Srinagar, Aug. 25 -- Eid Milad-un-Nabi is one of the rare occasions when Kashmir gathers around a shared memory with such force that faith becomes part of the valley's public life.

The occasion marks the birth of Prophet Muhammad, PBUH, observed on the 12th of Rabi al-Awwal, and in Kashmir it has grown into something larger than a religious date.

It is devotion, inherited culture, family memory and community life meeting in the same place.

Hazratbal gives that connection its most powerful expression.

The shimmering shrine houses the Moi-e-Muqaddas, the relic believed to be associated with the Prophet, and its public display draws thousands of worshippers.

Historical accounts trace the relic's arrival in India to 1635, while Kashmiri ...