Me’raj: Thousand eyes turn moist on sight of Holy Relic

Thousand eyes turn moist on sight of Holy RelicThousands of devotees from across Kashmir Thursday thronged the Hazratbal shrine here for congregational prayers and to have a glimpse of the holy relic of Prophet Muhammad (SAW).

The devotees including men, women and children visited the shrine throughout the day to offer prayers and have a glimpse of the holy relic, displayed after every congregational prayer. However, afternoon prayers witnessed the highest attendance. Hundreds of devotees had spent the previous night (Shab-e-Meraj) at the shrine, seeking forgiveness and blessings from Allah.

Emotional scenes were witnessed during the display of the holy relic as devotees were seen in tears, reciting verses from holy Quran and seeking blessings from Allah.

To ease out the traffic movement, a large number of private and commercial vehicles were parked around the shrine particularly in Kashmir University premises.

Saja Begum, an octogenarian devotee told Kashmir POST that she has been visiting the shrine on special occasions for many years.

“I always come here to catch a glimpse of holy relic on such auspicious occasions and seek blessing of Allah for my family and for well being of every Muslim,” she said, adding that she has been camping at the shrine since Tuesday.

The market outside the shrine at Hazratbal also wore a festive look. Little boys were seen sporting skull-caps while little girls wearing Hijab, adding to the sacred aura on the occasion.

An official said over one lakh devotees visited the shrine today. The Motor Vehicles Department had made adequate transport arrangements to ferry devotees to Hazratbal.

Inspector General of Police (IGP) Traffic, Shafqat Ali Watali told Kashmir POST that additional traffic cops were posted on various routes to ensure smooth regulation of traffic.

“More buses and mini-buses were also pressed into service on selected routes to ferry devotees to Hazratbal shrine. We had also kept around 25 additional buses for use if needed,” he informed.

Authorities, various social, religious and political organizations organized camps around the shrine with some of them distributing Kehwa (a sweet tea containing saffron) and drinks among the devotees.

“Besides transport, arrangements for power, drinking water, medical camps and sanitation were made for the convenience of people. A joint control room was also set up at Hazratbal for coordination between various departments engaged with the celebrations,” said an official.

However, devotees complained that no special arrangement was made for women devotees in the shrine premises.

“It was raining and women offered prayers in the open,” said a group of devotees.

They added that authorities have also failed to set up additional WaduKhanas (bathrooms) for the convenience of devotees.

Related posts