SRINAGAR: Maha-Shivratri is being celebrated throughout the Kashmir valley with religious fervour and gaiety.
The festival is called as Herath by the Kashmiri Pandits.
Herath marks the occasion when, according to Hindu belief, deities Lord Shiva and Uma married.
Kashmiri pandits held night long prayers in their houses and visited Shiv temples early on Sunday. Muslims and people from other communities greeted their Pandit friends.
The Governor N N Vohra and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah have greeted people on Herath, the most important annual festival of Kashmiri pandits.
However, the Kashmiri Pandit Sangarsh Samiti (KPSS) has lamented that the prevailing situation, marked by shutdowns and curfew, affected the fervour as they could not buy essential items for their prayers.
Long Festival
The Shivratri festival extends to about three weeks in Kashmiri Pandit households. Each day (or a group of days) bears a special name and has religious and social performances attached to it.
Some of the names are Akodah, Hurya Aatham, Dyara Daham, Vagarye Bah, Heracnia Truvah, Donya Mavas and Tila Aatham.
The festival begins on the first day of Phalgun Krishna Paksha and ends on the Amavasi day in Phalgun.
In between, there are numerous auspicious days like Hur Ashtami.
Rituals
Walnuts, whose shape the Hindus believe represents the universe, play an important part in Herath rituals.
Walnuts are filled in earthen pots and it is then filled with water. A big earthen pot, two medium-sized earthern pot and two small earthen pots – clay modeled to the shape of elephant trunk – besides seven bowls are used in the Herath rituals.
These are known as ‘Watuk’.
The watuk represents Shiva, Parvati, Ganesha, Sapta Rishis and other deities.
Fasting is observed on the important puja day and it comes to an end at night. The rituals come to an end on the Amavasi day, which follows Shivratri.
The puja items, flowers and pots are immersed in rivers. Walnuts are distributed as Prasad.
Unlike the other Hindus, Fish is an important part of the festival for Kashmiri Pandits.
(with inputs from UNI)
