Srinagar : Thousands of Kashmiri Hindus from across the country on Jun 19 thronged the Khirbhawani temple in north Kashmir's Ganderbal district for an annual festival.

Local Muslims greeted them with sweets as part of a centuries' old practice in the state where the two religions have traditionally lived in harmony. The temple in Tullamulla village, about 25 km from here, is dedicated to Ragnya Devi, one of the many incarnations of Goddess Durga.

Muslims lined up outside the temple Saturday with 'kheer' (a sweet dish made of milk) in earthen pots for their Hindu brethren.

Legend has it that Lord Rama worshipped Ragnya during his entire 14-year exile. When this ended, Lord Rama asked Hanuman to relocate the shrine of the goddess. Hanuman relocated it to Shadipora in Kashmir. But the deity appeared in a local priest's dream asking him to relocate the shrine at its present location.

Devotees of all ages throng the shrine each year and engage in prayers and meditation to seek the blessings of the deity.

The spring water inside the temple complex bears special significance as it is believed that the colour of water on the festival day foretells the year's future for the state.

'The colour of the spring water is milky white which foretells a prosperous year for the state,' said Radhakrishan Bhan, 56, who came here all the way from Pune.

After majority of the Hindus migrated out of the state in the 1990s in the wake of separatist violence here, hundreds of them have been reaching here each year this day from different parts of the country.

'We look forward to the time when we can return back to our roots in Kashmir,' said Shiban Krishen, 47, who came from the Jammu to pray at the temple.