Sharda Tehsil
Sharda, also known as Shardi, is a small Tehsil in Neelam District in Azad Kashmir, Pakistan. It is one of the two tehsils of Neelum district, and is located on the banks of the Neelum river at an altitude of.
Etymology and historical sites
"Sharda" is another name of the Hindu goddess of knowledge, Saraswati, and is known for being the site of the ruins of the famous temple and Hindu pilgrimage site Sharada Peeth, dedicated to the goddess Sharada.Sharada Peeth
Between the 6th and 12th centuries CE, Sharada Peeth was among the most prominent temple universities in the Indian subcontinent. Known in particular for its library, it was associated with Buddhist scholars such as Kumārajīva, Thonmi Sambhota, Rinchen Zangpo, as well as Kalhana Pandit and Adi Shankara. It played a key role in the development and popularisation of the Sharada script in North India, resulting in the script being named after it, and Kashmir acquiring the moniker "Sharada Desh", meaning "country of Sharada".Before 1947, a fair was held in Sharda every four years during the leap year on Sharda Ashtami, the 8th day of the bright fortnight of Badhun, where Kashmiri Pandits would assemble for Shraad rituals and ashes of those who had died during the past 12 months were immersed in Kishenganga river. In non-leap years, the Shraad was performed every year at Haramukh Gangabal located at 14,500 ft in the Kashmir valley.