* Govt sleeps over development of sacred areas
Avtar Bhat
JAMMU, May 28: With the Government sleeping over the issue, the ancient shrines of Purmandal and Utterbehni in Samba district of Jammu region are crying for development.
Despite having sanctity and sacredness like holy Ganga the Devika on which twin shrines of Purmandal and Utterbehni were situated, both have been neglected by the successive Governments till date despite the fact that the two shrines are greatest Hindu pilgrimage centres in Jammu region after Mata Vaishno Devi and Shiv Khori falling in Reasi district of the region.
Over one lakh pilgrims visit the holy shrines on the Somawati Amavasya every year. Besides, lakhs of pilgrims visit the shrine during the Shivratri festival, Chet Chuterdashi and every Amavasya of the month. But the two shrines san proper development as no attention has been paid by the successive Governments for the same despite the repeated pleas by the people of the area.
The ancient temple complex of Narsingh Dev at Utterbehni required immediate attention as a portion of this complex from the road side is in dilapidated condition. The two shrines are best suitable for promotion of pilgrimage tourism in the Jammu region and can attract hundreds of tourists daily provided the Government pays attention to these, feel the locals.
The local people are also of the opinion that by exploiting the two ancient shrines to the pilgrimage tourism it will boost the economy of this entire Kandi belt and bring prosperity to the people in the area. But the authorities at the helm of affairs are not paying any attention to it. This is a general feeling among the people of Purmandal which has a population of over 3500 souls.
Knowing fully that the twin shrines have the same significance in Hindu mythology as the river Ganga, but the Government has not focused its attention on their development, they said. The temples of Utterbehni and Purmandal were constructed by Maharaja Ranbir Singh who wanted to develop these shrines on pattern of Kashi but after his death and taking over the reigns by popular Government no one bothered to develop these shrines, said J L Baru a senior citizen of the area.
He said the shrines as well as the Devika has a lot of significance for the Hindus but lamented that it will take more than one thousand years to develop the shrine on pattern of Haridwar as the State Government takes no interest in them.
He said there are ancient magnificent temples of Umapati Mahadev, Lord Shiva, Narsingh Dev and Raghunath Ji besides complex of temples at the two shrines constructed over hundred of years before by Maharaja. The Umapati Mahadev temple has been constructed about 2500 years ago by Raja Beni Dutt while other temples were constructed by Maharaja Gulab Singh and Maharaja Ranbir Singh, he added.
As the Devika has a lot of religious significance there is a faith among the Hindus that by cremating the dead body there especially if he or she is a bachelor their ashes get submerged in Devika water and the person attains Mukti (salvation). So people from different parts of Jammu region come to cremate the dead in Devika near Shiv temple.
However the local people and the pujaris of Mandir demand that the dead be cremated at two new cremation grounds constructed by the Mansar and Surinsar Development Authority on the bank of Devika so that the pilgrims especially women and children can visit temple complex freely.
Yougesh Sharma a pujari of temple complex said that there are clear cut orders from Government that dead bodies be cremated on two newly constructed cremation ground near the shrine but the same are not being enforced by the authorities for reasons best known to them.
Moreover failure of the Government to construct a bridge over the Devika has been another problem for the people at Purmandal and during the flood the villagers and pujaris living on the left side of the Devika can’t visit the temples for worship, he said, adding the public demand for construction of a bridge over the Devika has not been conceded so far by the authorities.
The parks constructed by the Development Authority at Purmandal and Utterbehni are in shambles as the same have not been properly maintained. The well which was dug at the entrance of park at Purmandal has become defunct and the bathrooms are also non functional as the authorities have failed to maintain them. Moreover roads from Mandal to Purmandal and Utterbehni is also in dilapidated condition.
However, the in charge CEO Surinsar Mansar Development Authority Mohammed Yousf Malik said that the development of the shrines has been kept in next plan. He said that there is proper watch and ward staff for the maintenance of the two parks also.
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