greeting to people on the eve of Dussehra.
Apni Party President Altaf Bukhari said that the festivals are symbols of mutual existence and brotherhood in Jammu and Kashmir. Bukhari prayed for peace and prosperity.
“The religious festivals unite people of one community with another and this coexistence has centuries old traditions of cultural exchange in Jammu and Kashmir,” said Bukhari.