On the morning of Eid, the Kashmir Valley wakes with a unique rhythm. Streets remain calm but the narrow lanes of neighbourhoods slowly begin to fill with people moving toward Eidgah grounds. Men dressed in traditional attire walk with prayer mats in their hands. Children hurry beside their fathers with excitement. Elders move slowly but with quiet anticipation. Within minutes vast open fields transform into seas of humanity where thousands stand shoulder to shoulder in prayer. For a brief moment the entire community gathers in a single place defined by faith unity and collective identity.

Once the prayers end the crowds disperse and the ground returns to silence. A few hours later children begin to play cricket. Some young men kick a football across the uneven surface. Occasionally shepherds cross through with grazing animals. Dust rises with every step and patches of grass grow unevenly across the ground. For most of the year these large spaces remain neglected and underused. Yet when Eid arrives, they instantly become the most important public spaces in towns and villages across Kashmir. This transformation reveals an important but often overlooked reality. Eidgahs are not merely religious grounds used twice a year. They are among the largest open spaces within Kashmiri settlements. In an era when urban areas struggle to create parks playgrounds and gathering spaces Kashmir already possesses them. Unfortunately, their civic value has rarely been recognized.

Beyond their religious function these Eidgahs historically acted as collective public grounds. Social interactions community discussions and informal gatherings often took place here. In a region where dense settlements narrow streets and crowded neighbourhoods limit the........

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