news details |
|
|
| Rajouri temples in shambles | | | EARLY TIMES REPORT
Vaibhavi Chandel
Jammu:SEPTEMBER 30
After the threat of terrorists to the local Muslim population against cleaning of Hindu temples in Thannamandi area of Rajouri district in Jammu region, four temples constructed at the time of Maharaja Hari Singh in year 1925 are lying in shambles.
The temples in the Muslim dominated area of Thannamandi are in a poor condition with no one including the state government coming forward to take care of these structures that were built by Hindus who settled in Thannamandi in 1925 after coming from far off areas including Muzafarrabad (now capital of PoK), Kotli, Gool Gulbgarh and other areas of undivided J&K.
Interestingly these people had come to Thannamandi after the last ruler of J&K Maharaja Hari Singh allowed the residents of the state to settle anywhere in the J&K that was earlier prohibited under the law.
However after the start of armed insurgency in the border district of Rajouri where Pakistani mercenaries killed many Hindu families, entire Hindu population migrated from Thannamandi and settled in other areas of Jammu region.
There are a total of four Hindu and one Sikh temple in Thannamandi that are lying deserted with no one taking care of them. Earlier some Muslims use to clean the temple premises but later ultras threatened them of dire consequences after which these Muslims stopped taking care of the temples.
A local historian and a leader of the area, GA Mir says that the temples were constructed by the Hindu businessman who came and settled in Thannamandi in 1925. “These businessmen gave loans to the local Muslim population on interest. When the Muslims were not able to return the loan, these businessmen started taking their property as guarantee for loan”.
However the local population decided to kill these businessmen in year 1931 and destroy their property. “Although no Hindu was killed during the attacks but their property and these temples were destroyed in attacks” Mir says.
“The temples were reconstructed by Maharaja Hari Singh” Mir says.
Mir says that these temples came under attack for the second time in 1947 at the time of Pakistan backed tribal raiders who tried to destroy the temples but failed in their attempts.
The temples again came under attack by Muslims of adjoining villages at the time of Babri mosque demolition, “but at that time the local Muslim population stopped the agitated people to do so” he says.
Girdhari Lal Sharma, a businessman of Rajouri town who migrated from Thannamandi in year 1998 says that his Muslim friends ask him to come back to his home as the situation was comparatively better than few years back.
“Now there is no reason left to return to Thannamandi as our lands have been occupied by the local population of the area” says Sharma.
Only one or two visitors in a month come to the temples to see the structure built during the time of Dogra ruler.
Ashfaq-ul-Hasan a local shopkeeper says that the areas has scenic beauty and is also called ‘mini Kashmir’.
“Construction of temples could boost religious tourism in the area that will be helpful for local Muslim population like in the case of Amarnath holy cave in Kashmir” he says.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
STOCK UPDATE |
|
|
 |
| BSE
Sensex |
 |
| NSE
Nifty |
|
|
| |
CRICKET UPDATE |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
