Ayodhya

[Guest]

The Fate of the temples in Karachi, crossposted from Indian Culture(posted by Reggie). We never hear of the destruction that has been wrought on the temples in Pakistan.



Info on Hindu temples in Pakistan.



Note - marauding Islamic jehadis are now known as "colonialists."



[url="http://www.dawn.com/weekly/review/review8.htm"]http://www.dawn.com/weekly/review/review8.htm[/url]

The Hindu community, the largest of Pakistan's minorities, is quite proud of its history and religion. They have made their presence felt in trade, education and the arts. Hindus in Karachi comprise a fragile number of around 300,000. These include around 80,000 caste Hindus and around 200,000 scheduled castes.Hindus in Karachi belong mostly to the Rajput and Gujarati communities.



Though the Hindu population is scattered in and around the old city areas of Karachi, its largest presence is felt around the Swami Narayan temple, where around 5,000 people reside. The temple is said to be 150 years old and probably one that was built with a proper residential plan.



Temples in Karachi have a history dating back to the pre-partition era. There are even some temples that boast of their existence from the 14th and 15th century. It is then tragic to note that history has been unkind to them as today they lie in shambles.



Many structures have periodically been targeted by fanatics; they have been ransacked, burnt and severely damaged. The community says mistrust between Hindus and Muslims intensified during the days before and after partition. The Hindu community laments that it has not been treated with the equality that was promised to them by the Father of the Nation. Nonetheless they find solace in their prayers at their places of worship.



The most well-known temples in service these days in Karachi are Swami Narayan, Mahaveer Hanuman, Shree Ratneswar Mahadev, and a few others, including the one underneath the Native Jetty bridge.



According to a survey there are at least a dozen more temples that have nearly disappeared either due to migration of Hindus from those areas, or due to encroachments as a result of over-construction in those localities. Among these temples is the famous case of the 200-year-old Shri Punch Mukhi Hanuman Mandir, which was encroached upon in connivance with KMC officials. Even today, a few outstanding but abandoned temples can be seen in the outskirts of Karachi, in Malir, Chowkandi, Keamari, and the old city pockets of Lyari.







Apart from Swami Narayan temple on M. A. Jinnah Road, one can also see great activity in the courtyard of Shree Ratneswar Mahadev temple at Kothari Parade. People recall the good old days when the sea used to touch the Shree Ratneswar temple in Clifton. Its glorious history dates back to some 1,200 years when the colonialists were mesmerized by its beauty on the shores of the Arabian Sea