From Ruins to Revival: Historic Sheetal Nath Ji Temple Reopens in Srinagar After Over Three Decades

Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir: Historical Sheetal Nath Ji Temple, which was burnt down in the 1990s amid the exodus of the Kashmiri Hindu community from the Valley, has been reopened after more than 35 years following its reconstruction and renovation.

  

J&K Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo on Wednesday inaugurated the newly renovated Sheetal Nath Ji Bhairav Temple at Kralkhud in Srinagar. The ceremony also featured a Hawan at the newly constructed Hawan Shala.

 

Speaking on the occasion, Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo said, “Let me tell you that today, this Sheetal Nath Ji temple here is very ancient and historical. It is not just a religious site; the entire community used to gather here, and various programs used to take place.

 

When it was burnt down in 1991, some renovation work was initially carried out on it, and later, when the work was restarted in 2023, it has been completed today. Today, you can see that it has become fully functional…”

  

  

 

The temple remained inaccessible for around 36 years after the migration of the Kashmiri Hindu community from the Valley in the early 1990s. The reopening marks the restoration of an important part of Srinagar’s cultural and religious heritage.

 

The restoration project was completed under the Srinagar Smart City initiative with the aim of preserving and promoting the city’s historic, cultural and religious heritage.

The centuries old temple, located in the Habba Kadal area of Srinagar, is an important shrine associated with the Kashmiri Hindu community. It historically served as a place of worship and a centre for community gatherings and religious programmes.