Kashmir Temples & Shrines: Looming Existential Crisis

            The landscape of Kashmir is dotted with magnificent religious places that bear an eloquent testimony to thousands of years of Hindu spiritual heritage.  They create idyllic spiritual ambiance for the devotees. The temples and shrines are inextricably linked to the physical and spiritual existence of Kashmiri Pandits (KPs). These are the defining landmarks and symbols of their faith. Apart from being inalienable Spiritual Centres of KP Community, these shrines and temples have immense heritage value. Several of these temples have been mapped by INTACH, a Valley based NGO, under the auspices of UNESCO- as part of thousands of years of Kashmir’s Hindu heritage that must be preserved and protected.

            Historically, Hindu temples and their other places of worship in the Valley have been subjected to desecration and plunder ever since advent of Islam there. Tohfatu’l – Ahbab, biography of Shamsu’d-Din Muhammad Araki - an Iranian Shi’a Muslim missionary of Nurbakhshiyyeh order, who first visited Kashmir in A.H. 882/ A. D.1424, vividly narrates with pride how Araki and his band of Sufis unleashed mass conversion drive of Hindus to Islam by sword of Islam and how he vandalised places of Hindu worship. Destruction of Hindu temples/shrines and replacing those with Ibadatgahs (places of worship) of the new faith was then dignified as a sacred religious duty. Ironically, in free India too, especially during last four decades, burning down Hindu religious vestiges and usurping their assets in the Valley has turned into a ‘sacred' loot. Most conservative estimates peg worth of Hindu religious assets in the Valley at Rs.30,000 Cr; Srinagar itself is home to assets worth Rs.7,000 Cr. For Islamists and real-estate czars that offers a mouth-watering opportunity, be that a perverted religious obligation or a business proposition.  Hence a race to gain control of these assets.

The Recent Past.

            Not delving too deep into history, recent onslaught on Kashmiri Pandits’ temples started in 1986. Exposing this dangerous politico-communal game-plan of Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, Praveen Donthi writes ‘After the locks of the Babri Masjid were opened, riots broke out in some parts of the country. While Kashmir was largely undisturbed, violence did breakout in one district: Anantnag, Sayeed’s stronghold. Here, several temples were desecrated and houses of Pandits were attacked. During my reporting, I heard allegations that Sayeed himself had organised the violence. Yousuf Jameel, a senior Kashmiri journalist, who covered the riots, told me that Congress was behind it because they had problems with G.M. Shah and wanted to get rid of him. I was told by Ghulam Hassan Mir, one of G. M. Shah’s defectors in 1984, that “Mufti Sahib was behind it (riots)” - ‘How Mufti Mohammad Shaped the 1987 Elections in Kashmir’, Caravan, March 23, 2016. As if on Mufti’s cue, this vandalization continues unabated till this date.

Present Status.

            A visit to various temples/ shrines/holy springs or even Shamshan Bhoomis in the Valley leaves one aghast at brazen encroachments of their assets, either through intimidation in an environment of conflict or through fraudulent and illegal sales.  Land mafia, militants and their sympathizers, politicians, Sadhus, administration- bureaucrats, police hierarchy and revenue officials -Hindu religious bodies and many a black sheep within the Kashmiri Pandit community are integral to this nexus. A walk on erstwhile Hari Parbat parikrama bears a testimony to wholesale encroachments of temple properties. Three full-fledged townships have come upon the land which was essentially annexed to the seat of Sharika, Kashmir's presiding deity. Encroachers of iconic Satptrishi Asthapan straight facedly retort ‘where else could we go?'. The complicity of revenue officials, administration, and the militant-backed land mafia is evident. Otherwise, how could commercial buildings have come upon the land annotated Ahl-e-Hanood (belonging to Kashmiri Pandits) in revenue records?

After ‘purging' Kashmir of Pandits and wresting their properties, grabbing Hindu temple assets was a natural progression for the militant-backed land mafia. Current armed uprising gifted Kashmir a lawless society wherein administration, complicit or at best indifferent, allowed trampling of these vestiges of Hindu civilization in Kashmir. Politicians and people in state administration too resorted to numerous Benami transactions to construct huge commercial complexes.

Casting aside any pretentions to protect faith, even Sadhus turned wheeler-dealers in this reprehensible barter of temple property for monitory considerations. Land belonging to Baba Dharm Das Mandir, in Srinagar, was sold/leased by its caretaker, ‘Mahant' Gopal Das, backed by an obscure organization called Sadhu Dharmasthan Surakshini Samiti, J&K. This is not the only case in Kashmir of Mahants/Sadhus turning thugs for greed which they are supposed to have renounced. It is a common knowledge that many among them impersonated different ‘visages' to sell temple properties at different places. Shockingly, even some top Hindu bureaucrats patronized these thugs either on the pretext of them belonging to Hindus faith or as a payback for their token assistance during Amarnathji Yatra. Whenever questioned, encroachers are quick to flaunt fraudulent sale deeds to claim ownership.

Response of the Community.

            Having sold own assets in Kashmir, most of the community members have exhibited callous indifference to this brazen vandalization and sale of the temple assets. This debate has been reduced to casual discussions in cosy drawing-rooms over a proverbial drink. The self-imposed leadership of the community dabbles more in international politics than taking up core concerns of the community.

A couple of young Kashmiri Pandits, driven by an urge to make some quick buck, took up reconstruction/restoration of a few depilated temples in Srinagar and in its immediate vicinity. They were funded from Constituency Development Fund (CDF) of a KP MLC. Since this commitment was greed-driven, cracks developed in this unholy partnership and soon this effort too was in shambles.  Currently, an NRI KP has undertaken to restore/develop some temples in the Valley. Having initially done an excellent job, his team too is now accused of swindling funds and of being involved in the sale of the very assets that they had undertaken to protect.

Angered, a team of non-migrant Kashmiri Pandits (KPs) filed a Public Interest Litigation(PIL) in Supreme Court, in 2007, against the unabated sale of temple assets in the Valley. However, SC advised them to move J&K High Court for the purpose. Justice Sunil Hali, in his interim judgment, in a case involving illegal sale of Baba Dharam Das Temple land, directed Kashmir Administration, firstly, to ensure that revenue authorities do not issue any Farads of temple lands to anyone, secondly, to take custody of properties regarding which no transfer has been affected and, lastly, to ensure protection of properties by taking necessary steps in shape of demarcation and fencing of same. Needless to mention that vested interests and communal bias in the administration ensured non-compliance of these court directions. While adjudicating on a contempt petition filed by these KPs, Justice Muzaffar Hussain Attar passed severe strictures against Divisional Commissioner Kashmir for his failure to file a status report about 27 temples in Srinagar. Taking cognizance of the lackadaisical attitude of the administration, Justice Attar reminded it of the constitutional obligation to uphold secular credentials. Even the report submitted thereafter remains wishy-washy confirming administration's indifference. Notwithstanding the tardy pace of court proceedings, litigants appear committed to their cause.

Sadly, KPs who have managed to take control of some shrines treat these assets as their private fiefdom. Invariably, such people, as is rumoured, enjoy support and backing of some prominent Hindu outfits. Mostly, these managements do not believe in transparency. Often, cliques within managing committees take financial and administrative decisions that are then ratified during sham AGMs. Constitutions of most Sansthas have cunningly been tweaked to perpetuate hold of a few individuals or to oust those who dare question them.  Repeated requests from members to make information, regarding Annual Balance Sheets, decisions taken, proceedings of AGMs etc, public by posting those on websites have been ignored. Such stubbornness has naturally led to many a legal battle and to fight those in courts these managements spend lakhs out of public funds. How can public funds be squandered by those who profess to dedicate themselves to social work? Such unscrupulous people appear handpicks of some powerful organizations who intend to gain overall control of Hindu religious assets in the Valley by placing their ‘own men' at the helm. Some even suggest that it is part of an incomprehensible grandiose strategy to augment Hindu presence in the Valley. It can't get weirder than that.

Role of Trusts.

            Dharmarth Trust manages many prominent temples and shrines in the Valley. However, this Trust itself has turned to be a property dealer. There are a series of allegations against it of having alienated vast chunks of land belonging to Hindu Shrines under its watch for consideration without any legal or spiritual necessity there for. About 100 kanals of land belonging to Jawala JI Asthapan, Khrew, have been handed over to some locals by Dharmarth Trust against monetary considerations for reasons not even remotely connected with religious and social activities of the Trust. Similarly, lands belonging to Ram Chander Ji Temple, at Sathoo Barbarshah, and Partap Ishwar Temple at Khonakhan, Srinagar, have been transferred illegally. Irrevocable Powers of Attorney authorising sale and alienation of such assets are in public domain and these shady deals have been covered by local newspapers. Politically powerful patrons of the Trust have managed to usurp these religious assets with impunity.

               For long Durga Nag Trust has been in news for all the wrong reasons. All efforts to set things right have failed and now we have a situation where employees enjoy field day while waring Trust factions are mute onlookers. No one seems to be in control there. We need to realize that it is now difficult to conjure up the ‘noble’ souls who mercilessly squandered Trust's assets and to hold them to account. Two groups waring groups in the Trust need to bury their hatchet by setting aside egos and take control of whatever is left of it. KPs must demand that Sh. J.L. Tickoo's Enquiry Report about financial bungling by the Trustees and the managers of Durga Nag Trust must be made public to shame those who have swindled crores.  

Political Insensitivity.

            Most politicians, irrespective of the colour of their robes, are insensitive to the demands of the KP community in this regard. Isn’t it a shame that the BJP legislators are in the forefront to stall any legislation to ensure protection of Kashmir’s religious heritage?  Not long ago, two Bills, namely ‘Kashmiri Hindu Shrines & Religious Places Bill’ and ‘Shiv Khori Bill’ were tabled in the state legislature. While ‘Shiv Khori’ Bill was passed, Bill for Kashmir Temples was stalled by vested interest, including those among the BJP legislators. Obviously, politics overrides professed ideology. KPs have a civilizational obligation to raise voice against desecration of their identity and religious icons. The community needs to get real and leave aside political discussions, which in any case are always inconsequential, and rise in unison to halt attempts to wipe out their proud history. 

Looking Ahead.

            KPs need to realise that their numbers don’t count politically. They will always be taken for royal rides by all political parties. In such a scenario appealing to the administration or to the political parties in power to protect their civilizational and religious heritage is to bark up a wrong tree. If court directions to fence temple lands in the Valley could be openly flouted by the administration, what should the community expect of the same establishment? Few among the KPs showed any concern when Kailash Vidhya Dham at Chinore in Jammu- a sprawling Ashram whose construction was mainly funded by Prof. M. L. Mam- has been grabbed by a thug wearing saffron robes and enjoying support of all the prominent functionaries of RSS and its affiliates. Prof. Mam is not allowed even to perform annual Hawan in the Ashram premises. The weak is always trampled.

Those KPs who have joined various political outfits are there for their own interests and not to address community’s concerns. Even those KPs who rose to the top in bureaucratic and police hierarchy hardly exhibited any gumption to look after community’s legitimate interests in the Valley. Post retirement, while some among them have served tenures in legislature as KP representatives rest feign to be concerned about the community’s wellbeing. 

            Unless KPs imbibe spirit of community-pride and reassert their claim to their place of birth forcefully, nothing is likely to be achieved. Just abusing one’s tormentors during TV debates is a sign of weakness. Practically, much more needs to be done on ground. Otherwise, all this is a talk in thin air.