Pakistan's Hindu temples turned into picnic spots, hotels (By Rediff News)

By Mohammad S.Solanki (Executive Editor)
Wednesday, March 02, 2011

(Photo : Hindu temple at Chakwal, Pakistan) 

Hindus in Pakistan are watching helplessly as ancient temples turn into ruins due to the apathy of authorities, reports Tahir Ali from Islamabad.


Despite being the second largest ethnic majority in the country, Hindus in Pakistan have been unable to acquire possession of their religious places, agricultural land and other commercial areas. Due to lack of government action, most sacred sites for Hindus are in a dilapidated condition; the rest have been converted into schools, hotels or business centres.

According to the National Commission for Inter-Religious Dialogue and Ecumenism, Pakistan is home to 3.9 million (39 lakh) Hindus. Most members of the minority community belong to impoverished agricultural families. 


A report of the Evacuee Trust Property Board reveals that 135,000 acres of land belonging to Hindu farmers is under the control of ETBP, of which 125,000 acres is fertile and suitable for cultivation.

'Hindus are left behind in every walk of life'

(Photo : Haroon Sayab Diyal, chairman of the Pakistan Hindu Rights Movement)

A number of sacred sites, commercial spaces and other properties are also in the possession of ETBP. Ironically, to control Hindu assets and properties, ETPB employs extensive machinery comprising mostly of Muslim workers. Local Hindus have demanded that the ETPB should give them some jobs, as it is reluctant to hand over the possession of their assets.


"The Hindus are left behind in every walk of life. They don't have possession of their sacred places and other properties. If Hindus were given the possession of their assets, their misery could be alleviated," Haroon Sayab Diyal, chairman of the Pakistan Hindu Rights Movement, told rediff.com.

'Hindus won't have to rely on special quotas for jobs'

(Photo : Hindu devotees at a temple in Pakistan)

Haroon Diyal says, "Handing over these properties to the original heirs would also enable the Hindu minority population to stand on its feet. Our youngsters will be able to avail the various educational opportunities. After receiving proper qualifications, they can function as citizens of Pakistan -- no one would then have to rely on special quotas for jobs."

Pakistani Hindus complain that their sacred sites are misused by illegal possessors. In Dera Ismail Khan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, a group has illegally acquired the 700-year-old Kali Bari Mandir and is now using it as a hotel.

'The temple is used in an unholy way

(Photo : A tourist at an old temple near Islamabad, Pakistan)

According to local Hindus, the occupants of the temple pay only Pakistani Rs 1,600 to the government and earn thousands of rupees per day from the hotel. 

Vijay Kumar, a Hindu activist, says, "Due to the hotel's activities, the temple is used in an unholy way. Though a number of sacred idols are missing from the temple, this historically important site could attract Hindu pilgrims from around the globe."


Though the Hindu community has taken up this issue a number of times with the government, no action has been taken so far. "In April 2009, after our request to the then governor of KPK Owais Ghani, an inquiry was ordered in the case of the disputed Kali Bari Mandir, but no action was taken about it," says Diyal.          


The issue of Kali Bari is not an isolated example. In Islamabad, Hindus have no access to a temple situated at Saidpur model village.

'Authorities should hand over the temple'

(Photo : Devotees light oil lamps in a temple in Karachi, Pakistan)

The Raam Kunday Mandir in Islamabad, once considered a sacred site by Hindus, is being converted into a picnic spot.


"Authorities in the capital should hand this temple over to the Hindus of the country to represent Hinduism in the capital," says Haroon Diyal.


In Abbottabad city of KPK province, a Hindu temple called Araya Mandir is located next to the local Gurdwara. 


This temple, which is already in a decrepit condition, is being used as a school for children. Hindus have demanded that they should be granted the possession of the temple and the school should be relocated, as it is endangering the existence of the religious structure.

Temples are in a shambles today

(Photo : A temple in Chakwal, Pakistan)

A Jama Masjid is located in the same area and according to Diyal, a renovated temple at the site would present a concrete example of interfaith harmony, with a gurudwara, a mosque and a temple co-existing peacefully. 


Members of the Hindu community have also demanded the possession of another temple in Hasan Abdal, but the authorities are yet to pay heed to them.


Eminabad in Gujranwala region has several temples dating back to the 15th century, which are in shambles today. Most of them are being used as stables to provide shelter to donkeys, horses and other animals.

Temple being used by salt miners

(Photo : A temple in Chakwal, Pakistan)

A famous Hanuman temple in Chakwal is being used by the workers of salt mines as their office. In spite of local Hindus demanding the possession of this temple, the authorities are allowing the mine workers to use it.


Another Kali temple in Peshawar has been taken over by some local traders, who are converting the temple into a building. Again, the authorities have been apprised of the situation but are yet to take any steps to prevent the violation of this sacred site.


In Punjab's Bakkar city, Sheeran Wali Mandir has been used by Islamic clerics as a madrasa.

Some temples are on the verge of collapse

(Photo : A file photo of Pakistani police guarding a Hindu temple in Multan)

According to Diyal, Hindus have no objection to the teaching of Islamic education, but the building is on the verge of collapse as no repair work has been undertaken there.


Similarly, Jogi Tala Jhelum, a sacred site for Hindus as well as Sikhs, is also in a pitiable condition. Hindus have also demanded the possession of Laho Maharaj Mandir, located in Badshahi Masjid, which is currently under the control of ETPB.

Government not ready to take care of temples

(Photo : Children play outside an old Hindu temple at Saidpur village on the outskirts of Islamabad, Pakistan)

Nearly 360 sacred Hindu sites are located in Pakistan, including Hanglaj Maata Mandir in Balochistan, Sadho Beela Mandir in Sindh, Hanuman Mandir in Kotri, Kali Ma and Shiva Mandir in Punjab's Imanabad, Ganga Khogi in Saidan Shah Punjab, Kali Bari Mandir and Kala Sathi Kewal Raam in Dera Ismail Khan, Raam Takht in Swat and a Shiva Mandir in Mansehra. 


But neither is the government ready to ensure the upkeep of these sites, nor is it willing to hand them back to the Hindu community.




The PHP Team

Hindu Sindhis Find Their Way to a New Home in Indonesia

By Editorial Staff
Friday, July 09, 2010

INDONESIA : Businessman Devidas Hemrajani’s story is just one among the many Sindhis who have left their home country and now call Indonesia home.

Sixty years ago, Devidas arrived in Indonesia after months of traveling from Sindh, which is now a province of Pakistan. At the time, Sindh was being torn by often bitter conflicts between Hindus and Muslims.

Devidas, now 77, recalled that six months before he left, the Hindus in Sindh had already started their mass exodus in 1947, when the partition of India and Pakistan took place.

At the time, Devidas, along with his mother, sister and aunt, went to the train station where security officers asked them to put their belongings in the next train car. They were assured that the car would follow their own.

They never saw their belongings again. When they arrived in Mumbai, they were sent to a refugee camp where they were fed, clothed and sheltered over the next months, receiving better treatment than the people living near the camp.

“One morning, one of the guards asked me if I could write in English,” Devidas said. “I said yes. The next day, I was given the job of writing down food coupons for the refugees staying in the camp. To my dismay, they asked me to write fictitious names. I was aghast, the next day I quit.”

Devidas and his family eventually made their way to Singapore. A cousin in Jakarta then offered him a job, and although his mother was hesitant at first, she eventually gave Devidas her blessing.

After working several jobs in Jakarta, Devidas landed a well-paying job with Chotirmall, one of the biggest Sindhi companies in the city. Devidas worked at the company for 30 years, eventually leaving to start his own export business with his son.

Devidas’ story is not uncommon among the elder generation of Sindhis here. The Sindhis, with an estimated 10,000 families in Jakarta, are considered a minority within the larger Indian community here.

The word Sindhi is derived from Sindh, a province that was once part of India. In the 1947 partition of India by the British colonial rulers, Sindh, a Muslim majority province, became part of Pakistan. This resulted in an inflow of Muslim refugees from India, while many of Sindh’s Hindus made their way to India.

Jakarta’s Sindhi community is active in organizing events at every opportunity. This Thursday, for example, the community opened a three-day international gathering, the 17th International Sindhi Sammelan.

According to the Web site www.sindhisamelanjkt2010.org, the annual conference is a chance to bring together dispersed Sindhis, giving the community the chance to meet, network and interact.

Aside from helping Sindhis expand their business networks, the aim of the event is also to enhance knowledge of Sindhi culture and engage with the members of the community in a meaningful manner.

The first Sindhi-owned company in Indonesia was started by Wassiamall Assomull in 1865. When he went looking for employees, he turned to Hyderabad, Sindh, whose residents had a reputation for being honest and hard working.

The Sindhi community in Indonesia slowly grew with the arrival of the new workers, most of whom settled permanently in the country.

Some of them eventually set up their own businesses, and when India was partitioned in 1947, many went back to pick up members of their families and bring them to Indonesia.

Like Devidas, the partition paved the way for Kalu Metharam Bhagnani and his wife, Bhagwanti, to eventually settle in Indonesia. Both their fathers owned shops in East Java, one in Madiun and the other in Jombang.

When the partition happened, their families left their houses in Sindh and took the train to the nearby city of Jodapur, after which their fathers asked them to move to Indonesia.

When Kalu and Bhagwanti were rejoined with their families here, they adapted to the new way of life, but still managed to retain their culture.

Bhagwanti said that during those early years, “People were more loving. We would visit each other’s houses very often. People were very concerned with the kind of reputation they had.

“We had festivals where we toasted sweet chapatis [unleavened flatbread] and ate it cold and the married daughters were invited to the house for lunch to celebrate.”

As the Sindhi population steadily grew in Jakarta, they opened the Gandhi Memorial School. The Sindhis, realizing the importance of education as they made their way in their new country, even provided free education for children whose parents could not afford the school fees.

Over the years, the Sindhis found their place in Indonesia.

Sindhis like Raam Punjabi, who was a pioneer in the sinetrons, have played a major role in helping the local TV and film industry grow. Today, there are a number of major Sindhi film producers here.

While most Sindhis started in the textile and garment industries, like Haru Mahtani, today they are involved in a wide range of activities and businesses.

As Tourrmal Basssarmal Bhojawani, a Sindhi, puts it: “We may have lost our motherland, but destiny gave us a fatherland, where we have become proud citizens of Indonesia. Thank you, destiny!”