பாகிஸ்தான் நேவி ஆக்கிரமிப்பில் 1000 வருட பழைய வருணதேவன் கோவில்

ஆயிரம் வருட பழைய வருண தேவன் கோவிலை பாகிஸ்தான் நேவி ஆக்கிரமித்து அதனை டாய்லெட்டாக ஆக்கிவிட்டிருக்கிறது.

காலம் வரும். அரசு அன்று கொல்லும். தெய்வம் நின்று கொல்லும்.

Hindu temple in Monora in desperate state
* Last religious ritual held in 1950s
By Shahzad Shah Jillani

KARACHI: Despite Pakistan’s rich heritage of historical and archeological sites, little work has been done for the restoration and preservation of certain sites.

A Daily Times visit to the ‘Shri Varun Dev Mandir’, a 1,000-year-old Hindu temple in Monora, revealed that the temple was not being properly preserved.

The temple’s decayed appearance reflects a lack of care, and its walls and rooms serve as a toilet for visitors to Manora’s sandy beach. Humid winds are eating away at the structure and the rich carvings on the walls of the ‘mandir’ are slowly eroding.

Temple caretaker Jivraj said he had written to the Manora Cantonment Board (MCB) for the records of ownership, but was told no such document existed. An MCB official told Daily Times that since the temple was in the jurisdiction of the Pakistan Navy, the MCB could not comment on it.

“I have sincere hopes that the government will take care of these places of worship. Many people visit the ‘mandir’ as it is the largest and most prominent attraction at Manora beach. A little bit of official or non-official help will go a long way in preserving this heritage,” said Jivraj.

“In the sixteenth century, a sailor named Bhojomal Nancy Bhatia discovered the Manora Island. He bought the island from ‘Khan of Kalat’. Bhatia built the temple here with a lot of craft,” said Jivraj, adding that the last ritual was held in the 1950s.