From A Ruined Hindu Temple In PoK To Ram Mandir In Ayodhya: Holy Water Sent For Pran Pratishtha

A Muslim man has sent holy water, all the way from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, to India for the Ram Mandir consecration ceremony at Ayodhya.

Ravinder Pandita, the founder of the Save Sharda Committee Kashmir (SSCK), said that his team collected the sacred water from the Sharda Peeth Kund in PoK and it was brought to India by a Kashmiri Pandit activist.

It is truly a full circle moment for India, with holy water sent from a kund in Sharda Peeth - a ruined Hindu temple - to the newly-constructed Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.

ram mandir ayodhya donation bbps/ndtv

From PoK to Islamabad to UK to India: A long journey for the holy water

The SSCK team first sent the holy water to Islamabad. From there, it was sent to the UK.

Finally, it was brought to India by a Kashmiri Pandit activist.

"The holy water of the Sharda Kund at the Sharda Peeth PoK was collected by Tanveer Ahmed and his team. Our civil society member across the LoC (Line of Control) carried it to Islamabad, wherefrom it was sent to his daughter Maghribi in the UK."

"Maghribi, in turn, handed it over to Sonal Sher, a Kashmiri Pandit activist who came to Ahmedbad in India in August 2023. From there, it reached me in Delhi," Pandita said.

Why this winding route for sending holy water to India from neighbouring country Pakistan?

Postal services between India and Pakistan have been temporarily suspended after the Balakot airstrikes following the 2019 Pulwama terrorist attack, hence the elaborate route.

Pandita said SSCK member Manjunath Sharma handed over the holy water to Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) leaders who presented it to senior functionary Koteshwar Rao in Ayodhya on Saturday.

Sharda Peeth - A prominent 'temple university' of the Indian subcontinent

Sharda Peeth is a ruined Hindu temple and ancient centre of learning located in the Neelum Valley of PoK.

Sharda Peeth ruins/ Wikipedia

Known for its detailed library, many stories recount scholars travelling long distances to read its texts.

After Martand Sun Temple and the Amarnath Temple, Sharada Peeth is one of the three holiest sites of pilgrimage for Kashmiri Pandits.

Ram Mandir consecration: When and Where to watch

The Ram Mandir consecration ceremony will be telecasted live from the Ram temple in Ayodhya between 11 am and 1 pm.

Viewers can watch the live telecast on the IndiaTimes channel below:

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