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JAMMU, INDIA, November 27, 2002: The Raghunath Temple, which had been closed after the latest terrorist attack, as been reopened to devotees following a purification ceremony. The ceremony started at 10 a.m. and continued until 2:30 p.m. Renowned pandits of Jammu, Bihari Lal, Mool Raj Shastri, Surinder Shastri and Kewal Krishan Shastri, performed the ceremony. A portion of the temple that was damaged in the exchange of fire and grenade explosions has already been repaired and painted afresh. Once the ceremony was over, pandits and hundreds of locals washed the temple floor and walls with panchamritham, a mixture of fruits, ghee, fresh milk and honey. Pandit Ashok Sharma added that the purification was done as described in the Hindu Shastras. Soon after the temple was reopened for devotees, former Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah and his son, Omar Abdullah, met head priest Vishal Shastri. Asked if the murthis of Hanuman and Maharishi Valmiki, which were damaged, would be replaced, he said the decision would be taken in a meeting with Dr. Karan Singh, chairman of the trust that manages the temple. Upon reopening on this first day, 8,000 devotees visited the temple by 7 p.m.

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