Navratri Puja held at historic Sharad Temple in LOC after 75 years

The inaugural Navratri Puja of Sharad Navratri was on Sunday held at the newly constructed Sharad Temple located on the Line of Control (LoC) in the Teetwal border region of North Kashmir’s Kupwara district. This momentous occasion attracted a substantial amount of pilgrims from across the country, including the Union Home Minister.

Swami Govindananda Saraswati, originally from Hampi and renowned for his rath yatra from Kishkinda, the birthplace of Lord Hanuman in Karnataka, graced the event with his presence. The pilgrims also included the Kashmiri Pandit pilgrims, including the distinguished A K Raina, a renowned theatre personality who also starred in the acclaimed film “Kashmir Files.”

Ravinder Pandita, the Head and Founder of the Save Sharda Committee Kashmir said that this is a historic moment to conduct the Navratri Puja in this temple for the first time after the partition. A local resident named Ajaz Khan mentioned that this day had been long anticipated, and it was truly incredible to witness the revival of a cultural and religious heritage right on the LOC.

Union Home Minister, Amit Shah who had inaugurated the temple in the same place and in the same pattern as that of the pre-independence era on March 23 this year, also attended the Puja. Notably, the original temple and the gurudwara was destroyed during the tribal raids in 1947. ”It is a matter of profound spiritual significance that for the first time since 1947, the Navratri pujas have been held in the historic Sharda Temple in Kashmir this year.

”Earlier in the year the Chaitra Navratri Puja was observed and now the mantras of the Shardiya Navratri puja resound in the shrine. I was fortunate to reopen the temple on 23rd March 2023 after restoration,” Shah said on X. ”This not only signifies the return of peace in the valley but also marks the rekindling of our nation’s spiritual and cultural flame under the leadership of PM @narendramodi Ji,” he added.

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