1. Sharda Peeth is an ancient temple of Sharada (Goddess Saraswati) situated close to the Line of control (LoC) which lies in PoK’s Sharda village in the Neelum Valley (at a distance of around 30 km from Kupwara in JnK).
2. Sharda is a small village where the river Neelam (Kishanganga) converges with the Madhumati and Sargun streams.
3. The temple is of huge importance for Kashmiri Pandits, but since it stands across the LoC, it is out of bounds for Kashmiri Pandits.
4. It is back in focus with the opening of Kartarpur Corridor.
5. An independent group, The Save Sharda Committee, has been spearheading the campaign to allow Kashmiri Pandit pilgrims access to the Sharada temple and has members on both sides of India and Pakistan.
6. The story behind the foundation of the Sharada Peeth goes back to the time when the Kashmiri Pandits transformed their land of scenic beauty into an intellectual centre, known as Sharada Peeth or Sarvajnanpeetha.
7. Goddess Sharda was also referred to as Kashmira-Puravasani. The temple has been completely deserted since Partition in 1947.
8. One of the accounts of construction of the temple says that it was built during the rule of Kushans (early 1st century).
9. Besides the temple, the ruins of one of the country’s oldest universities, called Sharda University also stand there.
10. The university had its own script known as Sharada and it is said that it once had over 5,000 scholars and the biggest library.
11. Despite the fact that Goddess Sharada or Saraswati is the principal deity of the Kashmiri Hindus, it is one of the centres for the bustling intellectual community is also why the shrine is significant to its devotees.
12. Sharda peeth provides a cultural olive branch to two fighting countries sharing a great history.
13. May goddess Saraswati gives wisdom to the leaders to capture the opportunity of peace and harmony.
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