The historic Sheetalnath Temple has once again become a focal point for community gatherings, with the sounds of temple bells echoing through its centuries-old structure. This site is notable for its connection to Mahatma Gandhi, who once found inspiration for peace and unity there. Recently, Kashmiri Pandits have gathered at this temple, expressing a renewed sense of hope and solidarity, mirroring the sentiments of the past.
Dilip Langoo, a devotee, said: “The grand festival celebrated today is dedicated to Sheetalesh Bhairav and Sheetalnath Shiva. The ground and the road you see today were completely underwater. This represents a structural formation of pilgrimage sites in Kashmir, where Sheetalnath Bhairav is one of the eight Bhairavs counted around the Hari Parvat area. They are understood to be the eight children of the Goddess, and this area is called Sheetalnath. This place has a long-standing tradition where locals, residents of the neighborhood, and nearby people whose presiding family deity (Isht Devta) is Sheetalnath Bhairav come to perform rituals and prayers. In our community, the Kashmiri Pandit community is categorized into eight different sets of deities. We have Anandeshwar Bhairav, these people have Sheetalnath Bhairav, while others have Toshraz Bhairav, Mangaleshwar Bhairav, or Bokhat Keshwar Bhairav. The entire region of Srinagar was divided into these eight areas, and these deities were worshipped as the protectors of those respective areas. Regarding the antiquity of the temple, it is as ancient as Hari Parvat itself, and no one can pinpoint its exact age some say hundreds of years, others say thousands, but it remains one of the most ancient surviving places. I extend my heartfelt congratulations to the committee for taking the initiative to revive this sacred space. We hope that children will play here in peace again and that happiness and joy will return to this land, and we pray for their blessings. This song will be performed everywhere as a message for everyone who wishes to return. What is happening here is perhaps by the grace of the Almighty that happiness is returning to this soil once again”. Be it here or in Jammu be it Mehdi Raat or Havan any function, I do it myself. This is the tradition of Kashmir. This is good, this is a good thing. If they come back, this vibrancy will increase. There is no difference between them and us. These steps mark a meaningful and hopeful development. By restoring these sacred sites, the government is not only honoring the rich cultural and spiritual heritage of the Kashmiri Pandits but also sending a strong message of inclusion and belonging. Such efforts can help to heal old wounds, strengthen trust, and create an atmosphere of security and acceptance, encouraging more families to consider returning to their ancestral homeland and contributing once again to the social and cultural fabric of Kashmir.
Because it has been renovated, we can worship here today.
“Sathu” refers to water there used to be water everywhere here. This is a step toward the return of the Kashmiri community, and we are also organizing a “Song of Return” in November in Srinagar, alongside visiting various historical streets across India. Kashmiri folk singer Shabir Ahmed said: “This is brotherhood.
I used to sing earlier also. in every function of pandits.
Today, childhood memories got refreshed once again. It’s Very good, feeling today It shows Kashmiriyat never ends, Kashmiriyat always remains, culture always stays alive. Then it caught attention everywhere. This was the area where Kashmiri Pandits used to gather. Right here, Mahatma Gandhi had seen a ray of hope. Right here, Jawaharlal Nehru had lectured. Madhok Ji spoke here, Veer Savarkar, L.K. Advani, and after that, our State’s Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad Sahab used to come here, celebrated Janmashtami, Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah used to come, Farooq Abdullah used to come, things used to go on like this. But we have to preserve it. For this, the State Government, Central Government, and UT should come forward and help us. Only then will it happen, right? When land sharks started grabbing into it, these Muslim brothers called me I come from Delhi, and we protected the temple and saved the temple from them. Beyond its religious character, Shitalnath’s historical role has made this temple a community hub. There used to be programs on Janmashtami and on Basant Panchami. This was not just a religious place. The whole community used to meet here, and social gatherings used to take place here.
Because the installation here is of Sheetalnath Bhairavnath, we started to worship here, worshiping Bhairavnath,. Because this is the only temple where there is political significance, right from here, every function of Kashmiri Pandits used to start. When the era of militancy started in 1992, this temple was burnt for the first time. The militants weren’t satisfied they burnt it once again in ‘93. After that, we completely closed this temple, And then, in February 2022, on February 22, 2022, we reopened this temple. The Central and state governments took over here, and we have opened a temple here now, in 2022, they started work, and today look, in 2027, after 5 years Smart City has done a very good job, built a very good temple for us, and built a good havanshala. Here, this locality was such that there were 115 Hindu homes, it was their temple, and there were only 25 Muslim homes. This temple has no official record that when it was made, it’s said when Hariparbat 5000 years back was seen as the water of the area dried up and this satisar turned into land at that time this temple was also got established.
Ravinder Aansdhan, a native of the same place who had come from Delhi for this function, said: “I am a resident of here, a resident of this very locality. It’s said that there are eight Bhairavas who protect the city which was divided into eight part by Mata Sharika form of Mata Parvati and those eight Bhairavas which are form of lord shiva and they protect the Srinagar city one of them was Sheetalnath Bhairava.
Its belief is that it is one of the Ashta Bhairavs of Srinagar who takes on the responsibility of protecting the city of Srinagar, and this is one of those Bhairavs. This is not just in Smart City; I don’t think there are many temples in Smart City alone. This is a scheme of the Cultural Department, under which heritage monuments, which include temples, mosques, Sufi shrines, gurdwaras, and other non-religious structures, are having their renovation projects undertaken. Heritage means preserving our treasure of heritage and passing it on to the next generation. This is our heritage, and it is our duty as a society to protect our heritage and pass it on to future generations. Devotees expressed gratitude to the Sanatan Dharam Sabha for its attitude of keeping the remaking and inauguration of the temple non-political. The site’s spiritual importance makes it unique among all other temples of Kashmir. This is a centuries-old temple and is very much respected.
When this temple burned down in 1991 along with the havanshala, the Sheetnath Ashram Sabha here continuously worked on how to renovate and revive it. Some renovation work started here in 2011, but in 2023, under the Smart City project, Srinagar Smart City Limited took up the project for its renovation and upgrade, which is completed today. This temple renovation started in 2023, and it has just been inaugurated.
Atul Dulloo, Chief Secretary, said, “This Sheetnath Ji Bhairav temple is a very old, centuries-old temple. Pandits who attended the reopening of the temple said we feel and see our childhood here. There were many emotional scenes devotees with tearful eyes said it’s the temple where countries and Jammu and Kashmir’s almost all big dignitaries have visited. They said Mahatma Gandhi had also visited and said here that I had seen a ray of hope of peace and unity here.
