The group, which had travelled from Bharatpur in Rajasthan, left after unfurling a saffron flag and doing a parikrama (circumambulation of the temple), all the while chanting the Hanuman Chalisa.
This the third consecutive year that the group, called the Rashtriya Anhad Mahayog Peeth, has sought to hold prayers at this place of worship.
Temples, mosques or sites of any other religion under the protection of the ASI are not open for prayers unless these were functioning places of worship at the time they came under the central archaeological body's protection.
Furthermore, no prayers are allowed at any historic place of worship that was in ruins when the body took charge of it.
The temple at Martand, whose main deity is Surya, or the sun, is worshipped by Hindus as the creator of life. It is believed to be the oldest temple Sun temple and was said to have been destroyed during the reign of Sikandar Shah Miri, who ruled from 1389 to 1413.
The ruined remains of temple have been protected by the ASI, including during the decade of militancy in the 1990s, as a “monument of national importance”. The monument attraction for tourists of all faiths, especially after it provided the imposing backdrop to some scenes of the Bollywood film ‘Haider.’
According to local Kashmiris, Hindu tourists often sit on the stone platforms on the grounds of the temple and offer prayers. But no one is allowed to pray in the inner areas of the ruins.
An organised attempt to overturn this rule started in 2022, when a 100-strong contingent of the same group, held prayers at the temple to commemorate the day of arrival of Adi Sankara in Kashmir. Conches were blown, and the group helpd aloft saffron flags as well as the Tircolour. The group spent a good part of the day inside the temple.
Two days later, J&K Lieutenant-Governor Manoj Sinha participated in a separate ‘Navgrah Ashtamangalam pooja’ at the temple, which according to a press release from his office, was “held in the presence of saints, members of Kashmiri Pandit community and local residents”. Priests from south India conducted the ceremonies at this elaborate puja which went on for over an hour.
The ASI later raised the issue with the district administration for violation of the central government body's rules.
In 2023, when the Rajasthan-based Hindu outfit returned in April to perform pooja once again, it was blocked from entering. The entire party was detained at a Shiva temple at Mattan, not far from Martand, a functioning place of worship, and not allowed to proceed further. The contingent dropped the plan, but not before shooting off letters of protest to various functionaries of the government.
This year, the group leader, Maharaj Rudranath Mahakal, said their visit was timed with the inauguration of the temple at Ayodhya.
“Prime Minister Modi had said that all temples should hold prayers and mark the occasion like Deepavali, which is what we wanted to do in all the temples of Kashmir,” he said.
After holding prayers at the nearby Shiv temple at Mattan, the group proceeded to Martand and entered despite efforts by several ASI staff present at the site to stop them, Rudranath said.
An ASI staffer had tried to snatch the “Ramji ka dhwaj” one member of the contingent was holding, but he was thwarted, Rudranath said.
“We made our way with determination to the garb graha (sanctum), where we unfurled the sanctum and unfurl “Ramji ka dhwaj” as well as sing two Ram stutis.
However, the group was not allowed to sit anywhere or stay on in the premises, and had to leave after a parikrama (circumambulation) of the temple. “We chanted the Hanuman chalisa as we did the parikarama,” he said.
He said ASI was not maintaining the premises in keeping with the standards expected of a place of worship, and he had seen cigarette packets inside the temple and around it.
ASI officials in the Srinagar office did not respond to calls.
