Jammu, Aug 14: Shri Kailakh Jyotish Avim Vedic Sansthan Trust, Jammu on Wednesday urged the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to include its demand for the establishment of a Sanskrit University in Jammu & Kashmir, and introduce Sanskrit and Dogri language studies from the first grade in all schools of the Union Territory in the party manifesto for the upcoming elections to the legislative assembly.
This evening, a delegation of the Trust, led by its President Mahant Rohit Shastri, presented a memorandum to the BJP Manifesto Committee, represented by senior leaders and members of the panel, Devender Singh Rana and Y V Sharma.
“India is the carrier of ancient knowledge traditions, and Jammu and Kashmir has significantly contributed to Sanskrit in this regard. Hence, it is necessary to preserve and expand this knowledge tradition,” the memorandum reads. “There is a great need for a Sanskrit University in Jammu and Kashmir, which will help preserve and develop the cultural heritage, values, and knowledge tradition.”
The memorandum highlighted that Jammu and Kashmir has been a sacred land of cultural heritage, where scholars like Acharya Abhinava Gupta, Mahakavi Kalhana, Mahakavi Bilhana, and many other ancient Sanskrit intellectuals have emerged, who not only contributed to the cultural heritage of Jammu of Kashmir but also advanced the cultural heritage of India.
“However, it is unfortunate that today there is no institution in the state to remember these great poets and scholars, to preserve their cultural legacy, and to expand it,” the memorandum stated.
Referring to the glorious cultural heritage, the memorandum mentioned that currently there are a total of 17 Sanskrit universities in India, 14 at the state level and three central Sanskrit universities, but not a single Sanskrit university in Jammu and Kashmir even though this part of the country has been the land of scholars of Devvani (the language of gods) Sanskrit. “This issue has been presented to both the state and central governments several times by Sanskrit enthusiasts in Jammu and Kashmir, but no discussion has taken place on the matter so far,” the delegation lamented.
Rana assured the delegation that this issue would be taken up at the apex level of the party.
The delegation among others comprised Pandit Vijay Shastri, Trust members Dr Satya Priya, Prof. Sharad Chander Sharma, Vijay Shastri, Vittesh Shastri, Dil Bahadur Singh Jamwal and Aditya Abhiraj Sharma.
