Sharada Peeth – a temple of Goddess Sharada – was one of the three principal shrines of J&K before the Partition.

 Sharada Peeth – a temple of Goddess Sharada – was one of the three principal shrines of J&K before the Partition.

Established in 237 BC during the reign of Ashoka, the 5,000-year-old Sharada Peeth is an abandoned temple and ancient centre of learning dedicated to the Hindu goddess of learning. Between the 6th and 12th centuries CE, Sharada Peeth was one of the foremost temple universities of the Indian subcontinent.

Namastey Sharada Devi Kashmir Pur Vasini Tvam Ham Prartheye Nityam Vidya Danam Che De hi Mahi. (Salutations to you, O Sharada, O Goddess, O one who resides in Kashmir. I pray to you daily, please give me the charity of knowledge).”

This is a prayer that Kashmiri Pandits say as a part of their daily worship to pay obeisance to Goddess Sharada, commonly known as Saraswati – the goddess of knowledge. However, the revered shrine of their kuldevi (principal deity) – Sharada Peeth – now lies abandoned in the valleys of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK).

Here are a few aspects that make the religiously significant shrine politically relevant:

SHARADA PEETH LIES CLOSE TO LOC

Sharada Peeth was one of the three principal shrines of the region, along with the Martand Sun Temple and the Amarnath Temple, before the Partition of India and Pakistan. After the 1947-48 war between the two countries over Jammu & Kashmir, the shrine was abandoned as it fell into PoK.

The shrine, religiously and politically significant, lies close to the LoC in Sharda village atop Mount Harmukh.

While demands from Indian pilgrims to allow visits to the shrine have been made in the past, the echoes have become louder after the two bitter neighbours decided to pave way for the Kartarpur corridor leading to Gurudwara Darbaar Sahib Kartarpur in November.

Sharada Peeth literally translates to “the seat of goddess Sharada/Saraswati.”

Considered to be religiously and spiritually significant by Hindus and Buddhists, Goddess Sharada is considered by Kashmiri Pandits as their kuldevi (principal deity). She is also referred to by many as Kashmira Puravasini (resident of Kashmir).

Scholar Ayaz Rasool Nazki, Nazki told India Today that Goddess Sharada hid the container of knowledge here during the fight between good and evil.

LOCATION, ROUTES AND GEOGRAPHICAL SIGNIFICANCE

Located in the valley of Mount Harmukh in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK), the temple is at an altitude of 1,981 meters above sea level. It is situated about 150 kilometres from Muzaffarabad, the capital of PoK.

During the 1947-1948 Kashmir war between India and Pakistan, the site came under the control of Pashtun tribespeople who invaded the region. Control was then passed to the newly formed government of PoK.

Ravinder Pandita of the Save Sharada Committee said that there are two routes to travel to Sharada Peeth from India.

● “From our side, there are two designated routes to travel across – one is via Uri-Muzaffarabad and another is via Poonch-Rawalkote. Uri-Muzaffarabad is mostly being used because it’s the valley people who are mostly traveling. It’s at a distance of about 70 kms from Uri.”

- Ravinder Pandita

The temple is situated along River Neelam, also known as Kishan Ganga.