In photos: Kheer Bhawani festival celebrated in Kashmir

Devotees arrived in Kashmir on 2 June to celebrate the annual Kheer Bhawani festival

The hot spring near the temple complex is affectionately known as Kheer Bhawani because of the thousands of devotees that offer milk and kheer. The temple is situated at a distance of 14 miles east of Srinagar at Tulmulla. This temple is located in the middle of the spring around which there is a vast area whose floor has been covered with stones. There are large Chinar trees in the temple beneath which the pilgrims sit and sleep during their visit.

Chief Minister Mehboobha Mufti also paid obeisance at the temple and met devotees.

Last year around 12,000 pilgrims had come to pray but this year there has been a decline in the number of devotees due to the unrest.