Freedom of Religion

Eid-ul-Fitr Celebrated in Kashmir with Traditional Fervour | Apr 22, 2023

  • Eid-ul-Fitr was celebrated across Kashmir on Saturday with traditional fervour and gaiety as the largest  congregation of devotees was witnessed at the Hazratbal shrine on the  banks of the Dal lake.
  • However, authorities did not allow Eid prayers at the historic Jamia  Masjid in the old city, a day after allowing Friday congregational  prayers.
  • Hopes of Eid prayers being offered at the 14th-century mosque in the  city’s Nowhatta area were raised after authorities allowed the  Shab-e-Qadr and Jumatul Vida prayers.
  • However, officials directed the Jamia Masjid management to conduct the Eid prayers at 7.30 am instead of 9 am.
  • The Anuman Auqaf Jamia Masjid said the prayers could not be held at  7.30 am as people had to come from far-flung areas in accordance with  the schedule announced earlier.
  • The Eid celebrations went on smoothly elsewhere with men, women and  children, dressed in their best, making a beeline to mosques, eidgahs  and shrines to offer prayers.
  • The largest congregational prayers were held at the Hazratbal shrine  where former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah was among  the notable persons to offer prayers.
  • Large congregations for Eid prayers were also reported from other district headquarters and towns of the valley.
  • “On the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr, I convey my good wishes to all the  people of the world and I pray that Eid bring happiness with it every  year. We should stay together with love and happiness, this is what  Islam teaches us. We should not think bad about anyone and always do  good,” said Babu Hussain, a local businessman.
  • Deputy Commissioners of districts also extended their greetings on  the occasion and said that the festival is an occasion for devotion and  charity.

Eid prayers likely to be held at Srinagar Eidgah in 2023

  • The Jammu and Kashmir Waqf Board has said that the congregational Eid prayers are likely to be offered at the historic Eidgah in 2023.
  • Talking to reporters at the Eidgah after conducting a review of the  preparations for the congregational prayers that are offered after the  culmination of the holy month of Ramzan, Jammu and Kashmir Waqf Board Chairperson Darakhshan Andrabi said if the weather permits, the prayers  would be offered at the Eidgah this year.
  • “This year, the Eid namaz will be offered at the Eidgah…. There is a good atmosphere in Kashmir and it’s the administration’s endeavour to have the Eid namaz at the Eidgah,” she said.
  • Andrabi said all arrangements will be put in place so that the prayer is offered smoothly.
  • The Waqf board chairperson said the Eidgah is the face of the city and it will be developed and made better with improved facilities.

Diwali Celebrated Across Jammu And Kashmir KO Web Desk | Oct 26, 2022

  •  Srinagar- Diwali in Kashmir was celebrated with  love and brotherhood on Thursday, as sweet shops and markets in Srinagar  witnessed a good rush, with people from Hindu and Sikh community were  busy in shopping and lighting their houses.
  • According to a local news agency Muslims in Kashmir greeted and celebrated Diwali with the minority communities.
  • “This festival brings peace and prosperity, may almighty bring  happiness in our lives too, and bring unity among us. Current politics  is trying to create a rift in our brotherhood but we wish peace and  unity in Kashmir,” he said.
  • “I want to give a message to all those politicians who are trying to  create a rift in between our brotherhood in the name of religion and  politics, now that time has passed, we all are one, we celebrate Eid  with our Hindu brothers and they celebrate Diwali with us,” he said.
  • A Kashmiri Pandit from Baramulla said that Hindus and Muslims have been living in harmony in Kashmir for decades.
  • “We always back each other. I wish that it will remain like this  forever. We were celebrating every festival together. I pray this kind  of brotherhood will remain as it is,” he said.
  • A Pujari from Hanuman Mandir Aamira Kadal HSHS said that on this  occasion of Deepawali they are going to have Puja of Baghwati Mahalaksmi  and will light up the Mandir with Deepak (clay lamps).
  • “We will also share sweets and will pray for peace, health, wealth  and prosperity for all Kashmiris irrespective of their religious  belief,” he said.
  • In the Jammu region, temples and neighbourhoods across the city  were illuminated with clay lamps and string lights and firecrackers were  burst as soon as the sun set.  The directions of the Jammu and Kashmir Pollution Control Committee  (PCC) on disallowing the bursting of non-green crackers and the  limitations on bursting “green” crackers for just two hours between 8pm  and 10pm were sparsely followed. There was a huge rush of devotees to the temples. Army and other security personnels also observed diwali with enthusiasm  at their locations along the border with candle lights and diyas at  various places. As a peace gesture, both India and Pakistan on Thursday  exchanged sweets and greet each other on the auspicious occasion of  Diwali.
  • Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha also extended greetings to the  public. ”May this joyous occasion bring joy, happiness, peace and  prosperity to the people,” he said. “It is a celebration of the triumph  of light over darkness and of hope over despair. The festival celebrates  the victory of good over evil and reflects the true spirit of our  composite culture.”
 

Locals, tourists celebrate Christmas with Kashmir's Christian community - People dressed as Santa Claus in J&K’s Gulmarg | Dec 24, 2022

  • As Kashmir recorded the season’s coldest night at minus seven degrees Celsius, locals and tourists joined the Christian community in Chris- tmas celebrations across the Valley.
  • A group of local Muslims visited a Catholic church in Srinagar to celebrate the festival, which  they said will send a message of communal harmony and brotherhood. Three  major churches in the city centre were abuzz with celebrations and  people thronged the premises throughout the day. “We don’t want this  small Christian community here to feel alone or isolated. We wanted to  share the happiness,” said a local Muslim, who was present in the church  and distributed sweets as well.
  • In the ski resort of Gulmarg, tourists participated in the Christmas celebrations and went to the local Saint Mary’s church as well.
  • The  tourism department in Kashmir has planned week-long celebrations in  tourist destinations Gulmarg and Pahalgam from December 24-31, to  celebrate Christmas and New Year’s Eve, with several programmes  including games and music carnivals.
  • “We have tried to make  better arrangements for the celebrations. There is a festive atmosphere  here in Gulmarg and one gala event is planned on the New Year’s Eve in  Pahalgam as well,” said Fazlul Haseeb, director at the tourism  department in Kashmir. “With another spell of snowfall, the number of  tourists in Gulmarg will increase manifold.”  

Maha Shivratri

The festival of Mahashivratri is celebrated with pomp across the country. There is great enthusiasm among Shiva devotees to celebrate this. This year Mahashivaratri is being celebrated on February 18. But, a day before, the festival of Shivratri of the Kashmiri Pandit community begins. Shiv Puja starts a day before in the homes of Kashmiri Pandits.

Hearth means Shiva worship. This is a part of Shivaratri in which Shiva-Parvati is worshiped and Shiva procession is decorated. A few days before celebrating Hearth, its preparations begin. Kashmiri Pandit families clean their houses very well. The married girls of the family come to their maternal home at this time and wash their hair there. After this, gifts are given to the girls from the family.

In Kashmiri Pandits, the Hearth festival starts on Triyodashi i.e. a day before Mahashivratri. In the evening, places of worship are decorated in the homes of Kashmiri Pandits. Kashmiri Pandits establish pots in the name of Vatuknath (Lord Shiva-Parvati). Apart from this, Kalash and four bowls are also installed. This is the symbol of Shiva procession. There are two such utensils which are called Dulji. These utensils are in the form of Bhairon in the Shiva procession. Shiva-Parvati is worshiped for three to four hours.

Kashmiri Pandits give something or the other to the youth of their house the next morning after the puja is done. This is called hearth expenditure. With this money, children buy things for themselves. On this day the youth remind the people of the house about the hearth expenditure.

Walnuts are given as prasad after worship. Apart from walnuts, Kashmiri Pandits give rice bread as prasad to the girls of the house. This prasad is also offered in front of Shiva-Parvati’s wedding processions.

Amarnath Yatra - 2023

  • Amarnath Yatra 2023 will start from 30  June 2023. The 43-day yatra will end on 11 August 2023. There will be a  limit of 10,000 yatris per day on the Amarnath yatra route. This does  not include yatris who undertake the yatra by helicopter. The  registeration for Amarnath yatra begins on 11 April 2023 and the registeration fee is INR 100. 

About Amarnath Yatra

  • The Amarnath yatra attracts lakhs of pilgrims every year who visit the site during Shravani Mela in July-August (Shravan month in Hindu calendar) – the only time in the whole year when the Amarnath Cave is accessible. The cave is placed at an altitude of 3,888m, about 141 km from Srinagar, the capital of Jammu and Kashmir and reached through Pahalgam town. Amarnath has an important part to play in Hinduism and is  considered to be one of the holiest shrines. The annual ‘Amarnath Yatra’  is marked by ‘Pratham Pujan’ which is said to invoke the blessings of  Baba Amarnath.
  • Moreover, since the ice is collected from the  water dripping from the top of the cave due to the melting of the ice on  top of it, the ‘lingam’ reaches a maximum around July-August when the  ice caps around the cave are melting. Water seeps into the rocks that  form the cave and progressively fade thereafter. As per the religious  beliefs, it has been claimed that the lingam grows and shrinks with the  phases of the moon reaching its height during the summer festival. 
     Amarnath Yatra Official Opening Dates 2023
  • Amarnath Yatra 2023 will begin from 30 June. 
  • The Amarnath Yatra starts with ‘Pratham Pujan’ to invoke the blessings of Lord Shiva. The best and the most pleasant  part of the yatra is between Guru Purnima and Shravan Purnima. The  devotees reach the base camp from where the actual yatra starts. 

Lohri Festival – Celebration in Jammu and Kashmir | Jan 13, 2023

  • Lohri is celebrated by lighting a bonfire, which signifies the return  of longer, sunny days and the onset of spring. In ancient times,  lighting the bonfire was symbolic of the return of long days. In Jammu,  Havan Yagnas light up in households and temples.
  • People gather to have a feast, which includes preparations that use  crops cultivated or harvested in winter such as gurh and gachak, nuts  (harvested in January), radish (harvested between October and January),  and mustard greens (cultivated in winter). In Jammu, many people take a  dip in the holy rivers on the Lohri day.
  • Traditionally, Gajak, Sarson da saag with Makki di roti, radish,  groundnuts and jaggery are savoured on the occasion. Til rice, in some  places called tilcholi, is another popular dish relished on the festival  of Lohri. It is prepared using jaggery, sasame seeds, and puffed rice.
  • Preparing Chajja is popular among children in Jammu. They create a  replica of a peacock which is called Chajja, and take it from house to  house while celebrating Lohri. Children also wear garlands made from  groundnuts, dry fruits and candy. The Chajja dance is a tradition famous  in the Lohri celebrations in Jammu. Boys, with their Chajjas, decorated  using colourful paper and flowers, dance on the streets in processions.
  • On the Lohri day, kids go from house to house, singing songs. Adults  in the house give them sweets which commonly include gachak, crystal  sugar, jaggery, peanuts and popcorn. These treats collected by the  children are called Lohri. It’s a tradition to toss till, peanuts,  popcorn and some other foods into the fire at night. This is believed to  signify the beginning of a new year. In Jammu, kids specially ask for  gifts to newly-weds and families with newborn babies.
  • It is also a practice to light a bonfire at sunset and put sugar  candy, sesame seeds, jaggery and rewaries into it, then sit around the  fire while singing and dancing to folk songs. Commonly, people perform  the Bhangda and Gidda dance forms. Hindus pour milk and water into the  fire as an expression of gratitude towards the Sun God. Some people pray  and take rounds around the bonfire as a token of their respect towards  the element of fire.
  • Who started Lohri and what is the story of this festivity? The story  of Dulla Bhatti who lived in Punjab is linked with the Lohri  celebration. According to folklore, Dulla Bhatti lived in Punjab during  the rule of Mughal Emperor Akbar. He is said to have rescued many Hindu  girls from being taken for sale in the slave market in the Middle East.  Sundri and Mundri were two of the several girls he saved. These girls  are also a part of Punjabi folklore and many Lohri songs are based on  Dulla Bhatti and his life story.
  • How do newly married couples celebrate Lohri and how do you celebrate  a baby’s first Lohri? The families of the newly-wed couple gather  around the bonfire in festive attire and celebrate Lohri with much  aplomb. In families where there are newly-weds or a newborn baby, the  requests for treats by kids also increase. To celebrate a baby’s first  Lohri, the baby and the mother are given treats and gifts by friends and  relatives. In households with newly married couples or newborn babies,  Lohri celebrations start since morning by dancing to Dhol beats,  followed by preparing special dishes, having fun with relatives and  friends, and performing bonfire rituals in the evening.
  • Lohri has a special significance for the farmer community as it marks  the commencement of a new financial year for them and obviously because  this festival marks the beginning of the harvest season. You will be  surprised to know that during the 19th century, revenue for winter crops  was collected on Lohri.
  • It is worth visiting Jammu at the time of Lohri as this festival is  celebrated with great zeal in every household here. The whole of Jammu  looks decked up during this time of the year and there is a festive  spirit in the air. People visit temples and holy rivers for prayers,  bonfire rituals are held at different places, and family members,  relatives and friends get together to enjoy good food, music and dance,  as they happily greet the spring season and pray for everyone’s peace  and prosperity.