Srinagar: The festival of Janamashtami was celebrated with religious fervour across Kashmir while the Kashmiri Pandit community took out Janamashtami processions to celebrate the festival on Thursday.
The festival is one of the major celebrations among the Hindu community to mark the birthday of lord Krishna.
The Pandit community across J&K assembled at various religious places in Kashmir and took out processions.
The devotees, including men, women, and children, danced alongside the chariot and distributed sweets among the people.
Children were seen wearing colourful costumes, and women were wearing dresses and celebrating the festival on the roads of Srinagar.
Temples were decorated and processions called ‘Shoba Yatra’ took place as part of the traditional celebrations by local Kashmiri Pandit devotees.
In Srinagar, temples were decorated with lights in the Habba Kadal area, Ganpatyar, Somyaar, Batyaar, and other places.
“This is a great festival in our community, and we are happy to celebrate it among our people. Kashmir is a place of Sufis and saints, and continuing the tradition of Kashmiriyat, the locals from the Muslim and Sikh community also greeted us and participated in our festival. On this occasion, we prayed for the peace and prosperity of our Kashmir,” a devotee said.
Another devotee from Jammu region who had come to participate in the processions expressed her happiness on the occasion.
“We came all the way from Jammu to celebrate the festival together. It is one of the major religious festivals in our community, and we are happy to celebrate it in Lal Chowk,” said a female devotee.
Meanwhile, devotees took out Janaki procession from Habba Kadal to Lal Chowk in which hundreds of devotees participated.
The devotees had mounted public addressing systems on vehicles and played devotional music to mark the day.
“I am happy that we all have the support of the administration and our Muslim and Sikh community. This brotherhood will push Kashmir in the path of progress and we will continue to live in peace and harmony,” said another devotee.
Jagdish Bharadwaj, a social activist in Srinagar, said Janamashmani was a symbol of brotherhood as Muslims and Sikhs also participated in the Janki procession in Srinagar today.
“It was an emotional moment for me as people from other religions celebrated the festival with us,” Bharadwaj said.
In north Kashmir’s Baramulla district, Kashmiri Pandit community took out a Janamashtami procession.
Locals and civil society members participated in the procession.
IRFAN RAINA reports from Ganderbal
In Ganderbal, Kashmiri Pandits celebrated Janamashtami with religious fervour and gaiety in Nunner.
Joined by local Muslims, a large number of Pandit devotees thronged the Krishna Mandir at Nunner, Ganderbal to celebrate the Janamashtami.
The temple witnessed this event after three decades.
On the occasion, the temple was decorated and witnessed a good rush of devotees.
A Shobha Yatra was also taken from Krishna Mandir, Nunner to Shiv Mandir, Chapergund in which a large number of Pandit devotees participated.
A devotee Rakesh Pandita said, “It is wonderful to experience being part of the religious celebration in Kashmir."
“It is a very important festival for Hindus. We prayed for peace and brotherhood in Kashmir as the festival gives a message of peace and brotherhood. We are highly grateful to the locals, civil administration, and Police for their support,” said a devotee.
“It is good to see the Pandit community celebrate their festival here and we wholeheartedly welcomed them and provided our support,” said a local.
The district administration Ganderbal had made arrangements for the festival.
District Development Council (DDC) Chairperson, Ganderbal, Nuzhat Ishfaq; Deputy Commissioner (DC) Ganderbal, Shyambir Singh; SP Ganderbal Nikhil Borkar; and Chairman MCG Altaf Ahmad also visited the temple and greeted the Pandit community.
The DC Ganderbal said that it was a good sign that Janamashtami was celebrated after 33 years and the most important thing was the participation of the locals, Panchayat Raj Institution (PRI) members, and officials.
The celebration resumed after a gap of three decades in Nunner, Ganderbal.
While people used to celebrate Janamashtami at their homes, it was the first time in three decades that the festival was celebrated publicly and a Shobha yatra was taken out.
