Date: 2025-07-09 02:33:02 Tags: Private: No Body:

The temple of Mata Jwala Ji also called Jwala Bhagwati, is located in Khrew, a town about 20 km southeast of Srinagar in Kashmir. It is situated on a small hillock, offering beautiful views of the surrounding Zabarwan mountain range. The presiding deity is Mata Jwala Ji, a manifestation of Shakti, the primordial cosmic energy. The word “Jwala” means flame, indicating the goddess’s fiery power. In local tradition, she is also called “Jawala Bhagwati”, and is revered as a protector and fulfiller of wishes.

The origins of the shrine is very ancient. It is believed to be several thousand years old. According to legends and Kashmiri folklore, the temple’s location was sanctified by the goddess herself who manifested here in a blazing form.

The temple finds mention in the Rajatarangini, the famous chronicle by Kalhana (12th century CE), which records many Shakti Peethas in Kashmir. 

Despite the political upheavals and invasions in Kashmir’s history, the worship of Jwala Ji at Khrew continued. The Mughal emperor Akbar, as per local lore, is said to have offered respect to such shrines due to their vibrant following.

Near the temple, there is a natural spring (nag) considered very sacred. Earlier, local traditions spoke of mysterious natural flames (or emissions of gases catching fire) from nearby rocks, giving it the name Jwala Mukhi, though such phenomena are mostly subdued now.

🌺 Aashad Sukhlapaksha Chaturdashi Festival

The annual festival (mela) dedicated to Mata Jawala Ji is observed on Aashad Shukla Paksha Chaturdashi (the 14th lunar day of the bright half of Ashadha month.

Mata Jwala Ji Temple at Khrew is an ancient Shakti shrine of Kashmir and it stands as a testament to the rich spiritual and syncretic traditions of Kashmir, dedicated to the ever-blazing divine Mother who protects her devotees.

Thousands of devotees (historically both Kashmiri Pandits and local Muslims) used to visit the shrine, taking a holy bath in the spring and offering pooja to the goddess.

Among the seven principal Shakti temples (Sapta Shakti Peethas) of ancient Kashmir, including Kheer Bhawani at Tulmul, Sharika Bhagwati at Hari Parbat, Jwala Ji of Khrew also holds a unique place in Kashmir historical pilgrim places.

Kashmiri Pandits traditionally pay homage here to seek blessings for health, protection from calamities, and fulfillment of desires.

The temple continues to be revered, and efforts have been made by the community to maintain the annual festival and preserve the sanctity of the site, even after the turmoil that led to large-scale migration of Pandits from the valley in the 1990s.

जय ज्वाला माता

Date: 2025-07-10 08:06:52 Tags: Private: No Body:

Triloke Kaul, a prominent and esteemed Kashmiri artist and former Director of the School of Designs, passed away on June 15, 2025, in Jammu.

Born in the early 1930s in Habakadal, Srinagar, Kashmir, into a Kashmiri Pandit family, Kaul grew up amidst the vibrant cultural milieu of the old city — wooden havelis, stone temples, narrow lanes, and the ghats of the Vitasta (Jhelum) river — all of which would later infuse his art.

After completing his schooling in Kashmir, he pursued formal studies in fine arts at the prestigious Faculty of Fine Arts, Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda (now Vadodara), Gujarat. There, he trained under stalwarts of modern Indian art, absorbing influences from the Baroda School, known for blending traditional Indian idioms with global modernism.

Triloke Kaul was a pioneer of modernism in Kashmir — known for his cubist landscapes, mentorship of younger artists, and stewardship of the region’s cultural heritage. His paintings are marked by a cubist, analytical approach, breaking down landscapes, cityscapes, temples, and bridges into geometric forms. He often used vivid yet earthy palettes — ochres, saffron, and deep greens — reminiscent of Kashmir’s seasonal moods. His work is deeply rooted in Kashmiri architecture and terrain, giving his modernist expression a distinct regional identity.

Upon returning to Srinagar in the 1950s, Kaul became a founding member of the Progressive Artists’ Association of Kashmir, alongside artists like P.N. Kachru, S.N. Bhat, G.R. Santosh, and Bansi Parimu.

In the late 1950s, he was appointed Director of the School of Designs, under the Department of Industries and Commerce, Government of Jammu & Kashmir. The school was established to revive and modernize Kashmiri handicrafts. Under his leadership, the institution produced hundreds of new designs for shawls, carpets, papier-mâché, and wooden crafts — blending tradition with modern aesthetics. He was part of a movement that helped transform Kashmiri art from purely decorative crafts into a broader visual modernism. Kaul Sahab played a crucial role in preserving Kashmir’s design vocabulary while introducing modern lines and forms.

Though less known in mainstream Indian art history compared to contemporaries like G.R. Santosh, partly because he focused more on design work and local mentorship than on self-promotion, Triloke Kaul is revered among Kashmiri artists and craft historians as a foundational figure in the evolution of modern Kashmiri visual culture.

He was among the first recipients of the Sharda Samman in 1993.

Date: 2025-07-16 08:42:21 Tags: Private: No Body:

Today is Shravan Krishan Paksh Sheshti, and this day is also called Vahārat in Kashmiri tradtions. Vahārat is indeed a significant day in Kashmiri Hindu culture. It marks the beginning of the rainy season (usually around early Shravan) in the Kashmir Valley. The name "Vahārat" is thought to be derived from an old Kashmiri term meaning "rainy period". Vahārat marks the transition from summer to the rainy season and Kashmiri Pandits celebrate this change with tradtional rituals and prepration of special foods. Vahārat is an important cultural event highlighting the communities connection with nature and their tradtions.

It is a time to thank nature for the coming rains which are vital for paddy and saffron cultivation in the valley. Small rituals are sometimes done, involving water pots and local deities, to seek blessings for good rains and healthy crops.

Families usually visit relatives and friends, exchanging greetings, and wishes for good rains and prosperity. Often, women gather together to prepare special foods.

On this day Kashmiri Pandits usually prepare a special and unique snack called Yaje (याज़ि). Yaje (याज़ि) is a unique Kashmiri Pandit delicacy made primarily from rice flour (चावल का आटा) and walnut kernels (डूंनय गूज़). The dough of rice atta kneaded with water and walnut kernels mixed into it, along with cumin seeds and ajwain, is then shaped into small round or oval patties and these patties are steamed in a traditional earthen pot called lej in Kashmiri (लेज in Kashmiri), on tradtional Kashmiri chullas (दान), giving them a rustic flavour. The Kashmiri's enjoy these hot Yaje (याज़ि) with Sheer-Chai (salted Kashmiri tea) or sometimes with sweet Kehwa.

Vahārat is not a religious festival, more of a seasonal folk obersvance deeply rooted in the agrarian life of Kashmiri Hindus. It reflects how closely life is tied to the rhythms of nature, where rain mean hope for rice paddies, saffron fields and apple orchards. The small festival also serve as a social bonding day, ensuring that ties of kinship and neighbourhood are strengthened, by sharing Yaje (याज़ि) with family, relatives, neighbours and friends.

Date: 2025-09-03 12:50:36 Tags: Kashmir, Kashmiri Festivals, Celebrations Private: No Body:

For several years now, I have been out of my hometown.

It was after completing my 12th class that I went for my graduation in Chandigarh. Left Jammu and Kashmir.

Little did I know that I would not be coming again.

This is not only me, but many Kashmiri Pandit Youth these days leave their hometowns, especially from the Jammu and Kashmir region, for their higher studies, and then settle in other states of India for their jobs.

Later, they get married and have kids, and then it becomes nearly impossible to visit their hometowns anymore.

Sometimes it is because of the workload, leave accumulation, and sometimes it is because of the kids' studies.

Why should we go home for Kashmiri Festivals?

As a society, we are already spread across the globe, and our distances are increasing daily. Today, we are in India in some other state, and the next moment, we see ourselves moving abroad.

If today it is difficult to take out time to visit our home town, then in near future it might become nearly impossible to do so.

I remember when I graduated and got my first job in a hotel, I didn't visit my home for almost 3 to 5 years. It was a long time to stay away from home and all that for the sake of settling down.

I missed marriages, functions, and celebrations that mattered to me. Missed festivals like Shivratri, Pann, Diwali, et, just to build a career. But today, when I see to the past, that wasn't really necessary. I just missed some precious time that I will never get again.

While I was running, everyone around me was taking breaks and going to their families. My roommate just took off for Dusshera, and now, on Diwali, was again going home. Before that, on Ganesh Chaturthi.

I was the only one at my work location not going home to celebrate anything.

It was at that time that I realised what I was missing. What we as a society are missing these days.

I determined in my mind that I will go to Jammu on every Shivratri, and till today I am doing that, and I cannot be happier doing that.

It is the time of year when I am excited. I must go home on Shivratri in any way possible. This year I went to Jammu in my car with my wife and 1-year-old daughter.

It was an incredible experience to travel 5000 km to and fro.

This reason that I have made it mandatory for me to take leave and go to my home during Shivratri has allowed me to be connected to my roots.

There is nothing that can keep you grounded and connected to your community more than going to your home during Kashmiri Festivals. These festivals are so vibrant and happening when we go there. Without us, there is no meaning to these festivals. More than that, there is nothing in us without these festivals.

Our net worth, the money we have or the money we might make, is not worth the connection that we as humans feel when we are in our native place. Especially when we have kids.

Kids love to explore. They want to learn where they come from and what is their legacy.

I believe if we are not able to introduce our kids to Kashmir and its legacy, then we have failed as parents.

Everyone has the right to know their history, and by visiting our hometown during Kashmiri Festivals, we become more connected to our culture and traditions.

Let us know in the comments section below when you last visited your home.

Date: 2025-05-30 18:54:01 Body: "Yekjah" is a prominent Kashmiri Word meaning "at One Place". This is an important word that describes where people are and in what situation. It denotes a feeling of community. A feeling of togetherness. A sense of brotherhood among people all around the world. When you use this particular word, it denotes that we are together in all situations and are available for help. It can also be used to describe collaboration, because collabs happen when people come together. This website, "www.yekjah.org", revolves around this feeling of togetherness. You can join, and in one place, you can contribute to making this world a better place. This is not only limited to Kashmir, but also about the innovation that Kashmir was always been central to. Intellectuals from all across the world used to come to the Kashmir Valley to learn and share their insights about this world and their perspective. Kashmir was the center of knowledge. It was a place where pundits in their skill and craft used to prosper, and this is what "YEKJAH" denotes. A SENSE OF TOGETHERNESS A sense of being in One Place and putting our efforts for the betterment of humankind. So, take your step towards being part of something bigger. Something that has meaning and provides a tool to share insights and knowledge, not only limited to Kashmir, but also knowledge of the world. If you know about Science, History, Mathematics, Language, or anything else in this universe, which is useful and powerful for humans or so for any organism in this universe, this is the place you deserve to be. Join "Yekjah" and share your knowledge with the world, and also learn from other experts. Share with the community and be part of a safe environment where humans thrive and not just bots. We are ensuring that there are no bots on this platform, so that humans can get real feedback and appreciations, unlike any other platform that also allows bots, which only spread propaganda.

Date: 2025-07-03 13:08:35 Tags: Job, Perspective Private: No Body:

A few years back, when I was jobless after Karvy Stock Broking Limited got into some trouble with SEBI, I started hunting for jobs. This was 2019 as well, and most of us were working from home. That was a tough time. Although I spend my whole day sending invitations to people from the Industry, especially the HRs, I was also working on a few of my projects.

These projects included;

1. Developing HR HR-related websites, like Job Portals, HR Repositories, Employee Survey Websites, etc
2. Community website
3. Knowledge Repositories
4. HRIS Systems using Advanced Excel and VBA
5. Google Apps Script Automations

And somewhere, I was also integrating them in one way or another.

I was even taking some classes for ISTD (Indian Society for Training and Development) with regards to HR Analytics, and trying to get clients for providing my expertise as a service.

I got lucky, and one fine day, I got a call from a Manufacturing Firm to help them with HR automation. At first, they were a bit skeptical to hire me, this is when I told them to try my skills for automation for free of cost for a few days, and if they liked, they could hire me or I could walk away after completion of the two-week work.

At that time, I didn't think about any salary, but to prove my worth.

This was because my skills were worth more than what I was earning at Karvy, and I knew that a small setback wouldn't be able to demotivate me while working towards my goal.

I used to work day and night on my projects, which helped hone my skills, which helped me get my first job after placements, and that too with a good salary hike.

What do I want to convey with this?

By this incident, I want to indicate that when we work towards enriching ourselves with knowledge, we get opportunities that can help us earn good, but if we are only searching for opportunities that may result in wasting our precious time that we could have used to become more knowledgeable than we were before.

Having said that, many people feel as if their companies pay them for the work that they do, which is wrong, and it ties their hard work to a number. Instead, people should understand that they are business owners, even if they work as full-time employees.

Companies are not of a single person; they are made up of people working towards a certain goal. You are an integral part of that company's journey, and you are also a part of your journey to learn and develop.

Someone can have more executive power than you, but no one can take your skills and capabilities from you. You can work anywhere in the world if you are skilled in your work and can be happy because you know what you do.

If you know how to use your skill sets, you can earn millions. The only catch is to keep updating yourself and also be open to opportunities.

Thinking about a job as an owner and servant is not correct.

Jobs are a mutual agreement on how we provide our services to our clients, and it is perfectly fine if you do a job for the rest of your life. I have seen people making a fortune with their jobs, and it is one of the best ways to make a living, as it also gives you time to explore your passion when you are free.

But that is true when you are free after your work day, and for that you have to set your boundaries.

I will tell more about how to set boundaries before and after joining a job in the coming blogs. So, stay tuned and have an awesome day ahead.

Date: 2026-03-05 07:25:41 Tags: Kashmir, Terrorism, Weapons Private: No Body:

When anyone talks about Kashmiri Pandits and their exodus, they always ask why Kashmiri Pandits never stood up and revolted against terror groups in Kashmir.

We are questioned why our parents never fought back against the people who were killing our brothers and sisters.

Some people even say that the Kashmiri People cannot stand up for themselves in times of distress.

Reality Check

During the time of militancy, terrorist groups were helped by Pakistan, and other Arab countries, and some can even trace money coming from west to keep that area disturbed.

Terrorist groups had automatic rifles, Guns, Pistols, Grenades, and many other weapons. They were not bare-handed heroes. They were well-equipped and trained militants that had proper military training and equipment, which they used to kill Kashmiri Pandits.

Meeru Pandit Dhar was a fighter, and my ancestor who fought in Hyderabad, long before anything like this happened. There were several Kashmiri Hindus who were fighters and had fought against atrocities.

Today, our Blood Boils like a fighter when we see any terrorist attack, and we want to fight like our ancestors used to do, and the same happened with our parents. They were not cowards. They again went to Kashmir after the exodus. They were not ready to accept the fact that they were not able to be in their hometown.

My father went back to the Kashmir Valley on several occasions during the terrorism to check on the situation.

Given a chance, they would have fought back.

Today, at several border areas, village people are given AK-47s and proper training to defend themselves.

During the time of insurgency, no one was with the Kashmiri Pandits, who were just a fraction in numbers compared to Muslims. They were not even vote banks.

If they had been given a chance to defend themselves, they would have found their way back for sure.

Who would have supplied guns and ammunition to them?

There was no WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, or other social media platform. TV channels were rigged by the J&K local government. They were displaying as if nothing was happening, while several Hindus were massacred in the valley.

There was no support, no training, no ultimatum to the small community of Kashmiri Hindus.

When my parents went outside after the events of Jan 1990, local muslims used to gather around. Some even said that they made a mistake and that they should have taken Kashmiri Pandits with them to protest and demand a separate nation.

They killed Kashmiri Pandits point-blank. They had guns and weapons.

Kashmir Pandits even asked for resettlement

Kashmiri Pandits, after the insurgency, had asked for resettlement.

The government can provide land to Kashmiri Pandits and provide them with weapons to defend themselves (obviously with training).

The government can even settle and provide land to retired army officials. I am not saying that this can be done in one day, and not everyone will be able to resettle there in shot time, but Kashmiri Pandits are willing to do so and this can be seen by the number of applications that Kashmiri Pandits fill for job posts in Kashmir Valley, even though some of them know that they might never be able to come out of Valley alive.

One bad day, and they will also be a number in the KP list that were killed in the valley due to terrorism.

There are not many communities that can survive such atrocities

Kashmiri Pandit community is strong. They are brave, and all of them stand against injustice.

They have a legacy of fighters. They were warlords, and the only thing that was against them was their honesty and gentle nature.

They were well-educated and never exploited anyone. Even today, no Kashmiri Pandit ever harms any other person intentionally, and that is not because they cannot fight, but because they believe in "live and let live".

As a Dhar, I believe in Shakti because of my Kul Devi Mata Kheer Bhawani and Mata Roopa Bhawani, who was one of my ancestors. And one should understand that all fighters had a Devi as their Kul Devi.

Kashmiri Pandits might be pushed out of Kashmir, but Kashmir can never be pushed out of our hearts.

Date: 2025-06-03 14:25:10 Body: Kashmir was always the center for learning and innovation. People from around the globe used to come and practice their skills and share their expertise. Yekjah Platform is one such initiative to connect the world to the culture of learning and innovation. As a member of YEKJAH Community, you will be able to; 1. Learn about the Kashmiri Culture 2. Contribute your knowledge and skills for the betterment of humanity 3. Develop your skills and share them with like-minded people 4. Get recognised for your work 5. Sell your products and services in the marketplace 6. Plan your next trip to Jammu and Kashmir with natives There is so much to win by just signing up with a community that focuses on innovation and learning. You have got potential, but need a platform to share your thoughts, and that can be done by joining YEKJAH. https://yekjah.org