Taste of Elixir at Kheer Bhawani Temple of Srinagar
- toursandjourneys
- Nov 23, 2019
- 4 min read
Updated: Apr 5, 2020
Discover offbeat trails of Kashmir with our travel expert Reetwika Banerjee
Well, there will hardly be anyone who has visited Kashmir and not visited this revered Hindu temple, irrespective of one’s religion. Our hotel owner, an old gentleman suggested us to visit the temple on way to Sonmarg. It was such a heart melting moment to hear an honorable Muslim requesting to must visit a Hindu temple! This very gesture depicts the true secularism of our country. We could not afford to miss paying a visit to Kheer Bhavani temple of Srinagar during our Kashmir tour.
Geographically speaking, the Kheer Bhavani temple of Srinagar is only 25 kilometers away from state capital Srinagar. It took us only an hour’s drive to reach. The small village that houses this ancient temple is named Tulmulla (which in Sanskrit signifies ‘of great worth’). The road was well maintained until Ganderbal town, however the lane inside the village was very narrow and muddy. Signage was prominent, did not require us to ask anyone for directions.
Way to Tulmulla
By ten in the morning, we had reached the temple parking area. The precincts were surrounded by a large sacred lake (‘Kund’ in Kashmiri language), big and large stones on natural green carpets, sentinel by Mount Harmukh at the milieu.
There was a small store just by the side selling sacred items like incense sticks, coconut, candles, garlands, sweet balls etc, arranged in different sizes of tray (‘puja samagri’ as they say in wholesome) priced differently as per item portions.
Ever since we alighted from our car, the shopkeeper was inviting us to purchase a puja thali (tray) to make his ‘bauni’ (day’s first sale which is considered very holy by Indians). Surprisingly, he was a Mohammedan too!
At the entrance of Kheer Bhavani Temple
The antiquity of this ancient temple offers a very exciting story which connects mythological as well as historic dots. Let’s begin with the mythical thread first. It is believed that way back during the Ramayana age, Ravana used to worship a rare form of Goddess Shakti named Maha Ragya Bhagwati (another name of Goddess Bhavani) who is considered as the embodiment of cosmic power and active energy.
As mentioned in the epic, Ravana had established a small temple of Goddess Ragya at his golden capital in Lanka. Owing to his misbehavior with Sita (who is also believed to be an incarnation of Goddess Ragya by a school of Kashmiri Pandits), the goddess ordered Rama to shift her from Lanka to this Kashmiri village named Tulmulla where Sita had spent couple of years during exile. Since then, Goddess Shakti is being worshiped at this ancient temple in the titular form of Devi Ragya. At present it is under the management of Dharmarth Trust of J&K.
Foliage inside temple premises
Referring to the historic past, which is comparatively recent than the mythological anecdote, in the year of 1912, Maharaja Pratap Singh built a temple of Goddess Bhavani at Tulmulla village. Devi Bhavani is held as the deity of creative energy and giver of life. A white marble statue of the goddess can be seen inside the temple.
On the auspicious eve of Shukla Paksha Ashtami, the king propitiated the presiding deity by offering his handmade rice pudding (an Indian dessert locally known as ‘Kheer’). Since then, it has been a custom to serving milk products to the shrine and eventually with time it has got its name ‘Kheer Bhavani Temple’. Today, thousands of devotees flock the temple twice during the year, once during Shukla Paksha Ashtami and another during Jyaistha Ashtami.
Main shrine housing Kheer Bhavani deity
Kheer Bhavani Deity
The most striking aspect which locked our eyes was the security manning of the temple premises, kind of armed military check points I must say. There were multiple bunkers at the main gate guarded by thick iron rings on all sides, narrowing the corridor to a considerable extent.
Three CRPF Jawans at the entrance were busy frisking the inbound tourists, including us. There was a separate ladies chamber as well, but unfortunately it was not operational during our visit. We could also notice a few bunkers inside the Kheer Bhavani temple of Srinagar with on duty officers actively manning the whole campus. The level of tight security depicts a lot about the significance of this place.
Aman-ka-Phool (flower of peace) inside temple complex
The temple is located amidst lofty chinars, a personification of amity and tranquility. Just as we walked inside, the whole area was shining with white blooms of a special tree, they say it’s called ‘Aman-ka-Phool’ (flower of peace) as this is the flower which is exchanged every day at the international border while greeting our friends from the neighboring country.
Glimpses of Kheer Bhavani temple
Apart from its captivating legends, the architecture of the temple is also very eye catching. Though the entrance was not so well decorated, but it is constructed over a band of springs on a marshy land and one of the springs flow underneath the main shrine of Kheer Bhavani.
The water has been often observed to change its colors at different times of the year. During our visit, it was off-white. Going by an old belief of the locals, when the spring water takes up a blackish shade. it conveys an imminent inauspicious time heading towards the valley of Kashmir. Special yajnas (Hindu rituals involving fire) are arranged by the priests to combat the bad omen.
Grey waters of Kheer Bhavani spring
We were lucky to be there at the hour of morning prayers (‘arati’ as it is commonly called) and thus it was a memorable experience to witness the grand rituals performed every day. At the end of prayer, we were offered holy Prasad of Kheer Bhavani Devi and there is no reward to guess what it was right as you think it’s hot and fresh Kheer. I consider myself extremely blessed to get the opportunity of tasting elixir right at her divine shelter! Visit to Kheer Bhavani temple of Srinagar was truly a memorable experience.
In front of temple's Prasad distribution center
Spending another hour at the temple, taking a few clicks more we marched towards our next destination Sonmarg, another dreamy escape in the world of snow. There are Some Photos Below that we clicked there to Remember our Visit at Kheer Bhavani temple of Srinagar. Thanks For Visiting My Blog.
In and around the temple
When visiting a temple, one should remember and stick to it's roots. You can wear beautiful indian wears and flip flops. Incense sticks can also be carried.
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