Chaitra Amavasya Festival Greetings of the festival of Vicharnag yatra shrine.*

Today on Chaitra krishna paksh amavasya, the famous pedestrian yatra of Vicharnag shrine was undertaken in the wee hours. The shrine lies on the outskirts of Srinagar city in the deep down town area.The yatra was one day before Navreh festival and seems to be in consonance with the home grown tradition, wherein the advent of a grand festival has a steady ascendency and not an abrupt one.The devotees would pray and offer pooja at the ancient Shiva temple and also have a holy dip in the adjacent sacred pond.It according to an timeless lore was said to bestow the religious merits, equivalent to that of having a purifactory bath at the far off high altitude Gangabal lake. Vicharnag also has an antiquated association with the attributes of Vichar,Chintan,Manan ,Tarak and Vitarak of our thinking and reasoning aspect. The very name of Vichaar in the metaphysical realm connotes self enquiry or inner awareness in the Advaita thought.The said yatra was undertaken for thoughtful introspection, deep reflection and spiritual awakening as positive vibes helpful in the self inner advancement are said to be high on this day. Vichaar Nag also represents a microcosm of the tetrad of physical, spiritual,metaphysical and mundane aspects of existence. Vichaarnag also has a prominent place in our religious cum socio-cultural rites.The shrine upto the recent times was a part of a Cora circuit of pedestrian circumbulation ritual of Srinagar city shrines,usually undertaken in the holy month of Magh. Vichaar Nag ,even upto the latest times had an initiating"Anushthaan",connected with the Jyeshta Ashtami Tulamulla celebrations. Ancient Vichaar Nag also had a shrine dedicated to the Goddess Parvati in Her manifestation of Annapurna, who was said to exercise the divine hold over the vast stretches of the sustenance providing surrounding lush green paddy fields.In the glorious historical past of Kashmir,Vichaar Nag prides itself in having many superlatives and first of first.

💐💐🙏Greetings Chaitra Amavasya Festival !!!