LAHORE: A group of 88 Hindu pilgrims from India on Friday arrived in Pakistan to attend the Mahashivaratri festival at the historic Katas Raj temple.
On entering Pakistan through the Wagah land border the pilgrims were received by officials of the Evacuee Trust Property Board which is responsible for maintaining shrines of minority communities.
The pilgrims will travel to the Katas Raj Temple in Chakwal district near Islamabad tomorrow to participate in the festivities.
They will stay in Chakwal for two days and perform rituals on March 10.
“India and Pakistan should improve ties to promote peace in the region”, Shiv Partap Bajaj, one of the leaders of the delegation of pilgrims, said and called on both the countries to relax their visa regimes.
Fool-proof security arrangements have been made for the pilgrims, officials said.
The pilgrims will return to Lahore on March 11 and visit Krishna Mandir and other religious sites.
Re: Eighty-eight Hindu pilgrims arrive in Pakistan for Mahashivaratri
The entire area around Katas Raj has taken an environmental hit owing to the Cement factories they have opened in the area. The sacred pool had become dry due to all the water the factories were sucking out of the ground. Im not sure the Yatris will have a pool to welcome them when they arrive.
Re: Eighty-eight Hindu pilgrims arrive in Pakistan for Mahashivaratri
I don't remember Hindus coming to Pakistan before. Do they come every year?
They come often
In Sukkur also ,And even in an island of Balochistan too .
They are mostly linked with these places before partition so it is family traditions of the migrants .
Re: Eighty-eight Hindu pilgrims arrive in Pakistan for Mahashivaratri
They come often
In Sukkur also ,And even in an island of Balochistan too .
They are mostly linked with these places before partition so it is family traditions of the migrants .
yes I have seen Sikh yatris quite a few times roaming around in Lahore, but its the first time I am reading about Hindu yatris. Anyways, its good.
Re: Eighty-eight Hindu pilgrims arrive in Pakistan for Mahashivaratri
They come every year.. My ancestral village is very close to Katas. In fact, the women of our village would wash clothes there, and the kids would swim in the pool. Now the govt has closed of the site, but its been central to the people of area even after the Partition.
The reason you havent heard of it is because not many people visit. 100 or so every year, compared with about 3000 sikhs… Its supposedly a very holy sight among Hindus, but im surprised how few Indian Hindus have even heard of the place. I suspect most of the Hindus that do come were of the region prior to partition. They are mostly Punjabi speaking HIndus anyway.
Here is a really nice documentary on the pilgrimage.
