Srinagar's 700-year-old Durgeshwari Temple being restored by Kashmiri Pandits

Residents and Kashmiri Pandits in Srinagar are restoring the Shri Durgeshwari Temple in Bana Mohalla, Fateh Kadal, a shrine believed to be about 700 years old that had fallen into ruin, according to reports published in the last week of October 2026. The work began in September 2026 under the leadership of local resident Shashi Tikkoo and has grown from one person's effort into a community project, carried out without government funding. Once the restoration is complete, idols of Lord Ganesha and Goddess Durga are to be reinstalled.

The Durgeshwari Temple stood neglected for about three decades after the 1990s, according to reports on the project. Its restoration is significant because it is being driven by the community itself, with the help of local residents, rather than by a government scheme.

The project follows the reopening in September 2026 of the Sheetalnath Temple in Srinagar's Habba Kadal area after 36 years, a separate project rebuilt by Srinagar Smart City Limited with the Jammu and Kashmir Department of Culture. Together, the two show different routes to reviving heritage sites: one led by government agencies, the other by residents and devotees raising their own resources.

For devotees, the reinstallation of the idols of Ganesha and Durga will mean the temple can once again be used for worship. According to tradition, Durga is worshipped as the protector goddess and Ganesha as the remover of obstacles, and both are honoured at the start of rituals and festivals. A working temple would also give local families a place to gather for festivals and ceremonies in the old city.

There are also questions the project will have to answer. Restoring an old structure with volunteers and private funds needs care to keep the original building intact. The application to the Deputy Commissioner may open the way for official support or guidance, but no government decision on the temple has been reported so far.

Short-term: Restoration work continues at Bana Mohalla, and the community's application to the district administration is pending. Reports say the temple has already regained much of its earlier appearance.

Long-term: A completed restoration would return the temple to worship and could encourage similar community efforts at other neglected shrines in Srinagar's old city.

Who is affected: Kashmiri Pandit families and devotees, residents of Fateh Kadal and nearby neighbourhoods who are supporting the work, and the Srinagar district administration.

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