SRINAGAR: Ever since the historic abrogation of the article 370 in the region, Jammu and Kashmir is getting back to its old traditions, culture and the ‘Ganga-Jamuna Tehzeeb’, said union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday.
Shah’s comments came after he e-inaugurated the Mata Sharda Devi temple near the Line of Control (LoC) in Karnah sector of the erstwhile state.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s gigantic efforts led to the abrogation of Article 370 of the constitution. After the Article 370 scrap, there is now peace in Kashmir. The abrogation has taken Jammu and Kashmir back to its old traditions, culture and Ganga-Jamuna Tehzeeb,” said shah in his address.
The home minister said that the UT administration is working tirelessly towards social and economic change, and renovation work is going on at 123 selected places of religious significance.
“Many temples and Sufi places are being renovated. A budget of Rs 65 crore has been allotted and 35 places will be renovated and revived in the first phase. The administration identified 75 religious places and Sufi shrines and organised cultural events there. It has led to rebirth of the old heritage,” he said.
Shah congratulated LG Manoj Sinha for successful implementation of PM Modi’s schemes on the ground in the UT, even as he said that Sinha played a great role in bringing industrial investments to J&K.
Earlier, Shah said that opening of Mata Sharda Mandir on the first day of Navratras is beginning of the new dawn and quest for reviving the Sharda culture.
Regretting that he was not able to remain present physically at the temple, Shah said he will start his next J&K visit by bowing at the Mata Sharda Devi temple.
Shah said the temple opening was made possible by the joint efforts of the people including civil society on both sides of the Line of Control even as he congratulated Save Sharda Committee president Ravinder Pandita and said the centre will try opening Sharda Peeth across the LoC on the lines of the Kartarpur corridor.
The ancient temple and its centre are being rebuilt with a view to revive the centuries-old pilgrimage to Sharda Peeth temple in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). Sharada Peeth — “the seat of Sharada” — is the Kashmiri name for goddess Saraswati. It was one of the foremost ancient universities of the Indian subcontinent.
