In an unfortunate incident on Wednesday morning, Shri Ranbireshwar Temple, a revered place of worship, faced natural damage due to excessive rains and a thunderstorm.
In an official statement issued here today, Brig. R.S Langeh (Retd), President of J&K Dharmarth Trust, said that the incident occurred at 9:15 AM on October 17, when a lightning bolt possibly struck the temple, causing significant impact to the front outer veranda.
Remarkably, due to Lord Shiva's grace, the lightning strike resulted in no harm to the inner sanctum of the temple. Nandi ji, guarding the temple, took the full impact of the strike, shielding the main temple and preventing any harm to the temple's sacred artifacts, including the Shivlings and Shaligrams, he said.
Fortunately, no casualties or injuries were reported to any devotee or temple employee, as heavy rains and the thunderstorm had prevented devotees from being present at the time of the incident, he added.
The J&K State Disaster Relief Force, J&K Police, Fire Services, and the Civil Defence swiftly responded to the emergency, providing immediate assistance. Local representatives, led by the Mayor of Jammu and other government officials, visited the site promptly, assuring all possible help in the restoration efforts.
The Trustees of J&K Dharmarth Trust, headed by Chairman Trustee, Hon’ble Dr. Karan Singh, expressed their dismay and deep concern over the temple's partial collapse of the peripheral veranda and pledged to restore the damaged portion as soon as possible, ensuring that citizens can once again have Darshan and perform Pooja of Lord Shiva at this sacred place at the earliest.
The Trustees, M.K Ajatshatru Singh ji and Rajkumar Ranvijay Singh ji, personally inspected the damage and assured the public that a comprehensive audit of all temples under the Dharmarth Trust's purview will be conducted by a dedicated committee. They also paid their respects to the deities inside and offered the traditional Bhog.
The Trust's President asserted that the Dharmarth Trust is continuously monitoring the conditions of all temples under its purview and carry out periodic repairs and maintenance as necessary. The incident is an unfortunate natural calamity, and the Dharmarth Trust assured the public that the temple will be reopened after a comprehensive structural survey of the entire complex, he added.
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