New Delhi: Efforts to build a corridor for Sharda Peeth located in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) have been going on for a long time. The green signal has also been given to this corridor in Pakistan. However, before starting work on this, Pakistan itself is worried about many questions. Actually, Kashmiris have been raising the demand of Sharda Peeth corridor for a long time. Recently Union Home Minister Amit Shah virtually inaugurated the Sharda Devi Temple in Tatwal. During this, Amit Shah had also talked about opening the corridor till Sharda Peeth.
Let us tell you that the discussion of making a corridor till Sharda Peeth is going on for a long time. Pakistan also wants to do the same because it will increase its religious tourism and bring in money. Along with this, many people say that by making a corridor for this temple, local culture will be preserved here. However, many types of fears are also arising in the mind of Pakistan. The talk of Kartarpur Corridor in Punjab was different, but Pakistan also lives in fear regarding Jammu and Kashmir. He also knows that the area where Sharda Peeth is located is a part of India, which he himself has illegally occupied. That's why he keeps on evasive about this corridor citing security reasons.
At the same time, many people in Pakistan also say that starting this corridor is an agenda of the BJP government of India, which wants to strengthen its hold on PoK by moving beyond Jammu and Kashmir. Let us tell you that many BJP leaders have said that bringing back PoK is on the agenda of the government. Discussion is going on in Pakistan regarding the proposed Sharda Peeth corridor. Many experts of Pakistan are apprehensive that the way India suddenly removed Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, PoK may also be declared a part of India someday. However, they do not completely deny that this corridor can also be a medium to improve relations between India and Pakistan.
What is the history of Sharda Peeth: -
Let us tell you that, according to Hindu scriptures, after the self-immolation of Mata Sati, when Lord Shiva was performing Tandav with her half-burnt body, at that time the right hand of Mata Sati fell here on the Himalayan mountain. Kashmiri Pandits have immense faith in this temple. The temple is situated on the banks of the Neelam River and is one of the 18 Shaktipeeths of the Goddess. It is now left in a dilapidated condition in a village named Sharda in PoK. This temple of Maa is situated at a distance of 10 miles from the Line of Control (LoC). Before the partition of India in 1947, worship was done here, but after that the temple got dilapidated due to terrorist attacks and now the Government of India has again taken up the task of renovating this ancient heritage.
This temple is 5000 years old. Later it was rebuilt by Emperor Ashoka in 237 BC. This temple used to be a major center of education. It is being told that this is the first pilgrimage site dedicated to the Shakta sect. This is where the worship of Maa Sharda first started. After this Vaishno Devi and Kheer Bhavani temples have been established. Kashmiri Pandits believe that all the three goddesses reside in this temple.
It is being told that this seat was once the highest university in the Indian subcontinent. Shankaracharya, the originator of Shaivism and Ramanujacharya, the father of Vaishnavism, also reached here. Later, the temple suffered heavy losses due to natural calamities. After the partition of India-Pakistan, the temple went into dilapidation. It was renovated by Maharaja Gulab Singh in the 19th century.
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