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Mukhtar Ahmed in Srinagar
Saturday's terrorist attack on the historic Raghunath Temple, the first major strike by the Kashmiri militants in past 12 years, has shaken the residents of Jammu.
The attack, which killed ten persons, stopped business activity in the winter capital on Sunday, with people preferring to stay indoors.
The 150-year-old Raghunath Temple has been the main attraction for lakhs of pilgrims returning after visiting the Vaishno Devi Shrine.
The entire temple complex not only gave Jammu its name as the city of temples, but also generated quite a bit of commercial activity in the adjoining market places.
"One had not been to Jammu if a visit to the temple is not in the itinerary," Maharaj Krishan, a local resident, said.
"But the attack has shattered our confidence. The entire area is completely deserted and I did not dare to go near the market," he told rediff.com.
"Every Sunday thousands of people would be seen busy making purchases, but today for the first time I saw the area tense and not a soul visible. The people are frightened," he added.
Following the attack, the state administration has increased security at the railway station and bus stand for the pilgrims returning from Vaishno Devi shrine.
Spring has always seen a rush of pilgrims to visit Vaishno Devi.
"Most pilgrims come during April and early May before the temperatures soar. I fear the pilgrim rush may come down drastically after what happened here on Saturday," a tourist officer said.
"The continued communal tension in Gujarat has also badly affected the flow of pilgrims," he added.
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