Kashmiri Pandits flag graveyard en route to Shankaracharya Hill, says ‘cropped up suddenly’
Kashmiri Pandit groups have protested the construction of a graveyard near the Shankaracharya Hill in Srinagar, claiming the site appeared suddenly and without historical precedent. The J&K administration had previously approved funds for the improvement of a nearby religious site, sparking community tensions.
Why it matters
The dispute underscores ongoing communal sensitivities and land-use tensions in the Kashmir region, where historical and religious claims are frequently contested.
Kashmiri Pandits flag graveyard en route to Shankaracharya Hill, says ‘cropped up suddenly’ left Shankaracharya Hills near Gupkar Road. File Imran Nissar Imran Nissar https://th-i.thgim.com/public/incoming/ia0fwb/article71624562.ece/alternates/FREE_1200/12205_8_2_2025_16_42_42_3_15_WILD_FIRE_SGR_08_02_2025.JPG IMRAN NISSAR Srinagar,08/2/2025: Smoke rises from the Shankaracharya Hills near Gupkar Road as a fire breaks out due to dry weather in Srinagar on Saturday, 08 February 2025. Photo: IMRAN NISSAR /The Hindu The J&K administration’s Roads and Buildings (R&B) department, in an order on September 12 this year, had approved ₹44.37 lakhs for “improvement of Astan Aliya Syed Usman Sahib on the way to Shankaracharya road” SrinagarKashmiri Pandit groups on Sunday (October 25, 2026) objected to the J&K government-approved construction of a small graveyard en route to the Shankaracharya hill in Srinagar and claimed it has “suddenly cropped up”. “During my lifetime, I haven’t heard of this mazaar [graveyard] on Shankaracharya Road leading to the Shankaracharya Temple in Srinagar.
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