Kashmiri Pandits attend annual ritual at Shiva temple in Shopian district

our correspondent

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Shopian, August 26

Kashmiri Pandits from various parts of the state thronged Nagbal in Shopian today to participate in ‘Kapal Mochan Shradh’, an annual ritual to seek emancipation of the souls of deceased, especially children.

Hundreds of Kashmiri Pandit families, including migrants, took part in a ‘havan’ at the Shiva Temple in Nagbal. The village is situated on the banks of the Rambiara nullah and is around one and a half kilometre from Shopian district.

The havan was organised on the eve of the main ‘puja’, being performed each year on August 27 or on the 12th day of the waxing moon during ‘Shravana’ since 2012.

“The puja was revived three years ago. Since then, it is performed peacefully,” said Bansi Lal Kaul,” a Kashmiri Pandit. Kaul said prior to the 1990s, they used to celebrate the festival each year but had to stop the custom when insurgency started in Kashmir.

He said they offered prayers on this day at the Shiva Temple at Nagbal (in Hindu scriptures the village is named as Kapal Mochan) for salvation of souls of people who died young.

“There are no prevalent rituals for Shradh for boys or girls who pass away before the thread ceremony. Our religious belief is that their souls remain wandering as formless entities. We have a faith that these souls attain salvation only after a Shradh at Kapal Mochan,” Kaul said. The temple, named as Kapleshwar Shiva, houses a Shiva Lingam and is surrounded by three fresh water springs.

The place was damaged by years of neglect and the puja was not performed for more than 20 years. The community was assisted by the government to revive its glory. A fence was constructed around the temple and a building was constructed by the Department of Tourism for stay of devotees.