Life returned to an ancient Shiv temple in Shopian, Jammu & Kashmir,as Kashmiri Pandits from across the country made a nostalgic journey to the shrine to celebrate the two-day 'Shravan Bagh' festival.
Life returned to an ancient Shiv temple in Shopian, Jammu & Kashmir, after over two decades, as Kashmiri Pandits from across the country made a nostalgic journey to the shrine, since their migration in the early 1990s to celebrate the two-day 'Shravan Bagh' festival which concluded today.
Burnt down by miscreants soon after the migration of the Pandit community in the wake of eruption of militancy, the dilapidated remains of the Karpal Mochan temple on the banks of Nallah Ranbir, at Nagbal witnessed emotional scenes as local Muslims accorded a warm welcome to visiting devotees.
"The festival was an annual affair prior to the eruption of militancy but the situation kept the Pandits away from the age-old practice of praying for peace for those children who died in accidents," a devotee Kuldeep JI, who had come from Jammu along with 150 migrant pandits, told PTI.
Kuldeep, a former resident of Batpora village of Shopian, said thousands of Hindus used to visit the shrine as this was the only temple in the country where such prayers on the occassion of 12th of the Hindu month of 'Sharavan' was being observed.
"Although the temple is in shambles and only pieces of the shivlingam are available, we still feel great after visiting our place of birth and participating in the prayers", he said.
"I can't express my feelings. This is my first visit to my birth place since our migration to Jammu," Nanaji Dhar said while hugging his childhood friend Mohammad Maqbool Mir of Bonipora village at the temple premises. "Kashmir is incomplete without our Pandit brothers," Mir said while motiviating Dhar to stay back at his home for a few days.
Dhar said his mother also wanted to come along with him. "I was having reservations about the response of the locals but to my surprise, the people have not changed over the years."
"Now, I regret my decision," he said and assured Mir that he would visit the village alongwith his family shortly. Rakesh Pandit said "We are missing our Muslim neighbours badly." "We don't have communal bias. We treat each other as members of a single family," he said.
Pandita said the 'Shraad' (special prayers for dead) concluded at 4.30 PM today. "We are staying back for the next few days owing to the gesture shown by the Muslims," he said. He said they will clean the pond within the temple tomorrow.
Station House Officer of Police Station Shopian, Nissar Ahmad who visited the temple several times during the day said, "We left nothing to chance". "Necessary security arrangements were made to ensure peaceful conclusion of the two-day festival," said Ahmad.
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