Zyeth Atham
Published on 26 Oct 2025
Zyeth Atham (Jyeshtha Ashtami), a significant festival for the Kashmiri Pandit community, was recently celebrated.
Observed on the eighth day of the waxing moon (growing or increasing in size) in the Hindu month of Jyeshtha, it honors Goddess Ragnya Devi (Kheer Bhawani).
Kheer Bhavani is an incarnation of Mata Durga and their Kuldevi.
Devotees visit her temple in Tulmulla, Ganderbal, Jammu and Kashmir, offering 'kheer' (rice and milk pudding), from which the temple gets its name.
Mentioned in Kalhana's 12th-century 'Rajatarangini', the temple is built over a sacred spring amidst chinar trees.
Legend says Ragnya Devi once was worshipped by King Ravana, but was displeased and left Lanka and settled in Tulmulla with Lord Hanuman's aid.
