Shiva temple reopens in Srinagar after 22 years

As part of continuous efforts to revive the centuries-old harmony and brotherhood in the Kashmir Valley, a Shiva temple at Rainawari in the city here was thrown open on Saturday to public after a gap of 22 years.

The dilapidated temple was recently renovated by the Jammu and Kashmir Dharmarth Trust at a cost of Rs 18 lakh.

Opening the temple, Rajya Sabha member Karan Singh said in 1846, Maharaja Gulab Singh had set up Dharmarth Trust to look after the functioning of the various new and old temples so that the devotees can perform their religious activities.

He said the trust looks after 100 temples in the state including more than 20 temples of the Valley at Pahalgam, Gulmarg, famous Kheer Bhawani, Sathoo Barbarshah in Srinagar.

The temples like Shri Amarnath Ji and Vaishnov Devi are being run by the Trusts established by the government of Jammu and Kashmir through an Act and maintained that one crore devotees visited Mata Vaishno Devi while five lakh pilgrims paid obeisance at the holy cave of Amarnathji, Singh said.

He said Jammu and Kashmir has a unique identity of thousands of years of composite culture and a number of holy shrines including Alamdar-i-Kashmir Sheikh Noor–ud-Noorani at Charar-e-Sharief, which has been reconstructed after it was gutted in a fire incident.

Singh said it is very unfortunate that one of the holiest shrines Peer Dastigheer Sahib was damaged in a fire and on which all the sections of the people of the state expressed their sorrow and grief.