Pakistan gives nod to Sharda Peeth Corridor: Reports

Islamabad, Mar 25: Pakistan has reportedly given its nod to build a corridor to the Sharada Peeth temple located on the other side of the Line of Control (LoC) in Kashmir also referred to as the Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK).

Reports quoting the Pakistani media stated that 'Pakistan has given a green signal for the opening of Sharda Peeth Corridor'.

The ancient temple of Sharada is located across the Line of Control in a small village, Shardi or Sardi. It is considered holy by Hindus and especially by the Kashmiri Pandits. It is located 160 km from Muzaffarabad and about 10 kilometres from the Line of Control at a place where the river Neelam (Kishanganga) converges with the Madhumati and Sargun streams.

"(We) can consider other proposals including opening up travel for the Sharada Peeth in Kashmir...," reported had quoted Imran Khan, the Pakistan Prime Minister, as saying last year.

The Indian government is also said to have written several letters to Pakistani authorities on this proposal.

Kashmiri Pandits believe that Sharada in Kashmir is a tripartite embodiment of the goddess Shakti: Sharada (goddess of learning), Saraswati (goddess of knowledge), and Vagdevi (goddess of speech, which articulates power). In 2007, a group of Kashmiri Pandits who were permitted to visit the PoK were denied permission to visit the temple.

According to some ancient scriptures, Kashmir was sometimes called Sharada Desh because of this temple and Sharada was called Kashmira Puravasini.