Pakistani Flood Spares Hindu/Muslim Places of Worship, Villagers Say It is a Miracle

Source: pakistannewsblog.com
Wednesday, 25 Augest, 2010

(PHOTO :  Hindu Temple and Mosque in the worst-hit town untouched by water, Pakistan )

KARACHI, PAKISTAN : Divinity triumphed over disaster, claimed the people of Ghouspur after seeing what they called a miracle. One temple and one mosque were completely unaffected amid the ravaging flood that hit Ghouspur.

The town in Kashmore district is completely submerged. However, local residents report that floodwater could not reach the Hindu temple and the local mosque constructed by two saints, Baba Gharib Das and Ghous Shah, respectively.

Skeptics said that both structures were simply on higher ground. But devotees retorted that four to five feet of water filled up houses and other adjacent structures, which were constructed at the same level as the places of worship.

The Hindu temple, built around three hundred years ago, is the central point of worship for Hindus living in Kashmore, Kandhkot, Shikarpur and Jacobabad. According to Hindu prayer leaders, many followers of Baba Gharib Das have made small temples in his name in different provinces of India and they visit his shrine annually. “Every corner of the city is filled with eight feet deep of standing water, which did not even reach the gates here,” said Mukhi Sarvanad, chieftain of the area’s Hindu community.

Dr Suresh Kumar of Civil Hospital Karachi, who hails from Ghouspur, said “When houses started inundating many Hindu families took shelter in the mandir. Now people have been moved to other places, but the army, engaged in rescue operations, is still there.