The Lost Temples of Kashmir

I first encountered the poetry of Agha Shahid Ali while researching literary works related to the 1990 exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from Kashmir. In his collection The Country Without a Post Office, Ali reflects on the loss of homeland and the destruction of places of spiritual reverence. In the poem “Tonight,” he writes:

“In the heart’s veined temple, all statues have been smashed. No priest in saffron left to toll its knell tonight.”

The Lost Temples of Kashmir is a series of small paintings on paper that seeks to reclaim, reconnect with, and reimagine the lost Hindu temples of Kashmir. Developed through archival research, memory, and cultural inquiry, the project responds to the gradual disappearance of sites that once held deep spiritual and communal significance.

At a time when preserving the histories and stories of Kashmiri Pandit culture feels increasingly urgent, these works explore the relationship between memory, place, and cultural continuity. They also examine the possibilities and limitations of return, both as an individual and as a community. Is return still a lived possibility, or has it become an idea sustained through memory and imagination?