Srinagar: Sharda Yatra Committee today organised a foundation laying ceremony of Sharda Centre and Sharda Worship site at Teetwal near Line of Control (Loc) in Tanghdar Sector.
According to a press note, the foundation was laid by Chairperson of Waqf Development Committee of Ministry of Minority Affairs and BJP National Executive Member Dr Darakhshan Andrabi in presence of ShardaYatra Committee Chairman Ravinder Pandita, SDM Tanghdar and Tehsildar.
Senior government officials and senior citizens of the area were present on the occasion. “This site was reclaimed by the committee at the place where an ancient Dharamshala used to exist up to 1948. This was the last halt-site en-route ShardaTirtha for the pilgrims from Kashmir and Jammu till 1948. This site was deserted after 1948 tribal attack of Pakistan and now ShardaYatra Committee under the leadership of RavinderPandita after a long struggle retrieved the land and today DrDarakhshanAndrabi laid the foundation stone for this historical re-construction of huge Sharda Centre and Worship Kendra on the site, “ the press note added.
Earlier ShardaYatra Committee had concluded the Bhoomi-Pujan of the land in the morning. DrDarakhshanAndrabi while addressing the gathering said that ShardaPeetha was the identity of Kashmir for centuries as this was a place of prominence in learning, research and spirituality celebrated throughout south-Asia.
“Till 1948, ShardaYatra from Srinagar used to go through this place and this was a very important stoppage. After more than seven decades, we are making this place of historical importance live for posterity and here a foundation for a huge Sharda Centre and Worship Site has been laid. We are fortunate enough to get this opportunity of re-writing history,” said DrAndrabi.
Speaking on the occasion Chairman of ShardaTirtha Committee RavinderPandita said that his decades long struggle had bore its fruit today and a beginning to revive the Sharda Culture in Kashmir has been made.