Dr Mandeep Singh Azad and Dr Manmeet Matan

I still remember whenever people of Jammu wanted to go for one day picnicthey always used to visit Jhajjhar kotli.A very close picnic spot located in hillsof Jammu. It used to be a complete tourist destination with beautiful scenicbeauty and water fall which made it the best tourist destination but with theconstruction of national highway and tunnels this beautiful place has lost itsglory and now it can been seen as passing by point . Jhajjar Kotli is a famouspicnic spot and tourist complex in the state of jammu and Kashmir built on thebanks of the rivulet named Jujjar and approx 27 km from Jammu on thenational highway that leads toward the city of Srinagar. The main attraction ofthis beautiful tourist place is the clear and refreshing cool water of Jujjar andits surrounding natural beauty. To facilitate the tourists there is a wonderfultourist bungalow in Jhajjar Kotli maintained by the department of tourism. TheJhajjar Kotli tourist complex used to receive a large number of tourist and vis-itors during the summer months in past years but now there is very hard to findany tourists visiting this place.

Jhajjar Kotli, also spelled as Jajjar Kotli, is situated about 27 Kms on theNational Highway leading towards Srinagar in Kashmir. Jhajjar Kotli can betouted as one of the famous tourist complexes in Jammu and Kashmir owing toits beautiful lush and cooling surroundings blessed with the pristine andrefreshing waters of Jhajjar that is enveloped with extreme natural refinement.Jhajjar kotli personifies a perfect place for serene and relaxed vacation experi-ence and is best for those looking for an escape from rushed and hectic sched-uled lifestyle. This is a spot to experience a stress free and tension free lifeamidst a tranquil environment surrounded by a green belt of forest lands andwater bodies to spend that much needed relaxing weekend gateway.

But with time unplanned urbanization and construction of Jammu-Kashmirhighway has decreased its beauty and had made it just a passing by point. Inthe next few years, we can hope to travel to Srinagar by road even during harshwinter or at the height of monsoon, and that too at a high speed. The feat willbe realized, thanks to Asia’s longest all-weather two twin tunnels being built onthe NH-1A, which connects Jammu with Srinagar. The tunnels will reduce thedistance between the two towns by almost 51km, lessening the travel time by atleast five hours. The tunnels will not only make the journey less risky, but willalso help boost tourism in the border state that saw a revival of the industry thisyear after a long gap. The stretch is also of immense strategic importance.

People have written zillions of words to best describe the beauty of Jammu& Kashmir, however the truth is that the power of words can never comprehend

the mysticism that this state possesses. This northern-most state of India hasbeen endowed with nature’s best and that is why it has been an object of inter-est for many travel enthusiasts. Protected and blessed by Mata Vaishno Devi,who seems to have found her earthly abode on the Trikuta Hills. In Jammu,urban sprawl coupled with unplanned developmental activities has led tourbanization, which lacks infrastructure facilities. This is particularly true fordeveloping cities like Jammu. This also has posed serious implications on theresource base of the region. The urbanization takes place either in radial direc-tion around a well-established city or linearly along the highways. This dis-persed development along highways, or surrounding the city and in rural coun-tryside is often referred as sprawl. This rapid urbanization ,construction ofhighways and roads have damaged natural beauty of hills .Many of the picnicspots like Nandni and Jhajjar Kotli have lost their importance as flyovers andtunnels have surpassed them and tourist tend to avoid go off the main lane tovisit these picnic spots as a result of which these picnic spot are becoming a lostheritage.

The history of urbanization in the state is quite old as towns and urbanplaces like Panderathan, Naranag, Awantipur flourished during the an-cientperiod. During the ancient and medieval periods, urbanization was associatedwith the seats of administration, capitals and trading centers. During the peri-od of Sikhs and subsequently after the arrival of English people, the rate ofurbanization accelerated. Urbanization in the state of Jammu and Kashmir hasa bi-metropolitan apex in which the cities of Srinagar and Jammu dominate,accounting for two-thirds of the total urban population. Towns of Jammu andKashmir state are growing more on the basis of tertiary rather than the second-

ary sector. There is not much decentralized urban/industrial development inthe state. Most of the district headquarters resemble the paragon towns of theneighbouring states of Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh. Urban centersare mostly concentrated in the plain areas. The urban places in the hilly andmountainous areas are generally small

It is clear that the largest single threat to biological diversity globally is theoutright destruction of habitats, along with habitat alteration and fragmenta-tion of large habitats into smaller patches.

Roads and other linear infra-structure, such as highways, tunnels, railroadsand canals are among the most ubiquitous features of human activity and areknown to have severe environmental impact on habitats and ecosystems world-wide.

Roads are considered a major contributor to habitat fragmentation becausethey divide large landscapes into smaller patches and convert the interior habi-tat into an edge habitat. Human development brings with it an increase in thenumber of roads to fulfill transportation needs, but this rise has costly implica-tions for nature. The aims of road construction have been widely discussed.Trade economists, for example, have written extensively about the link betweenroads, market access and economic growth, as well as the health of householdand national economies in most developing nations. However, roads pose a par-ticularly challenging problem to those interested in biodiversity conservation indeveloping countries. So it’s very important to save these local picnic spots frombeing completely lost as they are our proud and are the face of our beautiful hillsand rich cultural heritage.

Lt Gen Syed Ata Hasnain

As part of their daily worship,Kashmiri Hindus utter the phrase""Namastey Sharada Devi KashmirPurVasiniTvam Ham Prartheye NityamVidya Danam Che De hi mey"(Salutations to you, O Sharada,O Goddess, O one who resides inKashmir. I pray to you daily, pleasegive me the charity of knowledge).It is only when a KP organisationorganized a recent seminar and pressbrief on ShardaPeeth and expressedits desire to request the StateGovernment and the Government ofIndia to demand opening of the shrineto religious tourism that I decided todeeply educate myself on the issue.Anything one touches in Jammu &Kashmir brings an element offascination because hidden farinto the nooks and crevices of itsmountain ranges are amazingtheories, stories and facts.

All these years I used to fly over theShamshabari Range, visiting Tithwal and Keranwithout an iota of an idea of the existence of anear derelict shrine at the western base of theRange near the confluence of the RiversKishanganga (known as Neelum in PoK) andMadhumati. The exact location to most willhardly gel except to hard core army men whohave had the privilege to serve in this sub sector.Here is how you get there. From Muzaffarabad aroad goes to the Neelum Valley and is aligned atthe north edge of the river. Between Athmuqamand Dudniyal lies the confluence of the tworivers and there exists this ancient temple ofGoddess MaSaraswati (also known as Sharda).It is said that Kashmir was once known asShardaDesh and was the center of learning ofVedic works, scriptures and commentaries.Although there are different accounts recordedit is evident that a very bustling intellectualcommunity existed in and around the areawhere the shrine is located. 'ShardaPeetham'(Centre for Advanced studies) was the nervecenter of learning and it was the Sharda scriptwhich was in use. The shrine did not have adeity but a very large plinth/slab and outsidethere was a Shivling (symbolic idol of Lord

Shiva). Sharda Temple had the main girdle of 22feet diameter. It had an entrance door on thewest. The other entrances had arches over them,and these arches were 20 feet in height. Themain entrance had footsteps. On both sides ofthe porch, there were two square shaped pillars,16 feet high and 2'6" x 2'6" in sectional sizecarved out of a solid stone block. The construc-tion inside the temple was very plain andunadorned. The temple is situated on a hillock,on the right bank of river Madhumati. An annu-al fair used to be conducted here. All the infor-mation here is courtesy MrBamzai, a KashmiriPandit scholar who was one of the last to visitthe shrine before the partition 1947.

Although the shrine and the Peethwere sup-pressed during the Muslim rule it was SultanZainulAbedin, also known as Budshah, in whoserule it received royal support. Thereafter in1846 Maharaja Gulab Singh undertook therepairs, maintenance and sustenance of theshrine through the placement of a priest. After

1947 it is known that Hindus from Pakistan vis-ited the shrine which was also being maintainedby the Pakistan Archeological Department. The8th Oct 2005 earthquake which affectedPakistan Occupied Kashmir very adversely alsohad its impact on the Sharda shrine. The statusafter the earthquake was not known until nowwhen MsRukhsana Khan a Pakistani researcherhas undertaken to unravel more details. It islearnt that the University of Muzaffarabad hasinstituted study of the shrine and the Shardaculture.

The one obstacle to the further revival of theSharda site is the permission which is denied toKashmiri Hindus to visit it. There is an apparentreason for this. The Neelum Valley is one of themost sensitive sub sectors in the vicinity of theLine of Control (LoC). From Kel in the North viaAthmuqam and Dudniyal to Tithwal (our side)the valley is under the complete domination ofthe Indian fortified positions along theLoC.There is a cartographic bulge on the eastern side

called the Bugina Bulge which is a swathe of ter-ritory hugging the slopes of the Shamashabari.This is the sub sector of the Pakistan side whichis used for launch pads to infiltrate terroristsinto the Kupwara sector of Kashmir.Strategically it is also very important becausethe foothold that the Pakistan Army has inBugina Bulge is tenuous; it can be rolled aside atwill by the Indian Army if the latter wishes toalter the alignment of the LoC. The NeelumValley Road running at the valley floor isalready dominated by the Indian Army and thisdomination will be completely reinforcedshould Bugina Bulge fall into Indian hands. Itwill impose a heavy penalty on the logisticsmaintenance of some of the areas north ofShamashabari held by Pakistan.

It is for these reasons that Pakistan isextremely wary of giving access to any visitingIndian media people or others to the NeelumValley.

APMCC has been instrumental in making

serious attempts at reviving ancient Kashmiriculture. One of the methodologies that theyhave been employing is the revival of someancient yatras to important shrines which aretucked away in the lap of nature. Among theseare the yatras to Gangabal and to Konsarnag.The State Government has been hesitant forvarious reasons especially due to security con-cerns. There is a political element to it which isalso sensitive because there have been demandsabout limiting the foot fall of the most reveredHindu yatra to ShriAmarnathji shrine.

In the same spirit of openness in issuingvisas for visits to Ajmer Sharif for Pakistanidevotees or for NankanaSaheb in Pakistan forSikh devotees; also in the spirit of the proposedenhancement of religious tourism to importantshrines the Kashmiri Hindu community hasbeen vociferously demanding permission tovisit the Sharda site. The need for revival of anannual mela (pilgrim fair) at the shrine has beenprojected. However, the Pakistani authoritiesare unlikely to relent for two reasons. Firstly,Neelum Valley is strategically too important alocation unless there is a convincing change ofstrategic climate between India and Pakistan.Secondly, unless the State Government itselfpromotes some of the yatras the revival propos-al for Shardayatra will hardly sound convincing.

The Kashmiri Hindu community justifiablyfeels that with its almost negligible presence inKashmir its rich heritage in terms of shrines andyatras would get completely diluted. It is mak-ing a brave effort towards the retention of itsunique culture. The ShardaPeethYatra may asyet be a shrine too far but definitely the openingup of ancient yatras within Kashmir to a degreebeyond than just symbolism would be a verypositive step towards the integration of cultures.

It is to be appreciated that MuzaffarabadUniversity and research scholars likeMsRukhsana Khan have displayed much enthu-siasm towards the Sharda site. If nothing elseGovernment of Pakistan must be prevailed uponto carry out more extensive repairs of the shrineand the fort complex near it. However, physicalrepairs and maintenance can never match theemotions of devotees. An escorted delegation ofjust a few representatives of the Kashmiri Hinducommunity traveling via Keran (Kupwara)would pose little security risk for the PakistanArmy and would actually add to good will.

The organisation needs support and its cam-paign needs to be given some weight becauseonly with such things will the reciprocal reinte-gration of Kashmiri society begin.

(The author is a former GOC of the Chinar Corps)

Sharda Peeth in ruins.

A picnicker’s delight.

SUNDAY, JANUARY 17, 2016 INTERNET EDITION : www.dailyexcelsior.com/magazine“I am a true patriot”...................PPaaggee 44 AA uunniiqquuee eexxppeerriieennccee.....Page 3

SHARDA PEETH : AN ICONIC SHRINE TOO FAR

Jhajjar Kotlilost in

urbanization