Syed Firdaus Ashraf/Rediff.com comes across a Ganesh temple in Kashmir that remains a well kept secret.
When I was told that there is an ancient SiddhiVinayak temple in Srinagar, I found it hard to believe.
Sanjay Saraf, the Lok Jan Shakti Party candidate from the Habba Kadal constituency and a Kashmiri Pandit, insisted that I must visit the temple to see for myself since I hailed from Mumbai, where Lord Ganesh is revered, and which has a SiddhiVinayak shrine where thousands worship every day.
"Yesterday all of us Kashmiri Pandits had gone to the temple and did visarjan next to the SiddhiVinayak Mandir in Srinagar," says Saraf.
Asked if Lord Ganesh visarjan is practised in Srinagar as in Mumbai, Saraf says, "We do it with much fanfare. We did it this year too and you missed it. You can come next year and join us."
Intrigued, I decided to visit the SiddhiVinayak Mandir which seemed to be Srinagar's best kept secret.
I headed to the Ganpatyar area of Habba Kadal where this temple is located.
Habba Kadal, I was told, was named after the 16th century Kashmiri poetess, Habba Khatoon.
In the late 1980s film-maker Muzaffar Ali was making a movie, Zooni, on the poetess.
Starring Dimple Kapadia and Vinod Khanna, the film stopped midway due to financial constraints and after militancy struck the Kashmir Valley in 1989.
When I reached Habba Kadal it was not difficult to find Ganpatyar. But there was no way to locate the temple in the bylanes.
Passers-by had no idea about a Lord Ganesh temple and I was wondering if I was in the right place.
Finally I met an old Kashmiri gentleman who told me I had come 50 metres ahead of the temple and that I had passed it by without noticing it.
I was walking slowly and could have not missed a temple, and that too an ancient temple of such significance.
I retraced my steps, and halted after 50 metres but again I saw no sign of a temple anywhere.
There were no shops or passers-by to ask for fresh directions.
In desperation, I knocked on a door to ask where this ancient temple was.
The gentleman who opened the door told me, "Right next door."
In that small lane I could not see any steps leading to a temple. When I looked up I could not see a temple spire either; the only thing I saw was brick walls which in no way looked like a temple.
The gentleman then told me to knock on a cabin structure as that was the entrance to the temple.
I did so, and a small window popped open with a man eyeing me suspiciously and asking what I wanted.
I explained to him that I was a journalist from Mumbai and wanted to visit the SiddhiVinayak temple.
The door opened and to my surprise I was surrounded by Central Reserve Police Force personnel in that small cubicle.
The CRPF jawan who eyed me from the window took me inside and asked for my Aadhar card or any other ID.
After checking my credentials and frisking me, he allowed me inside, with the words, "Strictly no photographs."
Some 50 steps led to the temple premises.
Once there, I could see the idol of Lord Ganesh in the garb-griha, and as I went around, I heard someone calling out to me from a higher floor.
It was the CRPF commander in charge of the temple.
It was not advisable for tourists to come to this place at this hour, he told me, and I could see his point. It was nearing dusk, and before leaving he gave me the phone number of the Kashmiri Pandit who was a sevak at the temple, Ratan Chaku.
Chacko couldn't meet me. but spoke to me over the phone about the temple.
According to him, "The SiddhiVinayak murti was found inside the Jhelum river centuries ago. And if you notice, the trunk of Lord Ganesh is bent to the right."
"In spite of the migration of Kashmiri Pandits from the Valley in the '90s, every year without fail we have celebrated Ganesh Chaturthi at the temple."
Asked why tourists are not aware of this temple, he said, "We have started promoting tourism at this place. All are welcome. This was the third year we did Ganesh visarjan. As a tourist in Srinagar, you just need to know that you have to reach at Ganpatyar, Lord Ganesh temple."
Asked why there were no devotees to be seen, he said, "In this area (Habba Kadal) we have not more than 20 Kashmiri Pandit families living. And to expect everyone to come here (daily) is not possible. But yes, on Ganesh Chaturthi we do get between 300 and 500 devotees at this temple."
If you are in Srinagar, do add the SiddhiVinayak temple to your itinerary.
