Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: Sharda Peeth

Mains level: Not Much

sharda

Home Minister said that the government will move forward to open Sharda Peeth on the lines of the Kartarpur corridor.

Why in news?

Activists request that the Sharda Peeth corridor should be made operational on the lines of Nankana Sahib Gurudwaras and the Kartarpur corridor in Pakistan.

Sharda Peeth

Sharda Peeth is a Hindu temple located in the Neelam Valley in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
It is considered one of the 18 Maha Shakti Peethas, or major shrines, of the Hindu goddess Shakti.
The temple is an important pilgrimage site for Hindus, particularly those from the Kashmir Valley.

The temple is believed to have been established in the 6th century CE by Adi Shankaracharya, a famous Hindu philosopher and saint.
Sharda Peeth became an important center of learning and scholarship during the medieval period, attracting scholars from all over India and even from as far as Central Asia.
The temple was destroyed several times by invading armies and underwent major renovations and restorations under various rulers over the centuries.
The temple’s importance declined during the colonial period and it fell into disrepair in the years following India’s partition in 1947.

Sharda Peeth is now located in a remote and inaccessible part of Pakistan-administered Kashmir and has become a subject of political and religious controversy.
The Indian government has long sought to open a pilgrimage corridor to Sharda Peeth for Hindu devotees, but this has been complicated by the ongoing conflict and tension between India and Pakistan over Kashmir.
In recent years, there have been calls for the temple to be handed over to India or for it to be converted into a museum that can be visited by people from both sides of the border.

Sharda Peeth is an important part of Kashmiri Hindu identity and culture, and its restoration and revival have been a longstanding demand of the community.
Some Kashmiri Pandits view the temple as a symbol of their lost homeland and argue that its restoration would be a step towards reclaiming their cultural and religious heritage.
Others, however, caution against politicizing the temple and argue that it should be seen as a shared heritage of all Kashmiris, regardless of their religious or political affiliations.

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