Kheer Bhawani Temple

Kheer Bhawani,Ksheer Bhawanior theRagnya Devi templeis aHindu templesituated at a distance of 25 kilometres (16 mi) north-east ofSrinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India, in the village of TulmullainGanderbal. It is dedicated to the Hindu goddess KheerBhavaniconstructed over a sacred spring.As is the custom withHindu deities, the goddess has many names includingRagnyaorRajna,along with variations in honorifics such asDevi,MataorBhagavati.The termkheerrefers to a milk and rice pudding that is offered to propitiate the goddess. Kheer Bhawani is sometimes translated as 'Milk Goddess'. The worship of Kheer Bhawani is universal among theHindu Kashmiris, most of them who worship her as their protective patron deityKuladevi.
The sacred spring here has its own attached belief. An eponymously namedmelais held annually here.It is one of the largest gatherings of Hindus in the region following theAmarnath pilgrimage.MaharajaPratap Singhof Jammu and Kashmir and MaharajaHari Singhcontributed to building and renovating the temple.
There are other temples to Kheer Bhawani in the region, such as Mata Kheer Bhawani Temple at Tikker, Kupwara.
The temple is one of the most important temples forKashmiri Hindusin Kashmir. The resident deity, Kheer Bhawani, is a favourite in this region. A heptagonal spring at the temple is situated around the goddess. The holy spring is known to change its colour with various hues of red, pink, orange, green, blue, and white. A black shade of the spring water is believed to be inauspicious. It was reported that the spring's colour turned black during the time ofKashmiri Pandit ExodusMost of the colours do not have any particular significance. In 1886,Walter Lawrence, the-thenBritishsettlement commissioner for land, during his visit to the spring, reported the water of the spring to have a violet tinge.Maharaja Ranbir Singhwas the first to construct adharmashalahere. The current form of the spring, temple pond, and temple were built underMaharaja Pratap Singh of Jammu and Kashmirin the 1910s.MaharajaHari Singhfurther renovated the temple.The temple area has old-growthchinartrees beneath which the pilgrims sit or sleep on mats of grass.
The Kheer Bhawanimelaor festival sees the annual congregation of Kashmiri Hindus, and other pilgrims and tourists. The mela is duringJyeshthaAshtami, also spelt as 'Zyeshta Astami'.The mela was threatened during terrorism  and Hindu exodus of 1990. It was restored with dedicated efforts of Indian Army contingent placed at Ganderbal.Now contingent of 115 BN CRPF is deployed at temple complex for so many years.This place is one of the few exception where Hindu priests never left the Mandir despite serious terrorist threats.
The mention of Kheer Bhawani is found inKalhana'sRajtarangini. Kalhana writes that the sacred spring of Tula Mula is situated in a marshy ground. Thousands of years ago, floods inundated the spring and temple. Kashmir's Yogi Krishna Pandit Taploo of Bohri Kadal, Srinagar had a dream in which the Goddess appeared to him and directed him to the location of the holy spring.It is also mentioned in theBhrigu Samhita.
Abu'l-Fazl ibn Mubarakin his bookAini-Akbarimentions the area of Tula Mula extending over a region of hundredbighas(unit of land area) of land, which used to sink in the marshy lands during the summer season.