Srinagar, Aug. 25 -- Sinagar- As darkness settled over Srinagar on Tuesday, the road to Hazratbal began filling with people carrying prayer mats, reciting durood and naats, and making their way towards the shrine in anticipation of Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi.

By nightfall, thousands of devotees had gathered around Hazratbal, turning the shrine and its adjoining spaces into a vast congregation of prayer and remembrance.

The intervening night of August 25 and 26 carries a special place in the religious life of Kashmir. From across the Valley, families, elderly devotees and young people travelled to Hazratbal to spend the night in prayer and reflection as the occasion marking the birth of Prophet Muhammad (Pbuh) approached.

The shrine echoed wit...