Pandey has huge J&K following

SRINAGAR: Dayanand Pandey, alias Swami Amritanand Dev, the self-proclaimed seer of  Sharda Sarvagya Peeth in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), has a huge fan-following in Jammu & Kashmir. Pandey, who is from Kanpur, has been visiting J&K since 2004, frequently touring migrant camps in Jammu.

“We did not know his antecedents,” a Pandit leader in Jammu said. “We did not even know his name was Dayanand Pandey. He was called Jagatguru Shankaracharya.”
Pandey played a part in the Amarnath land agitation in Jammu. He had visited the office of Shri Amarnath Sangharsh Samiti (SASS) in Jammu. He also donated Rs25,000 to SASS, its leader Anand Sharma said.

He used to visit Srinagar and stay at the highly fortified Zeethyar temple on the banks of the Dal Lake. “He also used to visit ancient temples at Mattan, Tulmulla and other parts of the valley,” a Kashmiri Pandit leader who has not migrated said. “He used to bring his own chair, cup, plate and glass along. He used to sit only on his chair. He was served food only in his plate,” he said.