As one of the Maha Shakti Peethas, Hindus believe that it represents the spiritual location of the goddess Sati's fallen right hand.

It is situated 1,981 metres (6,499 ft) above sea level,[7] along the Neelum River in the village of Sharda, in the valley of Mount Harmukh,[8] believed by Kashmiri Pandits to be the abode of Shiva.

[12] Al-Biruni recorded the place for the first time, as a revered shrine housing a wooden image of Sharda — however, he had never ventured into Kashmir and based his observations on hearsay.

[13] Some historians have suggested that Sharada Peeth was never a centre of learning, on the basis that in present-day, there are no sizeable ruins from a supposed educational site.

[17] In the 16th century, Abu'l-Fazl ibn Mubarak, Grand vizier to the Mughal emperor Akbar, described Sharada Peeth as a "stone temple ... regarded with great veneration".

[16] He also described the popular belief in miracles at the shrine: "it is believed that on every eighth tithe of the bright half of the month, it begins to shake and produces the most extraordinary effect".

[12][16] An alternative account holds that Shandilya prayed to the goddess Sharada with great devotion, and was rewarded when she appeared to him and promised to show him her real, divine form.

He also says that the goddess Sharada:"resemble[s] a swan, carrying as her diadem the [glittering gold washed from the sand] of the Madhumati stream, which is bent on rivaling Ganga.

Spreading luster by her fame, brilliant like crystal, she makes even Mount Himalaya, the preceptor of Gauri, raise higher his head (referring to his peaks) [in pride] of her residence there.

During Lalitaditya's reign (713 – 755), a group of assassins from the Gauda Kingdom entered Kashmir under the guise of a pilgrimage to Sharada Peeth.

[17]In the 14th century text Madhaviya Shankara Vijayam, there is a test, unique to Sharada Peeth, known as the Sarvajna Peetham, or Throne of Omniscience.

As he approached the southern door, he was stopped by various learned men from the Nyaya school of philosophy, Buddhists, Svetambar Jains, and the followers of Jaimini.

In the Carnatic music song Kalavathi kamalasana yuvathi, the 19th-century composer Muthuswami Dikshitar refers to Sharada Peeth as Saraswati's abode.

Set in the raga yagapriya, the song praises Saraswati:Kāśmīra vihāra, vara śāradā.The one who resides in Kashmir, Sharada.

As a religious ritual, Kashmiri Pandit theologians across Kashmir would place their manuscripts in covered platters before idols of the goddess Sharada, to obtain her blessings.

In addition, an annual fair would be held at Shardi village, with pilgrims travelling through Kupwara (in Kashmir), in worship of the goddess Sharada.

[29] Kashmiri Pandits believe that the Sharada pilgrimage parallels Shandilya's journey, and that the act of bathing in the confluence of the Neelum River and Madhumati stream cleanses the pilgrim of their sins.

Since then, Kashmiri Pandits unable to visit the shrine have created "substitutes" for the pilgrimage in places like Srinagar, Bandipore, and Gush in Jammu and Kashmir.

[31] Religious tourism to Sharada Peeth has declined considerably since the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947–1948, which resulted in the division of Kashmir between India and Pakistan following the Karachi Agreement; most Kashmiri Pandits remained on the Indian side of the Line of Control, and travel restrictions have discouraged Indian Hindus from visiting the shrine.

[36] The shrine remains politically significant, with Kashmiri Pandit organisations[37] and leaders from Jammu and Kashmir[38][39] urging the governments of India and Pakistan to facilitate cross-border pilgrimages.

[42] In March 2023, Indian Home Minister Amit Shah stated that the government will forward towards opening a Kartarpur styled corridor for the temple.

[44] On 22 March 2023, Union Home Minister Amit Shah e-inaugurated the Sharda Devi temple in Teetwal, Karnah in Kupwara district, which is close to Line of Control.

Suggested reasons for this include that architects disliked plain outside walls, or that even if the spire collapsed, a visitor would be able to tell what the temple originally looked like.

On the north, east, and south, the walls of the cella are adorned by trefoil arches and supporting pilasters, which are constructed in high relief.