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The 109-year-old Shiv temple situated on a hill in Gulmarg, a tourist destination in Jammu and Kashmir, was completely burnt down. Many Bollywood films were shot here. Rajesh Khanna-Mumtaz's song 'Jai Jai Shivshankar' was filmed here.
According to media reports, the fire broke out on Wednesday (5 June) morning. Locals controlled the fire with the help of police, but by then the temple was completely burnt.
The priest said- the fire started due to a short circuit
According to the police, there is no report of any casualty due to the fire in the temple. The cause of the fire has not been ascertained yet. According to the temple priest Purushottam Sharma, the fire broke out due to a short circuit. The police have registered a case and started investigation.
According to local people, the fire in the temple continued for 3 to 5 hours.
A Muslim man took care of the temple for 23 years
After the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from the state in the 90s, Ghulam Mohammad Sheikh of Baramulla district took care of this temple for 23 years. Everyone fondly called him Panditji. Mohammad Sheikh used to get a monthly salary from the charitable trust for taking care of the temple.
Initially he was given the responsibility of the temple as a watchman, but later he learnt the rituals and customs and also used to perform puja in the absence of the chief priest.
Ghulam Mohammad retired in 2021. Purushottam Sharma has been working as the chief priest of the temple since November 2023.
See the pictures of the destroyed temple after the fire:
The upper part of the temple was most affected by the fire because it was made of wood.
According to the priest, the fire was caused by a short circuit.
Many films were shot in this temple
Many Bollywood films were shot in this temple. The song 'Jai Jai Shivshankar' from the 1974 Rajesh Khanna-Mumtaz film 'Aapki Kasam' was also shot here.
Apart from this, films like 'Roti', 'Andaz' and 'Kashmir Ki Kali' have also been shot in this temple.
The song 'Jai Jai Shiv Shankar' was shot in this Shiva temple.
Omar Abdullah expressed regret
Expressing regret over the incident of burning of the temple, former Chief Minister of Kashmir Omar Abdullah wrote on the social media platform X, 'I am very sad to hear the news of fire in the famous Shiva temple of Gulmarg. I hope that the administration will find out the reasons for the fire as soon as possible and rebuild the temple, because this temple is very important from a religious as well as tourism point of view.'
The temple looked something like this before the fire.
In 2021, the army got this temple renovated.
This temple is located in the ski resort of Gulmarg which tourists come to visit.
The temple was built in 1915
This temple of Lord Shiva was built by Queen Mohini Bai Sisodia of Maharaja Hari Singh, the last Dogra ruler of Jammu and Kashmir, in the year 1915. This is why it is also known as Mohineshwar Shivalaya and Rani Mandir.