Living away from their homeland for years and nourishing a ray of hope for return, the Kashmiri Pandit community on Sunday reopened the Sharada Bhawani temple in Budgam district after over three decades with an overwhelming participation of the local Muslim community in the celebrations.
The ceremony in Ichkoot village of the central Kashmir district, marked by 'Mahurat' and 'Pran Pratishtha', also witnessed the return of a group of Kashmiri Pandit families to their ancestral place for the first time since the early 1990s when militancy erupted in the Kashmir valley.
In a poignant display of unity and heritage, the Kashmiri Pandit community, alongside local Muslims, celebrated the reopening of the Sharada Bhawani temple in Budgam, Kashmir, after over three decades. The event drew Kashmiri Pandit families back to their ancestral lands for the first time since the 1990s unrest. Plans for a new temple are underway, highlighting collaboration with the district administration.
"We can say this is a branch of the Sharda Mata temple in Pakistan. We have been wanting to reopen this temple for a long time now. The local Muslims also wanted it. They used to tell us regularly to come and re-establish the temple," the president of Sharda Asthapna Community, Budgam, Sunil Kumar Bhat, said. He said the Pandit community has reopened the temple after 35 years.
"We hope that this (gathering) will be an annual affair and we pray to Mata Rani that the community members return to Kashmir sooner," he said. Bhat said a few Kashmiri Pandits, mostly working under the Prime Minister's Package, re-established the temple and have approached the district administration for the construction of a new one, as the old temple was in ruins. "We are planning construction. We have established a Shivling there that we recovered while cleaning and restoring this place," he said.
Local Muslims, essential to the celebration, welcomed the Pandits, emphasizing a shared past and support for the community's cultural and religious revival. The reopening ceremony reflected the valley's famed composite culture as local Muslims joined the celebrations. "Without the local community, this would not have been possible," Bhat said, adding that their support has been tremendous.
"When we came here, we were only four people. Today, the whole village is with us. This shows the support of the local community," he said.An elderly local Muslim said the Pandit community is more than welcome to return to their roots. "These people are residents of this village. We used to live and eat together before the situation worsened. If they need anything, we are there to support them," he said. He said the Kashmir valley is the 'janambhoomi' of the Pandits and members from both the communities grew up together. "How can we forget the times we spent together? We are happy that they have come here and offered prayers. This is a matter of their faith," he said.
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