Save Religious Heritage in Kashmir

Kashmir has not only witnessed the loss of human life in more than three decades of ethno-religious conflict sustained by terrorism but vandalisation of its rich religious heritage as well. Numerous shrines and religious places have undergone destruction, encroachment and arson. The reason being the uncertainty and chaos; subjecting the people to despondency and desperation. This mayhem sponsored by the enemies of Kashmiris gave enough space to the anti-social elements and land mafia to thrive. And what added to this evil nexus was the religious cleansing of the minority Kashmiri Pandits who were forced to leave Kashmir under threat to life and limb by the radical forces patronised by Pakistan and their mercenaries in the valley. Their displacement gave an added bonus to the land mafia to swindle thousands of kanals of agricultural land, the residential land and homes. It enhanced the distress sale of the Kashmiri Pandit property. Not only that, the land sharks didn’t even spare the temples and the land holdings of these temples by engineering tampering of the revenue records. That led to the creation of the fictitious revenue records in connivance of the subversives active at various levels of sale and purchase of lands. As the displaced Kashmiri Pandits being scattered all over India and abroad could not keep track of the properties of their religious places. It gave time and space to the land mafia to destroy the land records and change the ownership in many cases by fraudulent sale of temple lands and cremation grounds. There has been a consistent demand from various quarters to constitute a Temple and Shrine Board that can end this malpractice by activating the original Temple Committees that were responsible for the upkeep of these temples before the displacement of the community in 1990 from Kashmir. But this has not materialised so far at the ground level. Neither has there been any forward movement with some other alternate policy or model to save the ancient religious temple heritage of Kashmir. Threat to the temple heritage of Kashmir can be well understood from the case of ancient Gopi Tirath Temples located at Brein, Nishat in Kashmir. This temple complex has a rich history that can make any Kashmiri proud. It is an indigenous Shaiv Tantric Shrine. It has temples and a Holy Spring having many healing powers besides the kanals of land having fruit orchards. Historically this complex was the abode of the adherents of the great Shaiva Tantric Masters upholding Kashmir Shaivism from the Rainawari area of Srinagar. Gopi Tirath is the property of Jogishwari Mandir (Lokut Mandir), Ghat Jogi Lanker, Rainawari, Srinagar managed by the Jogishwari Mandir Trust (Regd.).Its history of managing the Gopi Tirath goes to the peaceful years of harmony in Kashmir. Approximately 20 Kanals of land owned by the Jogishwari Mandir Trust at Gopi Tirath has been reduced to a few kanals. Not only that Jogishwari Mandir located at Ghat Jogi Lanker, Rainawari has also been reduced to dilapidated condition due to negligence and apathy. It has witnessed a fire incident that had caused massive destruction to its structure. Moreover, It has a shopping complex comprising nearly 30 shops surrounding the temple. Many of the shops left by the displaced people in 1990 have been occupied by the illegal occupants. And there is no payment of the rent from the tenants. This has affected the upkeep of the temple and violated its sanctity and no revenue is spent on its upkeep that was meant to be done from the rent collected. Logically speaking the Union Territory administration must act proactively and provide round the clock security to the Gopi Tirath and evict the illegal occupants at the Jogishwari Mandir at Rainawari. It must encourage the registered trustees to manage the Jogishwari Temple and its properties at Gopi Tirath, Brein, Nishat, Kashmir by discouraging the trespassers and prevent the land sharks acting in the garb of religious groups and Ashrams from within the community to change the ownership, subvert the revenue records in connivance with the land mafia. Encroached or sold land must also be recovered and handed over to the trustees. This can be a success story to encourage the restoration of the temples and their properties in the entire Kashmir valley .Besides, it will be a concrete confidence building measure to restore the faith of the displaced community in the administration and its policies.