Sharada Peetham at Sringeri has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi requesting him to make arrangements for devotees to visit Sharada Peeth at Sharada village in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). The peetham has also appealed to Mr. Modi to ensure that steps are taken for reopening the Sharada Peeth, which has been abandoned for years, and make pilgrimage to the place possible.
V.R. Gowrishankar, CEO and Administrator of Sringeri Mutt, wrote the letter on October 12.
It has been a long pending demand of the devotees to restore the Sharada Peeth at Sharada village and allow them to visit the place.
The letter said: “It is well known that Goddess Sharada is referred to as Kashmira-puravasini. The temple dedicated to Sharada was once a great centre of learning and was frequented by scholars of highest calibre from all over the country. This temple has been known as the throne of omniscience or Sarvajna Peeth. Adi Shankaracharya during his Digvijaya Yatra had eventually been to Kashmir and worshipped the goddess, won the scholars in debate and had ascended the Sarvajna Peeth.”
Earlier, devotees used to undertake a pilgrimage to Sharada Peeth in Kashmir around August every year.
“It is the earnest wish of Hindus that this pilgrimage is made possible. A lot of Hindu devotees would be extremely delighted and grateful if they get an opportunity to visit the holy place at least once a year,” the letter said.
The Sringeri Peetham also said it would offer assistance for reopening of the Sarvajna Peeth as a place of pilgrimage. Copies of the letter have been sent to Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Minister for External Affairs Sushma Swaraj.
