Sugandha Shaktipeeth, Bangladesh

Sugandha Shaktipeeth, Bangladesh

Sugandha Shaktipeeth is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Goddess Sunanda, located in the village of Shikarpur Barisal District in Bangladesh. This Sakthi Peeth is situated on the banks of Sunanda River. This Temple is considered as one of the Sakthi Peethas. Being one of the Shakti Peethas of Hindu Mythology, this temple is one of the holiest sites for devotees of the Shakti sect of Hinduism. This Temple was famously called as Shikarpur Tarabari by locals.

Legends

For brief details, please refer below link;

https://hindutemples-india.blogspot.com/2019/12/sugandha-shaktipeeth-legends.html

History

There is no exact information available about the construction or establishment of Sugandha Shakti Peeth. This Temple would have existed from ancient times, but it was destroyed multiple times and undergone extensive renovations. Hence, the current temple did not retain its original architecture.

The Temple

This temple is dedicated to Goddess Sunanda and the Bhairav associated with this Temple is lord Triambak. The Bhairav Temple is situated in Ponabalia, located 5 miles south of Jhalkati Railway station. Ponabalia is under the village Shamrail situated on the bank of the river Sunanda. Generally, the Shadow of the temple is not expected to fall on running Water, according to the Agama Shastra. This is one of the rare Temples where the Shadow of The Temple Falls on the River Sunanda.

Temple Opening Time

The Temple remains open from 06.00 AM in the mornings to 6.00 06.00 PM in the evenings.

Festivals

Shiva Chaturdashi festival celebrated in the month of March is the most famous festival celebrated here. Apart from this festival, Navratri is also celebrated with same energy and devotion.

Connectivity

The Temple is located at about 1.5 Kms from Esladi Bus Stop, 19 Kms from Nathullahbad Central Bus Terminal, 20 Kms from Barisal, 145 Kms from Dhaka and 151 Kms from Dhaka Airport. Take bus from Nathullahbad Central Bus Terminal in Barisal City and get down at Esladi Bus Stop. The Temple is about 1.5 Kms from this Bus Stop.

Location

Sugandha Shaktipeeth – Legends

Sugandha Shaktipeeth – Legends

In Hindu mythology, Daksha Yajna or Daksha-Yaga is an important event, which is narrated in various Hindu scriptures. It refers to a yajna (sacrifice) organized by Daksha, where his daughter Sati immolated herself. The wrath of god Shiva, Sati's husband, thereafter destroyed the sacrifice. The tale is also called Daksha-Yajna-Nasha (destruction of Daksha's sacrifice). The story forms the basis of the establishment of the Shakti Peethas, temples of the Hindu Divine Mother. It is also becoming a prelude to the story of Parvati, Sati's reincarnation who later marries Shiva. The mythology is mainly told in the Vayu Purana. It is also mentioned in the Kasi Kanda of the Skanda Purana, the Kurma Purana, Harivamsa Purana and Padma Purana. Linga Purana, Shiva Purana, and Matsya Purana also detail the incident.

Sati-Shiva marriage:

Daksha was one of the Prajapati, son of Brahma, and among his foremost creations. The name Daksha means "skilled one". Daksha had two wives: Prasoothi and Panchajani (Virini). Sati (also known as ‘‘Uma’’) was his youngest daughter; born from Prasoothi (the daughter of the Prajapati Manu), she was the pet child of Daksha and he always carried her with him. Sati (meaning truth) is also called Dakshayani as she followed Daksha’s path; this is derived from the Sanskrit words Daksha and Ayana (walk or path).

Sati, the youngest daughter of Daksha, was deeply in love with the god Shiva and wished to become his wife. Her worship and devotion of Shiva strengthened her immense desire to become his wife. However, Daksha did not like his daughter’s yearning for Shiva, mainly because he was a Prajapati and the son of the god Brahma; his daughter Sati was a royal princess. They were wealthy nobility and their imperial royal lifestyle was entirely different from that of Shiva.

As an emperor, Daksha wanted to increase his influence and power by making marriage alliances with powerful empires and influential sages and gods. Shiva on the other hand led a very modest life. He lived among the downtrodden, wore a tiger skin, smeared ashes on his body, had thick locks of matted hair, and begged with a skull as bowl. His abode was Mount Kailash in the Himalayas. He embraced all kinds of living beings and did not make any distinction between good souls and bad souls.

The Bhutaganas, his followers, consisted of all kinds of ghosts, demons, ghouls and goblins. He wandered through garden and graveyard alike. As a consequence, Daksha had aversion towards Shiva being his daughter’s companion. However, unlike Daksha, Sati loved Shiva as she had the revelation that Shiva was the Supreme God. Sati won Shiva as her husband by undergoing severe austerities (tapas). Despite Daksha's disappointment, Sati married Shiva.

Brahma's Yajna:

Once Brahma conducted a huge yajna (sacrifice), where all the Prajapatis, gods and kings of the world were invited. Shiva and Sati were also called on to participate in the yajna. All of them came for the yajna and sat in the ceremonial place. Daksha came last. When he arrived, everyone in the yajna, with the exception of Brahma, Shiva and Sati, stood up showing reverence for him. Brahma being Daksha's father and Shiva being Daksha's son-in-law were considered superior in stature to Daksha. Daksha misunderstood Shiva’s gesture and considered Shiva's gesture as an insult. Daksha vowed to take revenge on the insult in the same manner.

Daksha Yaga:

Daksha’s grudge towards Shiva grew after Brahma's yajna. With the prime motive of insulting Shiva, Daksha initiated a great yajna, similar to that of Brahma. The yajna was to be presided over by the sage Bhrigu. He invited all the gods, Prajapatis and kings to attend the yajna and intentionally avoided inviting Shiva and Sati.

Dadhichi – Daksha argument:

The Kurma Purana discusses the dialogues between the sage Dadhichi and Daksha. After the sacrifice and hymns where offered to the twelve Aditya gods; Dadhichi noticed that there was no sacrificial portion (Havvis) allotted to Shiva and his wife, and no Vedic hymns were used in the yajna addressing Shiva which were part of Vedic hymns. He warned Daksha that he should not alter the Holy Vedas for personal reasons; the priests and sages supported this. Daksha replied to Dadhichi that he would not do so and insulted Shiva. Dadhichi left the yajna because of this argument.

Sati's Death:

Sati came to know about the grand yajna organized by her father and asked Shiva to attend the yajna. Shiva refused her request, saying that it was inappropriate to attend a function without being invited. He reminded her that she was now his wife more than Daksha’s daughter and, after marriage, is a member of Shiva’s family rather than Daksha’s. The feeling of her bond to her parents overpowered the social etiquette she had to follow. She even had a notion that there was no need to have received an invitation in order to attend as she was Daksha’s favourite daughter and no formality existed between them.

She constantly pleaded and urged Shiva to let her attend the ceremony and became adamant in her demands without listening to the reasons Shiva provided for not attending the function. He allowed Sati to go to her parents' home, along with his followers including Nandi, and attend the ceremony, but refused to accompany with her. Upon arriving, Sati tried to meet her parents and sisters; Daksha was arrogant and avoided interacting with Sati. He repeatedly snubbed her in front of all the dignitaries, but Sati maintained her composure.

Because of Sati’s persistence in trying to meet him, Daksha reacted vehemently, insulting her in front of all the other guests at the ceremony to which she had not been invited. He called Shiva an atheist and cremation ground dweller. As planned, he took advantage of the situation and continued shouting repugnant words against Shiva. Sati felt deep remorse for not listening to her beloved husband. Daksha’s disdain towards her, and especially her husband Shiva, in front of all the guests was growing each moment she stood there. The shameless insult and humiliation of her and her beloved, eventually became too much to bear.

She cursed Daksha for acting so atrociously toward her and Shiva and reminded him that his haughty behavior had blinded his intellect. She cursed him and warned that the wrath of Shiva would destroy him and his empire. Unable to bear further humiliation, Sati committed suicide by jumping into the sacrificial fire. The onlookers tried to save her, but it was too late. They were only able to retrieve the half-burnt body of Sati.

Daksha's pride in being a Prajapati and his prejudice against his son-in-law created a mass hatred within himself, which resulted in the death of his daughter. The Nandi and the accompanying Bhootaganas left the yajna place after the incident. Nandi cursed the participants and Bhrigu reacted by cursing the Bhootaganas back.

Destruction of the Yajna by Lord Shiva:

Lord Shiva was deeply pained upon hearing of his wife's death. His grief grew into a terrible anger when he realized how Daksha had viciously plotted a treachery against him; but it was his innocent wife who fell into the trap instead of him. Shiva learned of Daksha’s callous behavior towards Sati. Shiva's rage became so intense that he plucked a lock of hair from his head and smashed it on the ground, breaking it into two with his leg. Armed and frightening, two fearsome beings Virabhadra and Bhadrakali (Rudrakali) emerged. Lord Shiva ordered them to kill Daksha and destroy the yajna.

The ferocious Virabhadra and Bhadrakali, along with the Bhutaganas, reached the yajna spot. The invitees renounced the yajna and started running away from the turmoil. Sage Bhrigu created an army with his divine penance powers to resist Shiva’s attack and protect the yajna. Bhrigu’s army was demolished and the entire premises were ravaged. All those who participated, even the other Prajapatis and the gods, were mercilessly beaten, wounded or even slaughtered.

The Vayu Purana mentions the attack of Bhutaganas: the nose of some goddesses were cut, Yama's staff bone was broken, Mitra's eyes were pulled out, Indra was trampled by Virabhadra and Bhutaganas, Pushan's teeth were knocked out, Chandra was beaten heavily, all of the Prajapatis' were beaten, the hands of Vahini were cut off, and Bhrigu's beard was cut off. Daksha was caught and decapitated, the attack culminated when the Bhutaganas started plucking out Bhrigu’s white beard as a victory souvenir. 

The Vayu Purana do not mention the decapitation of Daksha, instead it says Yagna, the personification of yajna took the form of an antelope and jumped towards the sky. Virabhadra captured it and decapitated Yagna. Daksha begs mercy from the Parabrahmam (the Supreme Almighty who is formless), who rose from the yajna fire and forgives Daksha. The Parabrahmam informs Daksha that Shiva is in fact a manifestation of Parabrahmam. Daksha then becomes a great devotee of Shiva. The Linga Purana and Bhagavatha Purana mention the decapitation of Daksha.

Certain other puranas like Harivamsa, Kurma, and Skanda narrate the story from the perspective of the Vaishnava-Shaiva community feud prevalent in ancient times. In these puranas, there are fights between Vishnu and Shiva or Virabhadra, with various victors throughout. The story of Daksha Yaga in Vaishnava and Shaiva puranas end with the surrendering of Daksha to the Parabrahmam or with the destruction of yajna and decapitation of Daksha.

Aftermath:

As the obstruction of the yajna will create havoc and severe ill effects on the nature, Brahma and the god Vishnu went to the grief-stricken Lord Shiva. They comforted and showed their sympathy towards Shiva. They requested him to come to the yajna location and pacify the Bhutaganas and allow the Yaga to be completed; Shiva agreed. Shiva found the burnt body of Sati. Shiva gave permission to continue yajna. Daksha was absolved by Shiva and the head of a ram (Male goat) meant for yajna was fixed on the decapitated body of Daksha and gave his life back. The yajna was completed successfully.

The later story is an epilogue to the story of Daksha yajna mentioned in Shakta Puranas like Devi Bhagavata Purana, Kalika Purana and the folklores of various regions. Shiva was so distressed and could not part from his beloved wife. He took the corpse of Sati and wandered around the universe. To reduce Shiva's grief, Vishnu cuts Sati's corpse as per Vaishnava Puranas; whose parts fell on the places Shiva wandered. The Shaiva version says that her body disintegrated on its own and the parts fell while Shiva was carrying Sati's corpse in various places. The nose of Goddess Sati fell here.

These places commemorating each body part came to be known as the Shakti Peethas. Shakti Peethas are holy abode of the Mother Goddess. Each temple have shrines for Shakti and Kalabhairava. There are 51 Shakti Peethas, representing the 51 letters of Sanskrit. Some of the puranas which came in later ages gave more importance to their supreme deity (depending on Vaishnava, Shaiva, and Shakta sects) in their literature. Shiva went to isolation and solitude for ages and wandered all around until Sati reincarnated as Parvati, the daughter of the King Himavan. Like Sati, Parvati took severe austerities and gave away all her royal privileges and went to forest. Shiva tested her affection and devotion in disguise. He eventually realized Parvati is Sati herself. Shiva later on married Parvati.

Sharada Peeth, Azad Kashmir, Pakistan

Sharada Peeth, Azad Kashmir, Pakistan

Sharada Peeth is an abandoned Hindu temple and ancient centre of learning in the Pakistani administered territory of Azad Kashmir. It is dedicated to the Hindu goddess of learning, Sharada. The Temple is situated at about 1,981 metres above sea level, along the Neelam River in the village of Sharda, in the valley of Mount Harmukh, which is believed by Kashmiri Pandits to be the abode of Shiva. The Temple is situated in the confluence of Kishen Ganga and Madhumati rivers.

It is situated in a picturesque location; the site is surrounded by snow clad peaks of Sharda and Narada hills of Nanga Parbat range. It is one of the three famous tirthas, or holy sites, for Kashmiri Pandits, the other two being the Martand Sun Temple and the Amarnath Temple. Sharada Peeth is one of 18 Maha Shakti Peethas, or "Grand Shakti Peethas" – highly revered temples throughout South Asia that commemorate the location of fallen body parts of the Hindu deity Sati.

Legends

For brief details, please refer below link;

https://hindutemples-india.blogspot.com/2019/12/sharada-peeth-legends.html

History

For brief details, please refer below link;

https://hindutemples-india.blogspot.com/2019/12/sharada-peeth-history.html

The Temple

The Temple is situated at about 1,981 metres above sea level, along the Neelam River in the village of Sharda, in the valley of Mount Harmukh, which is believed by Kashmiri Pandits to be the abode of Shiva. This temple is currently not in worship. Only ruins are found in these places. Its ruins are situated near the Line of Control (LOC) between the Indian and Pakistani-controlled portions of the former princely state of Kashmir and Jammu.

The length of the temple in classical Kashmir style, is 142 feet and width is 94.6 feet. The outer walls of the temple are 6 ft. wide and 11 ft long. And there are arches with 8 ft. height. The structure is damaged, and it is likely that a significant part of the material has been reused in nearby residential buildings.

It is believed that image in the sanctum was a wooden image, later replaced by a stone statue that looked like the Sharada image brought to Sringeri, Karnataka, by Adi Shankaracharya. In this image, the goddess has four arms where she holds a parrot (symbol of Parvati), a pot (symbol of Lakshmi), a book (symbol of Saraswathi) and the gesture indicating transmission of knowledge in the fourth hand.

Religious Significance

For brief details, please refer below link;

https://hindutemples-india.blogspot.com/2019/12/sharada-peeth-religious-significance.html

Connectivity

Sharada Peeth is located at about 210 Kms from Muzaffarabad, 124 Kms from Muzaffarabad Airport, 333 Kms from Islamabad and 361 Kms from Islamabad Airport. Sharada Peeth is about 210 Kms from Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan-administered Kashmir and 130 Kms from Srinagar, the capital of Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir. It is about 10 Kms from the Line of Control, which divides the Pakistani and Indian-controlled areas of the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir. Sharada Peeth is accessible by Neelam road from Muzaffarabad. Buses run daily between Muzaffarabad and Sharda in good weather. The town has a rest house and a youth hostel of AJK Tourism and Archeology Department for tourists stay. Few private hotels are also located here.

Location

Sharada Peeth – Religious Significance

Sharada Peeth – Religious Significance

Sakthi Peeth:

The mythology of Daksha Yaga and Sati's self-immolation is the main theme in the origin of Shakti Peethas. Shakti Peethas are divine temples of Adi Parashakti. The cause of the presence of Devi's presence is due to the falling of body parts of the corpse of Sati Devi. The right hand of Sati Devi's body is believed to have fallen here. There are 51 Shakti Peeth linking to the 51 alphabets in Sanskrit. Sharada Peeth is one of 18 Maha Shakti Peethas, or "Grand Shakti Peethas" – highly revered temples throughout South Asia that commemorate the location of fallen body parts of the Hindu deity Goddess Sati.

Trinity of Goddess:

Kashmiri Pandits believe that Sharada in Kashmir is a tripartite embodiment of the goddess Shakti: Sharada (goddess of learning), Saraswathi (goddess of knowledge), and Vagdevi (goddess of speech, which articulates power).

Pilgrimage:

Bathing in the confluence of the Krishanganga River and Madhumati stream is said to cleanse the pilgrim of their sins.

Sharada Script:

It has been suggested that although the Sharada script did not originate in Kashmir, it was used extensively in Kashmir, and acquired its name both through Kashmiri veneration of the goddess Sharada and through its extensive academic use in Sharada Peeth. This has fed the popular belief that Sharada was developed in Kashmir.

Sharada Peeth – History

Sharada Peeth – History

Sharada Peeth is an abandoned Hindu Temple and ancient centre of learning in the Pakistani administered territory of Azad Kashmir.

Origins of Sharada Peeth:

There are competing theories of when Sharada Peeth was built. Some historians believe that it was built under the Kushan Empire (30 CE-230 CE), whereas some others hold that similarities between Sharada Peeth and the Martand Sun Temple suggest that it was built by Lalitaditya. There is an alternative school of thought suggesting that it was built not at once, but in stages. It has also been suggested that Sharada Peeth is more than 5,000 years old, but this may be a reference to the religious shrine rather than the centre of learning. 

Ancient Seat of Learning:

Sharada Peeth is said to be where the texts written by Panini and other grammarians were stored. It is said in the Prabhavakacarita that when Jain scholar Hemachandra was commissioned by Jayasimha, King of Gurjara Desa (present-day eastern Rajasthan and northern Gujarat) to write the Siddhahema. Hemachandra visited Sharada Peeth for access to previous works on grammar, as it was the only place with a library known to have all such works available in their complete form.

Kashmir was sometimes referred to as the Sharada Desh, or "Sharada country", because of the significance of the Sharada temple and the associated institution of learning. Between the 6^th and 12^th centuries CE, Sharada Peeth was one of the foremost temple universities of the Indian subcontinent, hosting scholars such as Kalhana, Adi Shankara, Vairotsana, Kumarajiva, and Thonmi Sambhota. As a religious institution, it is one of the three famous tirthas, or holy sites, for Kashmiri Pandits, the other two being the Martand Sun Temple and the Amarnath Temple. 

Historical facts reveal that a Buddhist university existed near the temple which was established by Emperor Ashoka in 273 BCE. The Sharda script was invented at this university by scholars. Buddhist University established during the reign of Emperor Ashoka in 273BC. Fourth Buddhist council summoned at the Sharda Peeth by Emperor Kanishka in 141 A.D.

Adi Sankaracharya:

It is at this temple that Sankaracharya received the right to sit on the Sarvanjnanapeetham or Sarvajna Peetha (Throne of Wisdom). The first verse of 'Prapanchsar' composed by Adi Shankaracharya is devoted to the praise of the temple's goddess, Sri Sarada Devi. The Sarada image at Sringeri Saradhamba temple in South India was once said to have been made of sandalwood, which is supposed to have been taken by Sankaracharya from here.

References in Religious & Historical Texts:

Nilamata Purana:

The earliest available references to Sharada Peeth are found in the Nilamata Purana, an ancient text that detailed sacred places, rituals and ceremonies in Kashmir. 

Rajatarangini:

In Rajatarangini the famous text describing Kashmir's history, composed by Kalhana in the year 1148 CE, there is a mention of the temple and its geographic location. Also, Kalhana describes its importance to Hindus.

Prabhavakacarita:

According to the Prabhavakacarita, a Jain historical work dated 1277–78, the Svetambara scholar Acharya Hemachandra requested king Jaisimha Siddharaj to send a team to the Sharda institution in Kashmir to bring back copies of the existing eight grammatical texts preserved here so he could compile his own grammar, the Siddha-hema Shabdanushasan, named jointly after the king and the author.

Grand Vizier Abu'l-Fazl ibn Mubarak Notes:

During the reign of Akbar in the 16^th century, Grand Vizier Abu'l-Fazl ibn Mubarak, one of the famous Nava-Ratnas, wrote about the temple as being near the banks of river Madhumati, now known as the Neelum River, which is full of gold particles. Abu'l Fazl also wrote that one can experience miracles on every eighth day of the bright fortnight of the month here.

Visits:

Xuanzang Visit:

The Chinese Buddhist monk, Xuanzang, visited this learning centre in 632 CE. He stayed there for two years and appreciated the mental gifts of priests and students of this learning centre. 

Visit of followers of King of Gauda, Bengal:

Kalhana wrote that during Lalitaditya's reign in the 8^th century CE, some followers of a king of Gauda in Bengal came to Kashmir under the pretext of visiting the shrine, highlighting the significance of the temple throughout South Asia.

Al-Biruni Visit:

In the year 1030 CE, the Muslim historian Al-Biruni visited Kashmir. According to him, there was a wooden idol of Sri Sharada Devi in the temple. He compared the temple to the Multan Sun Temple, Vishnu Chakraswamin temple at Thanesar and Somnath temple.

14^th Century:

The temple had periodically fallen into disrepair by the 14^th century. In the 14^th century, the temple was attacked for the first time by Muslim invaders. After this attack, India started losing its contact with Krishanganga and Sharada Peeth.

Swami Ramanuja Visit:

The Vaishnava saint Swami Ramanuja traveled all the way from Srirangam to refer to Bodhayana's Vrithi on Brahma Sutras preserved here, before commencing work on writing his commentary on the Brahma sutras, the Sri Bhashya.

Practices:

South Indian Brahmins:

There is believed to be an ancient tradition among South Indian Brahmins of prostrating in the direction of Sharada Peeth before beginning their education. 

Saraswat Brahmin:

Saraswat Brahmin communities in Karnataka are also said to move seven steps towards Kashmir and retrace their steps when conducting the Yagnopavita ceremony.

Music:

This temple is referred to in the Carnatic music song "kalavathi kamalasana yuvathi" by the famous composer Sri. Muthusamy Dikshithar. The song set in the raga yagapriya, in praise of Saraswathi, describes her as "kashmira vihara, vara sharadha", meaning "the one who resides in Kashmir, Sharada".

Dogra King:

During the Dogra rule, the temple emerged as a regular pilgrimage site for the Kashmiri Pandits. In the 19^th century, Dogra king of Kashmir, Maharaja Gulab Singh, restored this temple.

After Indian Independence:

In 1947, Swami Nand Lal Ji of Tikker Kupwara moved the stone idols from Sharda to Tikker, some of which are preserved in Devibal in Baramulla and in Tikker in Kupwara. Following the brief 1947-1948 Kashmir war in the region between Pakistan and India, the site came under control of Pashtun tribesmen who invaded the region. Control was then passed to the newly formed government of Pakistan's Azad Kashmir. The site was heavily damaged in the 2005 Kashmir earthquake which struck the region, and has not been repaired since.

After Vajpayee-Musharraf meeting at Islamabad during SAARC conference from 4 to 6 January 2004, some CBMs between the two parts of Kashmir were initiated to normalize the situation, create friendly relations and encourage the peace process. These include the cease-fire on LOC, opening of two roads across the LOC via Poonch-Rawalakote and Uri-Srinagar, meeting of divided families, and the start of trade ventures etc. Accordingly, Kashmiri Pandits and other religious organizations of J&K demanded the opening of Sharda Shrine of POJK for religious tourism so that they could have Darshan of this old temple and annual yatra of the Shrine could be revived.

The then President of Pakistan Pervez Musharraf accepted the demands of the minorities of J&K in principle and sanctioned Rs. 8 crores in 2006 for the creation of infrastructural facilities near the Shrine so that pilgrims could visit. Though POJK Government constructed few tourist huts, community centers and cafeteria near the site, no attention was paid towards the revival of the Shrine which is in a dilapidated condition. The Muslim natives of the village Sharda and adjoining areas still call the monument as Sharda Mai (Mother Sharda).

In 2007, a group of Kashmiri Pandits who were permitted to visit Azad Kashmir were denied permission visit the temple. In September 2009, the Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies recommended increased cross-border religious tourism between India and Pakistan, including allowing Kashmiri Pandits to visit Sharada Peeth, and Pakistani Muslims to visit the Hazratbal Shrine in Srinagar. Ruksana Khan, a Pakistan based scholar, has undertaken an archaeological survey of the Sharda site. In 2015, she and her team unearthed antiques which revealed the history of the site. Since then they have started the Sharda Project which works to preserve the culture.

In 2018, Pakistan government opened the Kartarpur Corridor to allow Sikh pilgrims in India to visit the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur across the border. Pakistani Hindus rarely visit the temple, preferring to visit sites farther south in Sindh, Balochistan, and Punjab provinces. As such, restoration of the temple is not considered a priority in the manner that Katasraj Temple was regarded by the Pakistani government.

There is a demand from certain section of Indian politicians that Pakistan should renovate this temple, in the same manner that it renovated the Katasraj Temple in Punjab. This has prompted calls by Kashmiri Pandits to the Pakistan government to open a corridor to Sharada Peeth site (Neelum valley, 30 Kms from Kupwara). The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) chief and former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti, and Omar Abdullah have requested PM Modi to pursue this request.