Sharda Devi Temple
Jammu and Kashmir: Diwali lights lighten up Sharda Devi Temple at Teetwal for first time since independence along LoC
Srinagar: Hindus and Muslims joined hands as they celebrated Diwali at the Mata Sharda Devi temple in Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara region for the first time since the religious establishment was reconstructed on the Line of Control (LoC).
It is for the first time Diwali was celebrated in the temple on Monday.
The ancient temple and its centre are being rebuilt with a view to revive centuries-old pilgrimage to Sharda Peeth temple in the Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK), Daily Excelsior reported.
Interestingly, Sharada Peeth — “the seat of Sharada” — is the Kashmiri name of Goddess Saraswati.
A large number of locals along with Army jawans lit earthen lamps, candles and distributed sweets to celebrate Diwali on Monday, Save Sharda Committee president Ravinder Pandita told the newspaper.
Led by construction committee member Ajaz Khan, it was for the first time since partition that Diwali was celebrated in Teetwal.
“Prior to the tribal raids in 1947, a dharmshala and a Sikh gurdwara used to exist in the same plot that was burnt down in the raids. On similar lines, the committee is reconstructing the Sharda temple and the Sikh gurdwara. The reconstruction is nearly complete”, Pandita said.
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