Temples in Pakistan -Part 1

The katas raj temple

At one time India and Pakistan were one however when partition happened a substantial population moved to Pakistan. Though Pakistan was predominantly a Muslim society some Hindus still managed to survive there and that is the reasons why there are many temples in Pakistan .Let us have a look at some of them.
• Hinglaj Mata mandir- Also known as Hinglaj Devi, Hingula Devi and Nani Mandir, is a Hindu temple in Hinglaj. It is a town on the Makran coast in the Lasbela district of Baluchistan, Pakistan. It is one of the Shakti peeths of Goddess sati and hence is one of the most famous temples in Pakistan. There is no man-made image of the goddess. A small shapeless stone is worshipped as Hinglaj Mata. It is said that when Sati’s body was cut into pieces by Vishnu her head fell at this location.

• Kalat Kali Mandir– Kalat has nearly 2 % Hindu population. The Kalat kali mandir is devoted to Devi kali and dates back to pre-Islamic era of South East Asia. The residents of Baluchistan try their best to maintain the temple as a symbol of their religious beliefs.
• Kalibari Mandir Peshawar-Located in Peshawar Pakistan this mandir is dedicated to Goddess Kali and here the main festival celebrated is the Durga puja. It is just one of the few mandirs in Pakistan who have been able to survive the religious pressures and still stay strong.
• Goraknath mandir- It is located in Gorkhatri area of Peshawar in Pakistan and is dedicated to Guru Goraknath. It is nearly 160 years old and was closed after partition. After nearly 60 years it was opened again for worship in the year 2011 at the request of the pujaris daughter Phoolwati.

• Katas raj mandir – 270 kilometer away from Lahore in Chakwal district is situated the Katas raj mandir of Lord Shiva. This is also the biggest temple in Pakistan.  There is a pond right next to the temple where Lord Shiva is supposed to have shed tears after the death of Sati.  It is said that one dip in the holy water of this place will give you sufficient spiritual tranquility.
• Gauri mandir – Situated in Tharparkar this mandir is constructed in the style of the temple constructions of Mount Abu. This area is inhabited by many Indians and a considerable population belongs to a tribal caste known as thari Hindu. It is mostly a Jain temple though it houses idols of Hindu gods and Goddesses too.

• Mari Indus Punjab– This temple located in Kalabagh Pakistan was constructed in the 5th AD. At that time this place Mari was a part of the Gandhar state. However this place is now losing its shine. Due to negligence it has now turned into a ruin.
• Shiv mandir POK– Nobody knows when this temple was constructed. However since it is located in Pakistan occupied Kashmir the number of people visiting it slowly started dwindling after partition. Now no one visits this place and it has also slowly converted into a ruin.

• Varun Dev mandir –Manora cantt Karachi is where this temple has been constructed and is believed to be nearly 1000 years old.  It is famous for its unique design and construction . After 1947 the land mafia had gained control over the same however since June 2007 its control was restored to PHC who now works to bring its lost glory back.

• Swami Narayan mandir–  Spread over an area of 32306 square meters this temple is located at Jinna road in Karachi. In the year 2004 this temple celebrated 150 years of its being set up. It is said that this temple is frequented by both Hindus and Muslims. There is even a dharamshala to help accommodate the visitors.

These are some prominent temples in Pakistan . We will cover some more in the next part of this article.