Kheer Bhawani: the Ragnya Devi temple at Tulmulla

At a glance

Where

Tulmulla village, Ganderbal district

Deity

Ragnya Devi, known as Mata Kheer Bhawani

From Srinagar

40–55 min Go Kashmir app estimate, 24 Oct 2026

Main festival

Mela on Jyeshtha Ashtami 22 June in 2026

2027 mela

Not announced Drik Panchang: Jyeshtha Shukla Ashtami on 11 June 2027

Pilgrims in 2025

1,41,044 official data, reported by Kashmir Life

Status

Not on the official closed list as on 7 July 2026

What is Kheer Bhawani?

1. A temple in a spring

   “The Kheer Bhawani Temple, situated in the middle of a natural spring, is often visited by tourists out of curiosity,” says the Ganderbal district administration. “Popular with all tourists, it is especially revered by the Kashmiri Pandits in the Valley.” JKTDC describes “a hexagonal spring and a small marble shrine where the goddess’ idol is installed”, and the Ministry of Tourism’s Incredible India also calls the spring “shaped like a hexagon”.

2. Ragnya Devi and the name

   The presiding deity is Ragnya Devi, whom JKTDC and Incredible India describe as an incarnation of the goddess Durga. The temple takes its name from kheer, the rice pudding “which is the main offering to the goddess”, JKTDC says; the district site says “devotees offer milk and kheer to the resident deity”. The temple’s affairs are managed by the Dharmarth Trust, the Deccan Herald reported in 2020.

3. Who built it

   “Maharaja Pratap Singh built this temple in 1912, which was later renovated by Maharaja Hari Singh,” according to JKTDC; Incredible India gives the same dates and names. JKTDC also retells the legend: Lord Rama worshipped the goddess during his exile, her seat was later moved to Shadipora, and the temple came to its present site after the goddess appeared in the dream of a local pandit named Rugnath Gadroo.

Does the water really change colour?

Devotees believe it does, and the published sources describe this as a belief, not a measurement. On the mela day, “it is believed that Goddess Ragnya changes the spring’s colour”, JKTDC says, and “if the colour changes to black, it is considered a bad omen”. Incredible India says “a black hue is considered ominous”. The district site puts it more cautiously: “Rumour has it that the waters turn black as a warning for any looming calamity.”

While most of the colours do not have any particular significance, black or darkish colour of the water is believed to be an indication of inauspicious times for Kashmir.

None of the official pages we read names red as one of the colours. At the 2026 mela, PTI reported, “the water in the spring was clean and milky white this year.” We found no official record of which colours have been seen in which years.

Kheer Bhawani mela dates

The mela falls on Jyeshtha Ashtami, the eighth lunar day (Ashtami) of the bright half (Shukla Paksha) of the Hindu month of Jyeshtha. Because it follows the lunar calendar, its Gregorian date moves from year to year. The main congregation is at Tulmulla; in 2026 the mela was also observed at Tikker (Kupwara), Devsar-Manzgam (Kulgam) and Logripora (Anantnag), Kashmir Reader reported.

2024: Kashmir Life, 12 June 2024, and the Lieutenant Governor’s figure in Kashmir Life, 14 June 2024. He also said “the devotees were ferried in over 200 buses from Jammu”, more than the 176 counted at the flag-off. 2025: The Tribune, 1 June 2025, and the Deputy Commissioner of Ganderbal as reported by Kashmir Reader, 5 May 2026. 2026: Kashmir Reader, 21 June and 22 June 2026. Weekdays are from Drik Panchang.

How the 2027 date is set

The date follows the Hindu lunar calendar, so it is known in advance from a panchang even before officials announce the arrangements. Drik Panchang’s 2027 list, calculated for New Delhi, puts Jyeshtha Shukla Ashtami on Friday 11 June 2027, from 05:13 on 11 June to 03:44 on 12 June. The same listing for 2024, 2025 and 2026 gives 14 June, 3 June and 22 June, the days the mela was reported. In 2026 the calendar had an extra month: Drik Panchang lists an “Adhika” Jyeshtha Ashtami on 23 May as well as the regular one on 22 June, and the mela was held on 22 June.

11 June 2027 is Drik Panchang’s calculation, not an announcement. If you plan to travel in early or mid June, see Kashmir in June for the weather and other events that month.

What officials arranged for the 2026 mela

• The organised yatra: the Relief and Rehabilitation Organisation coordinated the yatra from Jammu with the district administrations. Kashmir Reader reported “a significant rise in pilgrim registrations” in 2026, and the administration also greeted devotees “travelling independently”. We found no published registration rule for visitors who travel on their own.
• Places to stay: the temple premises and the Central University of Kashmir campus at Tulmulla were designated as the main accommodation sites, with tents and bedding to be put in place, Kashmir Reader reported on 5 May 2026. A new Yatri Bhawan inside the temple premises, built to hold “approximately 800-900 pilgrims through floor bedding arrangements”, was opened by the Lieutenant Governor in June 2026, The Tribune reported.
• Health and access: ambulances and medical teams at the shrine, and wheelchairs and walking sticks for elderly and differently-abled devotees, were planned at the Deputy Commissioner’s review reported by Kashmir Reader on 13 June 2026. Help desks and facilitation centres were set up, ETV Bharat reported.
• Security and traffic: police, Central Armed Police Forces, CCTV and drone monitoring, according to Kashmir Reader on 23 June 2026. The IGP Kashmir reviewed access control, traffic regulation and designated parking the day before, Kashmir Reader reported.

Visiting outside the mela

Kheer Bhawani draws pilgrims all year. Official data counted 1,41,044 pilgrims at Tulmulla in 2025, Kashmir Life reported; “nearly 2.14 lakh” came in 2024 and 1.90 lakh in 2023, according to official data reported by Greater Kashmir.

Official data reported by Kashmir Life on 27 December 2025, before the year had ended. The monthly figures as published add up to 1,31,447, not the 1,41,044 total the same report gives; we show both as published. The 2025 mela fell on 3 June.

• Other occasions: the temple holds “fairs and yagnas during its annual festival and navratras”, and “Hawans on Shukla Paksh Ashtami are also common”, JKTDC says.
• Status: Kheer Bhawani is not on the official list of closed tourist destinations as on 7 July 2026, which has no entries in Ganderbal district. See what’s closed in Kashmir.
• Hours and fees: we found no official opening hours or entry fee. Ask at the temple.

What devotees offer, and how they visit

These are practices that dated reports describe, not rules published by the temple:

• Milk and kheer to the deity, as the district site describes; at the 2026 mela PTI reported both being offered at the sacred spring, and Kashmir Reader reported offerings of “milk, sugar candy, raisins and clarified butter” there.
• Rose petals and lamps: in 2026 devotees carried rose petals and diyas towards the spring, according to UNI.
• Barefoot: PTI reported from the 2026 mela (in The Tribune): “Walking barefoot and carrying rose petals, devotees jostled with each other to move closer to the main temple complex.”
• Offerings for sale: at the 2025 mela, Greater Kashmir reported: “Stalls set up by local Muslims offered items required for the rituals.”

We found no published dress code or footwear rule from the Dharmarth Trust or the district administration.

Getting to Kheer Bhawani

• From Srinagar: the temple is “approximately 25 km from Srinagar”, The Tribune reported in June 2026, and an estimated 40–55 minutes by road, according to the Go Kashmir app as of 24 October 2026.
• During the mela: in 2025, authorities “issued a detailed traffic advisory to regulate vehicular movement towards the shrine”, Greater Kashmir reported, and in 2026 the IGP Kashmir reviewed traffic regulation and designated parking.

To combine Tulmulla with other temples and sacred springs in a day, the Go Kashmir app’s Spiritual Journey planner builds a route of sacred places from your starting point.

Estimated road times from the Go Kashmir app, as of 24 October 2026. For the road on to the mountains, see the Sonamarg guide.

Kheer Bhawani questions

Sources

1. Ganderbal district administration, Kheer Bhawani Temple, updated 21 Jan 2025. Read 24 Oct 2026.
2. JKTDC, About Kheer Bhawani Temple in Kashmir, undated. Read 24 Oct 2026.
3. Ministry of Tourism, Incredible India: Kheer Bhawani Temple, undated. Read 24 Oct 2026.
4. Anantnag district administration, details of closed tourist destinations as on 07-07-2026 (PDF). Read 24 Oct 2026.
5. Kashmir Life, yatra flagged off amid tight security, 12 Jun 2024; over 30,000 devotees, says LG Sinha, 14 Jun 2024; over 1.41 lakh pilgrims in 2025, 27 Dec 2025. Read 24 Oct 2026.
6. The Tribune, devotees leave for Kheer Bhawani mela, 1 Jun 2025, and Yatri Bhawan opens at Kheer Bhawani shrine, 6 Jun 2026. Read 24 Oct 2026.
7. Kashmir Reader, DC Ganderbal reviews arrangements, 5 May 2026; DC reviews preparations, 13 Jun 2026; yatra flagged off, 21 Jun 2026; IGP reviews security, 22 Jun 2026; thousands participate, 22 Jun 2026; an emotional homecoming, 23 Jun 2026. Read 24 Oct 2026.
8. Greater Kashmir, over 2 lakh pilgrims in 2024, 15 Jan 2025, and devotees arrive in Tulmulla, 3 Jun 2025. Read 24 Oct 2026.
9. ETV Bharat, Kheer Bhawani Mela 2026, 22 Jun 2026. Read 24 Oct 2026.
10. PTI in The Tribune, Kashmiri Pandits at J-K’s Tulmulla for annual Kheer Bhawani Mela, 22 Jun 2026 (also carried by Newswav), and UNI, thousands join annual Kheer Bhawani Mela, 22 Jun 2026. Read 24 Oct 2026.
11. Deccan Herald, this year’s Kheer Bhawani festival unlikely to see participation, 28 May 2020. Read 24 Oct 2026.
12. Drik Panchang, Masik Durgashtami dates for New Delhi, 2024, 2025, 2026 and 2027. Read 24 Oct 2026.
13. Go Kashmir app, estimated road times, 24 Oct 2026.

We searched for an announcement of the 2027 mela on 24 October 2026 and found none. We write from published sources and do not claim personal visits. How we check facts.