Whispers in the ether tell tales of divine resurgence, as the gods awaken from their slumber once more.

Sharada Peeth is the highest seat of knowledge and liberation in the land of Kashmir. Maa Sarasvati is established in this land in the form of Maa Sharada. Once a great center of learning and tapas, Sharada Peeth went through great destruction and oblivion in recent centuries. This was a grave situation for Sanatan Dharma. When the highest seat of knowledge goes into a state of dishevel, the light of knowledge also shuns.

But it is time that Kashmir is taken back to its past glory. This restoration has been started with the arrival of Maa Sharda. Sharada Peeth is situated in now Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (POK) in the Neelam Valley.

Koo App The prana pratishtha ceremony of Sharda murti at the temple at Teetwal, near the LOC in district Kupwara, Kashmir was done by Jagadguru Sri Sri Sri Vidhushekhara Bharati Mahaswamiji of Dakshinamnaya Sri Sharada Peetham, Sringeri. #Shardapeeth #Sringeri #Shankaracharya #Sanatan #Sanskar #Sanskriti #Satyaagrah Join | t.me/SatyaagrahIndia View attached media content - Satyaagrah (@SatyaagrahIndia) 10 June 2023

Historic Kashmir Yatra of Sri Sannidhanam

With the blessing and directive of Sringeri Jagadguru Shankaracharya Sri Sri Bharati Tirtha Mahaswamiji, Jagadguru Sri Sri Vidhushekhara Bharati Mahaswamiji undertook a 3-day Vijaya Yatra to Jammu and Kashmir and performed the Pratishtha Kumbhabhisheka of Sri Sharada temple at Teetwal. 

Sri Sannidhanam departed from Sringeri on the morning of June 4, 2023, and arrived at the  Srinagar airport to a reverential reception. Sri Sannidhanam then arrived at Tangdhar by a copter (170 km from Srinagar and located alongside the LoC) the same evening and was accorded a devout welcome by the Kupwara district authorities and the members of Save Sharada Committee led by Sri Ravinder Pandita. Sri Sannidhanam then arrived at Teetwal and performed Yantra Pratishtha at the Sharada temple. Later Sri Sannidhanam performed Sri Chandramoulishwara Puja at Tangdhar. 

The following morning (June 5), Sri Sannidhanam performed the Pratishtha Kumbhabhisheka of Sri Sharada at the temple. Sri Sannidhanam then graced the Sabha organized on the occasion of the Kumbhabhisheka and blessed the devotees with an Anugraha Bhashanam explaining the connection between Sringeri and Kashmir, as well as the greatness of Sri Sharada, the divinity of knowledge. Sri Sannidhanam commended the government authorities as well as the Army personnel for making various arrangements pertaining to the smooth conduct of the entire event. Sri Sannidhanam had a Darshan at Kheer Bhavani temple at Kupwara then returned to Srinagar by late evening and performed the Chandramoulishwara Puja. 

On June 6, Sri Sannidhanam arrived at the famous Sri Shankaracharya Hill in Srinagar and offered an elaborate Puja to Sri Jyestheshwara. Later, Sri Sannidhanam addressed the gathering in an Anugraha Bhashanam conveying the need for having faith in Bhagavan and for living as noble citizens of the country. Sri Sannidhanam also praised the army personnel who are even ready to make the supreme sacrifice of laying down their own lives for the safety of others. Calling for the overall inclusive development of the Kashmir valley, Sri Sannidhanam stressed the importance of youth becoming nation builders and responsible citizens. 

Later Sri Sannidhanam graced the Raj Bhavan with a devout welcome by Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir Sri Manoj Sinha. Sri Sannidhanam returned to Sringeri the same evening, thus completing a historic Kashmir Yatra. 

Restoration of Sharada Peetha

In the realm of devotion and deep emotions, the divine presence of the gods is said to have awakened once again, stirring the hearts and souls of believers. Amidst this divine awakening, a remarkable journey unfolds as Sharada Maai enters Teetwal in Jammu and Kashmir, breaking the long silence and heralding a transformative change.

When we reflect upon the events that have unfolded in the state of Jammu and Kashmir over the past four years, it becomes apparent that a higher power may be at work. The region has experienced a significant and profound decline in violence, a testament to the divine intervention shaping the course of events.

Terrorists and those who once instilled fear and darkness in the land are being swiftly eliminated, their nefarious reign coming to a cruel end. As the shadows of fear dissipate, the voices of the nationalists are finally finding resonance, with the flawed administration striving to address the concerns of the people. A newfound sense of equality and the gradual erosion of discrimination can be felt, breathing life into the hearts of the residents of Kashmir and Jammu.

Yet, as we marvel at the divine intervention within the borders of Jammu and Kashmir, we cannot help but wonder if Sharada Maai's journey will conclude in Teetwal alone. Across the border, in Pakistan-occupied Jammu Kashmir (PoJK) and Pakistan-occupied Gilgit Baltistan (PoGB), a unique turbulence unfolds, surpassing all previous expectations since the nullification of Article 370 four years ago.

Amidst this unfolding narrative, almost as if choreographed by celestial forces, a series of protests has erupted in PoJK and PoGB, coinciding with Sharada Maai's vigraha's journey from Sringeri in Karnataka towards Kashmir. Pakistan's economic crisis has led to scarcity of resources, and the colonial mindset has resurfaced, diverting essential supplies meant for these regions to feed the people of Punjab and sustain the dystopian police state's formidable armed forces. The resulting food crisis has pushed the oppressed people to the brink of despair.

In December 2022, the protests began, reaching an unprecedented scale. Comparisons are drawn between the conditions of Azad Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan and the past struggles faced by East Pakistan in 1971. Clarion calls for freedom from suppression and the occupation of the Pakistani military and Punjabi establishment resonate among the people, reverberating with the spirit of liberation.

The storm gathers strength, transcending sectarian boundaries and uniting various factions. The Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) vehemently opposes the unconstitutional Pakistani census exercise, recognizing that as per the Pakistani Constitution, the citizens of PoK are not considered part of Pakistan. They contend that this exercise is an attempt to erase their identity altogether. Adding salt to the wound, a significant section of the local populace, distinct from the Punjabis and Pathans settled in the regions, calls for reoccupation by India and complete merger, amplifying their appeals to the Indian Army and Prime Minister Narendra Modi through viral social media videos.

Furthermore, an audacious step has shaken the foundations of the Pakistani establishment. Led by activist Amjad Ayub Mirza, a group has given the Pakistani establishment a deadline of 22 October 2023 to withdraw from PoJK or face the consequences. The parallels with the narratives that emerged in Srinagar and other parts of the Kashmir valley in 1988-89 are unmistakable, deepening the sense that fate is at play. The significance of the date, 22 October, resonates strongly, as it marks the anniversary of Pakistan's attempt to forcibly occupy Jammu and Kashmir in 1947.

On that fateful day, a third of the territory was lost, including the village of Shardi in the Kishenganga (Neelum) Valley, where the revered Sharada Peetha, the abode of Sharada Maai, once stood. Teetwal, where the new temple is being established, once served as the base camp for the annual yatra. Due to various unfortunate circumstances and missed opportunities, the Peetha stood abandoned, patiently awaiting the return of Sharada Maai's devotees.

Her patience endured even as her children, the Pandits, were forcibly expelled from the Valley in a genocide in 1990. They continue to yearn for the day when yatras, such as the one to Sharada Maai's peetha in the Kishenganga valley, can be conducted in an atmosphere free from fear and filled with devout worship.

The divine plan, it seems, is unfolding before our eyes. The return of the Pandits to the Kashmir valley appears closer than ever before, with temples being restored and a new one being built in Teetwal after decades of longing. The turbulence in a bankrupt country that is grappling with an uncertain future may pave the way for a scenario once inconceivable—the re-merger of PoJK and PoGB with India.

If such a remarkable transformation occurs, it would be a testament to the poetic justice befitting Sharada Maai, especially if it happens on 22 October. To some, this may appear as a distant dream, but only Sharada Maai herself knows her divine will. For now, it seems that a truly extraordinary intervention may be awaiting us just around the corner, guided by the divine forces that shape our destinies.

Amit Shah's inauguration of Kupwara Temple puts focus on Historic Sharada Peeth again

In March this year, Union Home Minister Amit Shah virtually inaugurated a temple and a Dharamshala at a small border village—Teetwal along the Line of Control in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district. Shah inaugurated the temple and the Dharamshala at Teetwal as part of Pandita's "mission" for the revival of pilgrimage to Sharada Peeth, the ancient Hindu University which was located across the LoC at that time. Pandita had vociferously demanded the revival of the Sharada pilgrimage under his Save Sharada Committee.

The temple, revered by Kashmiri Pandits, had been out of bounds for Indian pilgrims since 1947.

The Sharada temple or Sharda University in Neelam Valley was 160 kilometers from Muzaffarabad across the LOC.

The remnants of the significance of Sharda lay in a village known as Shardi or Sardi, where the river Neelam (Kishanganga) converged with the Madhumati and Sargun streams.

Professor Ayaz Rasool Nazki, a scholar and former regional director of the J&K chapter of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations, who was the first Kashmiri to visit Sharada across LoC in 2007, recalled his tryst at the spot.

It was after Nazki’s visit in 2007 to Sharada that the demand for allowing pilgrims to the temple from the Indian side gained momentum.

“It was a sweet sign to find the structure lying intact at Sharda. I was visiting the place after it had been closed down for nearly 80 years. Its complex was vast. Its structure had naturally suffered wear and tear. Its wood roof had been damaged. I found all the lawns of it maintained and manicured,” said Nazki.

Besides, it was heartening for Nazki to find the locals, all talking with reverence about the site. “They (locals) would refer to the site as Sharada Maie or Sharada University,” said Nazki.

He also said that he found the site’s complex had not been encroached upon, despite the local government having allocated it to some locals across LOC.

The temple was also once regarded as the foremost center of higher learning in the Indian subcontinent. It was also one of the 18 Maha Shakti Peethas, or "Grand Shakti Peethas," and was considered to be the abode of the Hindu Goddess Saraswati.

Nazki said Sharada Peeth was a kind of “darohar” or treasure for Kashmiris since it had two aspects of faith and rich history attached to it.

“Sharda had been a seat of learning. Irrespective of religion, it was perhaps our first seat of learning. At one point in time, Sharada University had 5000 resident scholars who came from all over the world in ancient times,” said Professor Nazki.

Besides, he said its library had been massive in ancient times. “If any manuscripts weren’t found anywhere in the world, the scholars' quest for it would end at only Sharada,” Nazki added.

During those ancient times, Nazki said subjects including science, philosophy, and religion were taught at Sharada.

As per the legend, the goddess Sharada saved the pot of knowledge during a war between evil and good. She carried it to the Neelam Valley and hid it beneath the ground. She then turned herself into stone to cover it, and thus there were only rectangular stones covering the floor of the temple.

It is also said that the famous conversation between Abhinav Gupt and Adi Shankaracharya took place at the temple, as Adi Shankaracharya had traveled all the way from the summer plains of the south to the Himalayas in the north to quench his thirst for knowledge.

Sharada Peeth or the Seat of Sharada, named after the goddess of wisdom Saraswati, is believed to have been an ancient center of learning established in Neelum Valley in 273 BC, even before the Takshila and Nalanda universities.

While the university had always been a center of attraction, the annual pilgrimage to the temple flourished during the reign of Maharaja Pratap Singh and Ranbir Singh.

The pilgrimage came to a halt after the Partition in 1947, and the university and temple have since fallen into disrepair. While India and Pakistan opened up cross-LoC movement for people on either side of the border, travel was restricted to the families that had been divided.

A few years ago, Nazki said he had proposed the government set up a composite University at Sharda from both parts of divided Kashmir across LoC to make the ancient learning seat once again a vibrant spot of knowledge.

He now hopes both India and Pakistan put politics on the back burner to let the flame of knowledge glow at Sharda.

Land for Sharda base camp at Teetwal was donated by local Muslims:

It was in 2021 that “bhumi pujan” was done at Teetwal for the inauguration of the base camp.

Pandita was all praise for his Muslim brethren who donated land for the temple at Teetwal.

He also said the site of the temple assumed significance since it was one of the traditional routes for the Sharda Peeth pilgrimage.

“This is the official route, and we have reclaimed our lost heritage, which was burnt in 1947. We are fighting for the reopening of Sharda Peeth. It is a clear signal to Pakistan that we are near it, and on the lines of Kartarpur, we urge both the governments of India and Pakistan to make amendments in LoC permit rules to allow cross-the lost cultural heritage tourism,” said Pandita.

Former Jammu and Kashmir Mehbooba Mufti had also demanded the starting of the Sharada pilgrimage on the lines of Kartarpur Sahib in 2018.