YOUNUS RASHID
Panzath (Qazigund), May 17: Hundreds of people on Sunday participated in the annual Fish Festival and cleanliness drive at Panzath Nag in Qazigund area of South Kashmir’s Anantnag, with locals saying the centuries-old tradition helps protect natural springs that supply drinking and irrigation water to several villages.
Children, youth and elders gathered at the famous spring, where people entered the water carrying traditional wicker baskets and nets to clean the streams and catch fish as part of the annual festival.
Locals said Panzath Nag, believed to comprise nearly 500 springs spread over around 1.5 kilometres, provides drinking water to more than two dozen villages besides irrigating orchards and paddy fields in the Qazigund belt. Historical references to the springs are also found in ancient texts including Rajatarangini and Nilamata Purana.
Aashiq Hussain, a resident of Panzath, told Rising Kashmir that the festival is not only about catching fish but cleaning and preserving the water bodies.
“This centuries-old custom serves as a source of irrigation and drinking water for villages located downstream from Panzath Nag,” he said.
He said people from different villages participate in the festival every year and voluntarily clean weeds, mud and waste from the springs to maintain smooth water flow.
“I have been participating in this festival since childhood. People come here not only for fishing but also to clean the spring and keep the tradition alive,” Gul added.
Locals said the annual event is held during “Rohan Posh”, a traditional day when people also visit graveyards and offer floral tributes to their departed relatives.
Residents said the festival has become a community-driven effort to conserve water bodies at a time when natural springs across Kashmir are facing depletion and pollution.
Khursheed Ahmad, a resident of Panzath said that the spring supports thousands of kanals of agricultural and horticultural land and also supplies drinking water to several habitations in the area.
“The real purpose of the festival is that the water body gets cleaned for the entire year. It is a tradition we inherited from our forefathers,” he said.
He added that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also mentioned the Panzath festival in his “Mann Ki Baat” programme in 2023 while referring to community participation in protecting water bodies.
Residents demanded that Panzath, located close to the
Srinagar-Jammu National Highway near Qazigund, will be developed as a tourist destination.
They said the area has significant tourism potential because of its natural springs, trout streams and scenic landscape, but lacks adequate infrastructure and official attention.