Ganderbal, Sep 4: Members of the local Pandit community celebrated Janmashtami in central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district on Friday, with a traditional religious procession held from the historic temple at Nunnar to the Devraj Temple at Chapergund.
A large number of devotees, including men, women and children, took part in the procession, which was held amid elaborate security arrangements.
The procession began at the Nunnar temple and passed through adjoining areas before concluding at the Devraj Temple in Chapergund.
Participants carried religious symbols, offered prayers and chanted devotional hymns as the procession moved along the route.
The celebrations marked the birth of Lord Krishna and were held with religious devotion and traditional fervour.
Devotees said Janmashtami holds deep religious and cultural significance for the Pandit community and provides an opportunity to preserve and pass on its traditional practices.
They also expressed satisfaction over the peaceful conduct of the event and thanked the district administration, police and local residents for their cooperation.
“We are happy that the celebrations were conducted peacefully. The cooperation extended by the administration, police and local residents helped devotees observe the festival without any disruption,” participants said.
The devotees also prayed for peace, prosperity, brotherhood and communal harmony in Jammu and Kashmir, stressing the importance of mutual respect and peaceful coexistence.
Police and civil administration personnel were deployed along the procession route to ensure security and facilitate the movement of devotees.
The procession and other religious programmes concluded peacefully, with no untoward incident reported, officials said.
