3 min readJammuMar 27, 2026 07:00 AM IST
A temple that remained shut for over 35 years in Srinagar was reopened on Thursday with grand Ram Navami celebrations.
While the Raghunath Mandir in the Habbakadal locality was shut when militancy forced many Kashmiri Pandits to leave the Valley, its reopening on Thursday was attended by several members of the community, as well as other residents of the area and officials from the civil and police administration.
“We are celebrating Ram Navami here after many years. This has happened with the cooperation of all — the civil administration, police, the residents of the area and the people who manage the affairs of this temple,” Srinagar Deputy Commissioner Akshay Labroo said at the reopening ceremony.
“This month, we celebrated Navratri, Navroz, and now we are celebrating Ram Navami. All these festivals have been celebrated in a harmonious atmosphere with positive collaboration,” he added.
The Raghunath Mandir in Srinagar is a historic temple that holds great significance for Kashmiri Pandits. It was built in 1857 by Maharaja Gulab Singh on the pattern of the Raghunath Temple in Jammu. However, when militancy erupted in the Valley in the early 1990s, and Kashmiri Pandits left, the Srinagar temple, like many others, was shut.
In 2020, renovation and restoration of the temple started under the Smart City project, and the task was entrusted with the J&K Tourism Department, which collaborated with the Indian National Trust for Art and Culture (INTACH) for the restoration project.
Local residents, including those from the Pandits and Muslim communities, welcomed the reopening of the temple.
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“It (the temple) has long been part of our culture and heritage, and we are happy that it has been thrown open for Ram Navami again,” said 72-year-old Abdul Rashid, a resident of nearby Fatehkadal. He added, “We wish that our Kashmiri Pandit brothers also return to the Valley and live among us like in the past.”
The committee entrusted with managing the affairs of the temple marked the reopening ceremony with grand Ram Navami celebrations reminiscent of the past. They said that idols will be placed in the temple in the coming months.
“In past, the Ram Navami festival was celebrated here with great fervour, but that stopped 36 years ago,” said Bharat Raina, the president of the committee. “For decades, the temple was in a bad shape and after its renovation, we celebrated the Ram Navami here.”
Raina said that if the Raghunath Temple could be reopened after over three decades, other temples can also be restored and revived.
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He praised the administration for listening to their concerns and the local Muslims for their support.
“These celebrations show the spirit of brotherhood between communities. We have been here for the past four days, and our Muslim neighbours have stood by us throughout,” he said, adding that it seems that the time is ripe for the return of Kashmiri Pandits to the Valley.
