Jammu, June 06: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) J&K Executive Member Raman Suri on Thursday expressed shock over the fire incident that severely damaged the 109-year-old famous Lord Shiv Temple at Gulmarg. He urged Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha to order a thorough probe into the incident.
In a statement issued here, Suri urged the Dharmarth Trust, which manages the affairs of the temple, to begin rebuilding the temple at the earliest besides ensuring the safety and security of the Shivalinga and idols of other deities of the temple, till the temple is rebuilt.
Raman said the administration must find out the cause of the fire and help Dharmarth Trust reconstruct the temple to its old glory of great religious and tourism significance. “Since ages, pilgrims as well as tourists have been thronging this temple during their visit to Gulmarg and the same has also been featured and filmed many times. This place is close to the hearts of people around the globe and must be expeditiously reconstructed so that prayers are started as soon as possible,” he said.
“This Lord Shiv temple, located about 55 km from Srinagar was built in 1915 by Mohini Bai Sisodia, the queen of Kashmir’s last king Maharaja Hari Singh. Known as Mohinishwar Shivalaya Shiv Mandir or the Maharani temple, it was made up of locally sourced material including wood and stones, and its pyramidal dome was visible from all corners of Gulmarg,” he said.
Appreciating the role of local police and residents in dousing the flames, the BJP leader said that everyone present on the spot helped a lot, which is highly appreciable. The temple, which is a popular tourist attraction and has appeared in several Bollywood movies, must immediately be restored to its old glory, Suri added.
