The likely opening of Sharda Peet shrine across the Line of Control for Hindu pilgrims has spurred fresh hopes that one of the longest pending demands of Kashmiri Pandit community may finally be fulfilled.
Located in Sharda village of Muzaffarabad, the confluence point of the Kishanganga (Neelam) river and two streams, Madhumati and Sargun, Kashmiri Pandits consider Sharada as their principal deity or “kuldevi”.
Hisrotians have noted Sharda Peeth as one of the foremost temple universities of the subcontinent which has been built over 5,000 years ago. Ravinder Pandita, head of the Save Sharda Committee, which has been campaigning for opening of the temple, said: “It is our passionate appeal to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi to approve an annual Sharda pilgrimage. This has been our demand from last seven decades,” Pandita said.
He said a mechanism is already in place since 2007 wherein people along both sides of the LoC can travel to meet their relatives on LoC permit rather than conventional visas. “We stand with the government. If Pakistan government is serious, it should raise the issue with our government,” said KC Bharti, spokesperson of the All Party Migrant Coordination Committee.
“There is tremendous hope among Kashmiri Pandits of a positive development. We are enthusiastic. Even earlier, Sikh pilgrims could travel to Kartarpur on a visa, but no Kashmiri Pandit has ever been able to do so in case of Sharda Peeth,” Bharti said.
Prof Ayaz Rasool Nazki, a Kashmiri scholar and former regional director of the J&K chapter of the ICC, has visited the shrine in 2007. I had gone to Muzaffarabad for a wedding and after a lot of effort, I got permission to travel to Sharda. I spent a night at the temple which is a life-changing experience,” he said.
Regional parties in Kashmir are also favouring opening of a corridor for Sharda Peeth pilgrimage. Former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti said such a move could help improve the situation between the two countries.
“Not too long ago I had written to PM imploring GoI to reopen Sharda Peeth, a temple across LoC for Kash Pandits. An initiative like this at a time when Indo - Pak tensions are at an all time high could help navigate the current impasse,” she wrote on Twitter.
National Conference chief and former CM Omar Abdullah wrote on Twitter, “It’s good to see @ImranKhanPTI take decisions that have been held up for years. Allowing greater people to people contact & opening routes to religious pilgrims are always welcome developments that help to ease tensions.”