Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, May 27: In a significant development, the Court of Special Mobile Magistrate Srinagar has ordered the release of an ancient Shivalingam kept in police custody for the last 25 years.
The Shivalingam, originally from Bud Mandir in Rainawari, Srinagar, was taken into custody in 2001 after the temple was desecrated by miscreants.
The court directed the SHO of Police Station Rainawari to hand over the Shivalingam to the Rainawari Kashmiri Pandit Action Committee, led by BL Jalali, after proper verification.
The order came after the police confirmed that the J&K Dharmarth Trust, which managed the temple earlier, had authorized the committee to take custody of the religious artefact.
The Shivalingam will be ceremoniously reinstated in the sanctum sanctorum of Lokut Mandir at Jogi Lankar, Rainawari, on May 28.
A special pooja will be held on the occasion to mark the return of the sacred symbol to its rightful place.
It may be noted that a new Shivlingam had already been installed at the original Bud Mandir following its renovation.
Before the migration of Kashmiri Pandits in 1989–90, the temple was a resting place for sadhus (jogis) on their way to the holy Amarnath shrine. Owing to this tradition, the temple also came to be known as Jogeshwar Temple.
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