JOIN USAmit Shah inaugurates Maa Sharda Devi temple in Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara
On the auspicious occasion of the first day of Chaitra Navratri festival, the idol of Goddess Sharda was placed on the sanctum sanctorum in the newly constructed Sharda temple along the Line of Control (LoC) in the Teetwal area of north Kashmir’s frontier Kupwara district.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah while inaugurating the temple through video conferencing said this is an auspicious sign for devotees from all over the country.
“The architecture and construction of this temple have been done according to mythological scriptures under the aegis of Sharda Peeth. The idol of Sharda Maa, donated by the Sringeri Math, and its installation here, the time period from 24 January till today was like a journey,” he said.
Shah said that the reconstruction of Maa Sharda's temple in Kupwara was necessary and an important step in the direction of the discovery of Sharda civilization and promotion of Sharda script.
“Once upon a time Sharda Peeth was considered the centre of knowledge in the Indian subcontinent, scholars from all over the country used to come here in search of scriptures and spiritual knowledge. Sharda script is the original script of our Kashmir, which has been named after the name of Maa Sharda,” the Home Minister said.
He added Sharda Peeth has been a historical centre of India's cultural, religious and educational heritage and like Kartarpur Corridor, the government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, will move forward to open Sharda Peeth for devotees.
The ancient temple of Sharda is one of the 18 Maha Shakti Peethas and lies in ruins in the Neelam Valley of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Even though there isn’t much evidence to pinpoint the temple’s origin, it is believed to have been constructed during the Kushan Empire in the early 1st century.
Earlier last year Sringeri Shankaracharya Mutt in Karnataka took an initiative to build a new temple for Goddess Sharada in the Teetwal area on the Indian side.
“Due to the efforts of the Prime Minister, peace has been established in Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 370. Kashmir and Jammu are once again returning to their old traditions, civilization and Ganga-Jamuni Tehzeeb,” Shah said.
While appreciating the efforts of J&K Lieutenant Governor, he said Manoj Sinha has implemented all the flagship schemes of the Prime Minister which is worth praise.
“Under the leadership of the Prime Minister, J&K L-G has played a major role in bringing industrial investment in the union territory. Today’s beginning will help in bringing back the lost glory of this place and with the blessing of Maa Sharda this place will remain the centre of worship and continue to awaken the consciousness of India for ages,” the Home Minister added.