A webinar on Shakt tradition in Kashmir region was organized by Regional Centre, Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA), Jammu and Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University (SMVDU) on 12th December 2021. Kashmir is a celebrated place for spiritual learning and scholars worldwide yearning for knowledge used to come since ages. Land of great saints, sages, and Acharya’s Kashmir has a great contribution in Philosophy emancipating the Shakt parampara which stresses the energy to make the creation functional. The Shakti makes Shiva radiate and is well elaborated in Bhawani Shastranana. Shiva glorifies Shakti and recites thousand names of Bhawani. The prominent Shakti pithas of Kashmir, Sharda, Sharika, Ragnya, Jawala and Bhadrakali have remained epitome of Sanskrit Civilization of Kashmir.
The speakers in the webinar enlightened about the primary sources on Shakt Shrines, tradition and rituals associated, socio-cultural identity and the struggle of the community to keep their traditions alive. Shri Virendra Bangroo coordinated and convened the Webinar. Speakers of the webinar were Sh. Upinder Anbardar, Scholar and writer; Sh. Sanjay Raina, a scholar of Trika philosophy; Dr. Etee Bahadur, Prof., Jamia Millia Islamia University, Sh. Vinod Razdan writer and author of Book on Maharajni-the agamic Devi. Among the discussants were Sh. Narindra Safaya, Delhi; Ms. Shikhsha Shah, Toronto, Canada and Sh. Rohit Ganjoo, who was online from the Netherlands. Shri Sumanta Sarathi Sharma HOD School of Philosophy and Culture, SMVDU, thanked the speakers, discussants, Vice Chancellor, SMVDU, Registrar SMVDU and Member Secretary, IGNCA for their participation and administrative support.