Temple in Srinagar that was closed due to militancy, reopens after 31 years on Panchami

Srinagar, Feb 17: In a recent development, a temple in Srinagar, that was closed for 31 years, due to militancy and outmigration of Hindus, was reopened on the auspicious occasion of Basant Panchami.

Shital Nath Temple is located in the Habba Kadal area of Srinagar reopened on Tuesday. Special prayers were also performed by devotees at the temple.

Santosh Razadan, a devotee who came to offer prayers at the temple, said that they received huge support from locals especially those from the Muslim community for the reopening of the temple.

"Shital Nath temple reopened after 31 years. People used to come here before to offer prayers but it was closed due to militancy. Hindus residing near the temple had also left. Locals mostly belonging to the Muslim community helped us," she told reporters.

Ravinder Razdan, one of the organisers of the pooja conducted at Shital Nath temple, said people from the Muslim community provided much-needed support to us in this initiative and they even came forward to clean the temple.

"Our Mulsim brother and sisters brought pooja items. We used to do this pooja every year. Baba Sheetal Nath Bhairao's birth anniversary falls on Basant Pachmit that is why we celebrate this day with fervour," Razdan said.

Terrorist violence cases and stone-pelting incidents have dropped in Jammu and Kashmir following the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019 that gave special status to the erstwhile state. Jammu and Kashmir was also bifurcated into two union territories- Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.