Invitation
to visit Sharda temple
Sir,
The
invitation extended by the Govt. of POK
to the exiled Kashmiri Pandits to visit
the Sharda temple located in the Krishna
Ganga valley is a welcome move .The
Sharda temple has a special significance
in the evolution of the Kashmiri Pandits
as an intellectual identity.It is the
ancient site of learning in the
subcontinent.The script of Kashmiri
language is also called Sharda and the
script has been named in the honour of
the Presiding deity of the temple i.e the
Goddess Sharda- the Goddess of
learning.Even to this day the Saraswat
Brahmins who migrated to the other parts
of India due to the successive intrusions
and invasions of the religious zealots
from Kashmir make their prayers,while the
yagnopavit ceremony(putting on the sacred
thread) by chanting the sloka-Namastey
Sharda Devi Kashmirpura Vasani
(salutations to the goddess Sharda who
has her abode in Kashmir).
Prior to
partition when the state was one entity
the Kashmiri Pandits used to organise
yearly mela in the Village called Shardi
to pay their respects to the Goddess
Sharda-the spiritual and intellectual
force that has blessed the generations of
the Kashmiri Pandits in excelling in
every sphere of education and knowledge.
One things
needs the focus of the policy makers and
those who are involved in giving impetus
to the people to people contacts that the
Sharda Temple in POK is not only a place
that has religious significance but it
has a great historical and heritage
character which can help the study of the
KPs. Besides, it can be a tourist
destination with tourist tinge , having
focus on the pilgrimage.
Over the
years the temple is in a shambles and is
in need of restoration ,documentation and
conservation so that the temple can
regain its traditional and original look.
It is a
welcome move in the sense that the
political establishment of POK and
Pakistan has in a sense accepted the
locus standi of the exiled Kashmiri
Pandits in the Kashmir imbroglio and I
feel that the credit to some extent in
this case should be given to the SAFMA
team of journalists from Pakistan who
were on a visit to J&K recently and
during their visit they also interacted
with the the exiled kashmiri Pandits in
the refugee camps. Let the process go on.
Yours
etc...
Mahesh Kaul,
University of Jammu.
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