Diwali celebrated at Sharda Devi temple in J&K for first time in 75 years

Celebration of Diwali at Mata Sharda Devi temple in Kupwara, J&K for 1st time in 75 yrs. Prayers performed & firecrackers burst. Temple & Sikh gurdwara rebuilt to revive pilgrimage to Sharda Peeth in PoK. Inaugurated on Mar 22, temple was destroyed in 1947 tribal raids.

Numbers of earthen lamps lit the Teetwal hamlet in Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara district on Sunday as Diwali was celebrated for the first time at the Mata Sharda Devi temple in the last 75 years, the organiser of the event claimed.

Prayers on the occasion were also performed in the temple, which is now reconstructed in the area on the Line of Control (LoC).

Ravinder Pandita, Head and founder of the Save Sharda Committee said that this is happening for the first time in 75 years.

"It's a matter of happiness that Diwali is being celebrated in the same way as it used to be before 75 years. The inauguration of this temple was done on March 22 after its renovation," Mr. Pandita said while speaking to ANI.

He further appealed to the government to open the Sharda Peeth -- "the seat of Sharada" like that of Kartarpur Sahib.

"This is our request to the government that Sharda Peeth gets open like Kartarpur Sahib," he said.

After performing the Diwali rituals, the people gathered outside the temple and burst firecrackers. The ancient temple and its centre were rebuilt with a view to reviving centuries-old pilgrimage to Sharda Peeth temple in the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).