Kheer Bhawani Temple

Kheer Bhawani stands in Tulla Mulla village near Srinagar, over a hexagonal spring sacred to Ragnya Devi, a form of Durga. A small marble shrine to the goddess sits beside it. The name comes from kheer, the rice pudding handed out to worshippers as prasad. Maharaja Pratap Singh had the temple built in 1912, and Maharaja Hari Singh later renovated it.

Devotees believe the spring changes colour, with dark water taken as a warning of trouble in the valley and lighter shades as a sign of peace. One story says Ram prayed to the goddess during his exile, and another credits a local pundit, Rugnath Gadroo, with a dream that led to this site. An annual pilgrimage with fasting ends on the eighth day after the full moon, and Navratri brings yagnas.