A temple in Srinagar – Shital Nath temple – opened its doors after 3 decades
Bengaluru: In a massive development, a temple in Srinagar – Shital Nath temple – opened its doors after 3 decades. The temple had shut its doors, no thanks to terrorism.
Hindustan Times adds that the temple was reopened on the Hindu festival of Basant Panchami and a special pooja was performed at the temple.
“We used to do this pooja every year. Baba Sheetal Nath Bhairao's birth anniversary falls on Basant Pachami that is why we celebrate this day with fervour," said Santosh Razadan, a devotee who came to offer prayers at the temple, as the website quoted him.
Reports note that several ancient temples including Martand Sun temple, Sharda Peeth were destroyed and idols desecrated by Islamic invaders, while the residents were forcibly converted.
According to the figures released by the Jammu and Kashmir government in 2012, around half of the temples in the state in the Valley were damaged in two decades, the website notes further.
“Of the 438 temples in the Valley, 208 had been damaged over the years,” the state government said in a written reply to the state assembly in response to the question by a BJP MLA.
Srinagar witnessed the highest number of acts of vandalism with 57 temples being damaged. Anantnag district came a close second with 56 temples having suffered the damage.
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