Tulmulla, June 23 -- Amid chants of Vedic hymns and the sounds of conch shells, thousands of devotees gathered at the Kheer Bhawani shrine here on Monday to celebrate Zeashta Ashtami, one of the most important religious festivals of the Kashmiri Pandit community, with many reiterating their demand for a dignified and secure return to their homeland.

The annual festival witnessed one of the highest footfalls in recent years, with devotees from across the country thronging the shrine complex in central Kashmir's Ganderbal district to pay obeisance to Mata Ragnya Bhagwati.

The festival marks the appearance day of Goddess Ragnya Bhagwati.

It is celebrated at several shrines dedicated to the deity across Kashmir, including Kheer Bhawani at ...