Shey (J-K), Mar 8: Villagers in Ladakh prayed at the Shey palace monastery to pray to Lord Buddha for a good harvest.

Butter lamps are offered to Lord Budha during the two-day long Shey Doo Lhoo festival.

The festival is celebrated every year at the Shey palace monastery in which, all arrangements are made by the villagers, while special rituals are performed by the monks of the monastery.

Over the years the number of villagers making the pilgrimage for the festival has risen.

"I have witnessed this Shey Doo Lhoo festival since childhood. The number of visitors has risen this year as compared to last five years" said Eshey Thundop, a villager.

Udhampur (J-K), Mar 6: Thousands of devotees converged here to celebrate the mythological marriage of Lord Shiva with his consort Goddess Parvati to mark the 'Shivratri' festival.

Every year, devotees perform the marriage ceremony of a couple at Mantalai to symbolize the mythological marriage of the God Shiva and Goddess Parvati.

Bhadarwah (J-K), Mar 6: People rescued a leopard cub from the vicinity of Bhadarwah village in Jammu and Kashmir.

The village youth were playing cricket in Bhadarwah, when they heard unusual shrill chirpings of the birds at a particular place when they went to search for the ball.

"We heard a lot of birds chirping at one particular place while we were playing cricket. When we went to check, we found this beautiful little creature which we thought was a cat," said Ramesh Lal, a resident.

The young boys then managed to catch the animal even though it gave them tough time by scratching their skin.

Jammu, Mar 4: Development work is in full swing in 119 villages of Jammu and Kashmir under the Prime Minister's Reconstruction Programme that aims to convert these villages into model villages.

There are 119 blocks in the State and one village from each block has been selected as a model village.

People in the model villages are happy, as they know that it would translate into better living conditions.

In Bri Kamala village, people are rejoicing since they have been provided with better roads, lighting facilities and a shopping complex under the programme.

Sheikhpora (J-K) Mar 4: The resettlement of migrant Kashmiri Pandits has started at Sheikhpora in Jammu and Kashmir’s Budgam District.

Thirty Kashmiri Pandit migrant families have shifted into newly constructed flats here on Monday.

"This colony is meant for Kashmiri Pandits who have migrated. How eager they are to return can be understood by the fact that all the 30 flats have been occupied," said Farooq Renzoo, a state government official.

Jammu, Mar 1 : Lt. Gen. P C Bhardwaj on Saturday took over as the chief of the Udhampur-based Northern Command of the Indian Army.

Lt. Gen. Bhardwaj succeeds Lt. Gen. H. S. Panag, who has been transferred to the Lucknow-based Central Command.

Before taking charge, Lt. Gen. Bhardwaj was commanding the Leh-based 14 Corps of the Indian Army that looks after the frontiers with China, Kashmir and also guards the Siachen glacier, the highest battlefield in the world.

Lt. Gen. Bhardwaj has vast experience in the terror-hit Jammu and Kashmir having been the Brigadier General Staff at Nagrota, the headquarters of 16 Corps in 2000-01, when militancy was at its peak and infiltration at its highest level.