Bridging Divides | Historic Havan at Brari Mauj Temple unites Pulwama's Pandit, Muslim communities

Pulwama, June 11:  Inside a spacious tent, women from Kashmiri Pandits community are performing Rouf while Muslim women cheer them on.

The faces of both the communities mirror a deep sense of communal amity.

The cultural programme was organised by the Kashmiri Pandit community after a two-day Havan performed at Brari Mauj temple in idyllic Murran village, a 5-minute drive from Pulwama town.

The havan, which concluded on Tuesday, was performed for the first time since 1987.

“We would perform the havan each year before 1987. But after terrorism broke out, most of the community members were displaced from Kashmir and there was no havan at the temple,” said Pyare Lal Pandita, a community member.

Brari Mauj temple has a historical significance with the place finding its mention in Nilamata Purana, the ancient texts, containing detailed accounts of history, religious places, and other monuments.

This mention highlights the enduring significance and deep-rooted cultural heritage associated with the temple. Over the last few days, the devotees from different parts of the country visited the village to participate in the havan.

“Scores of community members came here from almost all parts of the country to participate in the havan and Pooja,” Pandita said.

Before the troubled nineties, the havan was usually followed by a play where the members from both the communities would participate.

“Today it revived those cherished memories. Both the communities were again seen participating in a cultural program,” Pandita said.

“It seems as if the place again sprang to life,” he said.

However, Pandita lamented that no senior official from the district administration participated in the programme.

The village was home to dozens of Pandit families, but only a few of them stayed put following the outbreak of terrorism.

Many devotees said that during the havan and Pooja, the Muslim community had made arrangements of their stay at their homes.

Promoting communal harmony, the welcome banners put up by the Youth Forum Pulwama in the village featured messages like, “Hindus and Muslims are like pure sugar and milk. Dissolve sugar in milk.”

A Muslim resident said that the programme showcases communal harmony and amity.