Panchmukhi Shiv Dhaam : Symbol of Kashmiri Pandits Resilience, Survival and Resurrection
King C Bharati
Vessu, September 01, 2021: Kashmiri Pandit community which has faced numerous displacements from their homes in Kashmir Valley during past around eight hundred years has always shown resilience and will to survive and resurrect like Phoenix despite the fact that attempts were always made to wipe out their footprints from the Kashmir Valley.
It is this resilient attitude that they have survived at least seven big displacements or forced exodus from the Kashmir Valley and always returned to Valley to create a fresh ecosystem for their survival.
The latest among those forced exiles is the 1990 displacement when terrorists forced the entire Kashmiri Pandit community out of valley on gun point after hundreds of their activists, leaders and intellectuals were gunned down, their women raped and children maimed by the terrorists.
However, 31 years later despite their wounds still fresh they have once again begun to return with more resilience and confidence to create an ecosystem for themselves afresh.
The first step in this direction can be said the return of around 1500 young Kashmiri Pandit youth who got an opportunity to serve as government servants under Prime Ministers Special Recruitment Package for Kashmiri Pandits commonly known in the official files as Kashmiri Migrants.
These young Kashmiris accepted the offer and begun serving in government departments since 2010 and by now atleast 5000 of them are not only serving in the Valley but also surviving in spite of harsh living conditions.
Some of the employees were fortunate enough to get government quarters to live for which the biggest colony housing around 600 employees is the Vessu Kashmiri Migrant Colony in Anantnag District.
These employees most of who are living with their families have already created the basic ecosystem necessary for a decent living for a Kashmiri Pandit which is the education of their children and religious activities without which a Kashmiri Pandit is never a complete person.
In this regard we take you to the Panchmukhi Colony of Vessu where a grand Panchmukhi Shiv Dhaam (Shiva Temple) has been constructed by these employees to save their rich cultural traditions, heritage, faith and are passing on the baton to their next generation.
We talked to the president of the Panchmukhi Colony Sanjay Koul about their stay in the Valley and how they are saving their religious faith and passing it on to their next generation.
Watch the exclusive video and see for yourself the grand temple, religious activity and survival instincts of this community which has always been on the receiving end since Kashmir was taken over by the foreign powers some eight hundred years ago.
Watch the video and leave your comments and don’t forget to like, share and subscribe to our YouTube channel.
