Sharda, Azad Kashmir

Sharda (Urdu: شاردا‎), also known as Shardi, is a small town in Neelam District in Azad Kashmir, Pakistan. It is one of the two tehsils of Neelum district, and is located on the banks of the Neelum river at an altitude of 1,981 metres (6,499 ft).

Sharda
شاردا
Tehsil
A view of Sharda from Sharada Peeth
Sharda
شاردا
Sharda
شاردا
Coordinates: 34°47′35″N 74°11′19″E
CountryPakistan
StateAzad Kashmir
DistrictNeelam
Languages
 • OfficialUrdu
Time zonePST

Etymology and historical sites

"Sharda" is another name of the Hindu goddess of knowledge, Saraswati, and is known for being the site of the ruins of the famous temple and Hindu pilgrimage site Sharada Peeth, dedicated to the goddess Sharada.

Sharada Peeth, a ruined temple dedicated to the eponymous Hindu goddess of learning

Sharada Peeth
Main article: Sharada Peeth

Between the 6th and 12th centuries CE, Sharada Peeth was among the most prominent temple universities in the Indian subcontinent. Known in particular for its library, it was associated with Buddhist scholars such as Kumārajīva, Thonmi Sambhota, Rinchen Zangpo, as well as Kalhana Pandit and Adi Shankara. It played a key role in the development and popularisation of the Sharada script in North India, resulting in the script being named after it, and Kashmir acquiring the moniker "Sharada Desh", meaning "country of Sharada".[1]

Nearby locations

Shardi and Nardi are the two mountain peaks overlooking the valley, named after the princesses of legend, Sharda and Narda.[2] Over the right bank, opposite Sharda, the river Neelum is joined by the Surgan Nullah, along which a track leads to the Noori Nar Pass and through it to Kaghan Valley, where boating and jet skiing takes place. Attractions in Sharda include Surgan, Maidaan, Kishan Ghatti, and Sharada Peeth.

See also

References
  1. Qazi, Junaid Ahmad; Samad, Abdul (January 2015). Shakirullah; Young, Ruth (eds.). "Śarda Temple and the Stone Temples of Kashmir in Perspective: A Review Note". Pakistan Heritage. Hazara University Mansehra-Pakistan. 7: 111–120 – via ResearchGate. One, on the account of many terms in some ancient works, associating Śāradā to Kashmir, it seems that it was not the name of script. However, it was given to primary script of Kashmir for being in the peak time for the veneration of the goddess of learning and words.
  2. Ghani, Abdul (2009). Sharda: Tarikh kay Irtaqāī Marāhil (Urdu ed.). Mirpur: Verinag Publishers.


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