In an attempt to promote the Indus river as an icon of communal harmony, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Saturday inaugurated the three-day long Sindhu Darshan festival at Leh region of Ladakh.
Sindhu Darshan, which was first organised in 1997, is a three-day long festival celebrated on the full moon day (Guru Poornima) in the month of June every year.
Following the ritual, a large number of people from different parts of the country participated in the festival by bringing water from the rivers of their own states in earthen pots and immersed these pots into the Sindhu river thereby symbolizing the multi-dimensional cultural identity of India.
Among others present were state minister for Tourism and Culture, Nawang Rigzin Jora, Minister of State for Tourism, Nasir Aslam Wani and Chief Executive Officer, Ladakh Hill Development Council, Tsering Dorji.
A folk music programme was organised by the Jammu and Kashmir Academy of Art, Culture and Languages on the occasion.