SRINAGAR,INDIA, Apr 8, 2014 (Rising Kashmir, by Sumaiya Yousuf): Ram Navami, the birth anniversary of Lord Rama, was celebrated in Summer Capital with religious fervor and gaiety on Tuesday ending their nine-day-long fast of Chaitra Navratri. Hundreds of devotees thronged the temples since morning to pay obeisance. Havans, sankirtans and preeti bhoj were conducted. The local pujaris (priests) had organized rallies and other functions that were conducted smoothly.
A group of Kashmiri pandits told Rising Kashmir that they conducted the festival effortlessly. Expressing gratitude to Muslim community, they said that they were very happy to see Muslim brothers and sisters helping and supporting them. “We are pleased to see how everyone is supporting and enjoying our festival, we could see our Muslim brothers smiling and cheering with us so what could be better than this feeling on such a precious day,” another devotee from Karan Nagar Varun Gupta said. In several other places across Kashmir, Rath Yatra (religious processions) of murthis of Lord Rama and Sita are also organized, with devotees chanting hymns.
According to Kashmiri Pandit Sangarsh Samiti, an organization of Kashmiri Pandits staying in Kashmir valley, currently there are 651 families with of population of 2,764 Kashmiri Pandits staying in and outside Srinagar [against a pre-1995 population of more than 100,000]. As per the Indian online pages, J&K has 10,143,700 total population and among them 3,005,349 are Hindu population maintaining 29.6% of the total population.