For the first time, Ganga aarti was held on the banks of Kishenganga river at Teetwal, close to the Line of Control (LoC) in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district on Wednesday.

According to a statement, the aarti was held for the first time after a gap of 75 years at the newly constructed ghat.

“Scores of pilgrims from all over the country took part in the event. This was the first time after Partition that the devotees who visited Sharda Temple at LoC Teetwal, took a dip in the holy Kishenganga Rriver, close to Sharda Mata Mandir,” the statement said.

In March last year, Union Home Minister Amit Shah inaugurated the Sharda Devi Temple at Teetwal in Kupwara district. This new temple is nestled on the banks of the Kishenganga river, close to the Line of Control (LoC).

The original Sharda Temple, a revered ancient shrine and centre of learning known as Sharda Peeth, stands in Neelam Valley across the LoC in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). The river known as Kishenganga in India is referred to as Neelum in Pakistan.

The groundwork for the construction of the base temple at Teetwal began in 2021, as local Muslim residents gave land for the project.

The establishment of the temple has reignited calls from various political factions and Kashmiri Pandit groups for the reopening of the LoC for pilgrimage purposes. This sentiment was echoed by former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti, who had demanded to re-establish the pilgrimage route closed since the Partition in 1947.

In 2005, a bus service was started between Srinagar and Muzaffarabad, aimed at reuniting divided families living on either side of the Kashmir divide. However, cross-LoC trade and bus services have been indefinitely closed since 2019.

First ever after partition

• Ganga aarti held on the banks of Kishenganga river at Teetwal, close to the Line of Control (LoC) in Kupwara district
• The aarti was held for the first time after a gap of 75 years at the newly constructed ghat near Sharda Temple
• Scores of pilgrims from all over the country took part in the event

Courtesy: The Tribune India: 12th April , 2024