Sharada Peeth

Getting there

• By road

  The temple is about 150 km from Muzaffarabad, the capital of Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

Why devotees come here

Sharada Peeth stands on a hill in Sharda village, along the Neelum River. Kashmiri Pandits count it among their three holiest pilgrimage sites. It was once among the leading temple universities in South Asia.

Hindus count Sharada Peeth among the Maha Shakta pithas, where they believe the fallen right hand of Sati came to rest. Kashmiri Pandits believe the deity worshipped here is a threefold form of Shakti: Sharada, Saraswati and Vagdevi. Legend says the sage Shandilya prayed to Sharada with great devotion. She appeared to him and promised to show her divine form. A slab now covers the holy spring where she is believed to have appeared.

From the 6th to the 12th century CE, it was among the most prominent temple universities in South Asia. It was probably commissioned by Lalitaditya Muktapida, who ruled from 724 to 760 CE, though no definitive evidence supports this. One account dates its construction to the Kushan rule in the early 1st century.

The temple is built in the Kashmiri style with red sandstone, and its architecture closely resembles the Martand temple in Anantnag. By the 21st century the roof was gone and the interior was open to the weather. Maharaja Gulab Singh repaired the temple during Dogra rule. It fell into disuse after the India-Pakistan war of 1947 to 1948.

Festivals

• Sharada Ashtami, the 8th day of the bright fortnight of BhadraSharada Ashtami fair

  Before 1947 a fair was held in Sharda every four years, in leap years. The last one was in 1944.

• In the pastShardi village fair

  An annual fair was once held at Shardi village, and pilgrims travelled through Kupwara to worship Sharada.

Tips for your visit

• The compound sits on a hill, approached from the west side.
• The way up is an imposing stone staircase.
• The temple stands 1,981 metres above sea level.

Questions people ask