Pampore, July 20: The annual HaarChodah festival was observed with great fervor at the Mata JawalaJi Temple in Khrew, South Kashmir’s Pulwama district, on Saturday. The festival, marking the birthday of Mata JawalaJi, attracted numerous Kashmiri Pandits from various parts of India who gathered at the temple to pay their respects.
Anil Pandita, a Kashmiri Pandit from HabbaKadal and currently residing in Mumbai, remarked, “Today is HaarChodah, celebrated as the birthday of JawalajiBhagwati.” He noted that Kashmiri Pandits have observed this day for centuries. Panditatraveled from Mumbai to participate in the celebrations and offer his obeisance at the temple. “Devotees are visiting the temple in large numbers, reviving their old memories,” he added, praising the elaborate arrangements made for the attendees.
MahrajKrishanRaina, President of the JawalaJiSamitiKhrew, highlighted the historical significance of the festival. “For the past 650 years, HaarChodah has been celebrated as the birthday of Jawalaji Mata,” he stated. Raina noted that devotees from across the country, including Mumbai and Delhi, converge at the temple on this auspicious day. “Mata Jawalaji is our Isht Devi, which means it is mandatory for us to pay obeisance here once a year,” Raina explained.
A notable tradition of the festival includes the offering of cooked yellow rice, known locally as Tahari, which is distributed among the devotees. Raina also mentioned the arrangement of a langhar, or community kitchen, which has been providing meals for the devotees over the past five days. He expressed his gratitude to the local Muslim community for their assistance and acknowledged the efforts of police, municipality, PDD, and PHE officials in ensuring facilities for the attendees.
Mata JawalaJi, also revered as ZaalaBhagwati, is considered one of the ancient shrines of Kashmir. The temple, octagonal in shape, is perched on a hillock and accessed by a ladder carved from Devri stones, consisting of approximately 320 steps. The festival’s observance on AshadShuklaChaturdashi, also known as JwalaChaturdashi, underscores its religious importance for many Kashmiri Pandit families who regard Jwalaji as their personal deity.
