Karachi, Dec 25, 2009:: Belying Pakistan governments tall claims regarding upkeep of Hindus worship places and other sites, a 1000-year-old Hindu temple  – Shri Varun Dev Mandir – in Monora in Pakistan is lying in a dilapidated state.The temples caretaker has written several times to the concerned authorities for preserving the historical site, but to no avail.

The temples decayed appearance reflects a lack of care, and its walls and rooms serve as a toilet for visitors to Manoras sandy beach, even as humid winds are eating into the structure and the rich carvings on the walls of the mandir are slowly eroding,  as reported in the Daily Times and other sources. Global Security Org. said, ” A small pyramid-shaped Hindu temple, the ‘Shri Varun Dev Mandir’ is in Manora. The structure still appears grand from afar, while the leftover tile work and craftsmanship gives a sense of its glorious past. The walls of the mandir have beautiful carvings in the Dev Nagri script. The temple is said to be more than 1,000 years old. Its beautiful architecture and appearance is in decay due to a complete lack of care. Its walls and rooms serve as a toilet for the locals of Manora’s sandy beach.”

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 thetemple 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, the paper quoted Jivraj as saying.

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

Some unplanned brick works for guard-walls started suddenly and stopped unreasonably shows the utter reluctance of the concerned authority to destroy this heritage Hindu shrine from this world for ever.

18 comments on “1000 yrs old Hindu temple (Varun Dev Temple near Karachi) in Pakistan is struggling for existence.”

1. Kashif

   August 25, 2010

   

   I support this article since the Temple is a Pakistan’s Archeological Heritage, more over it is a religious place for the Hindus, I believe that restoring this temple will improve our relations with India, and will be a demonstration of Cultural sensitivity by the Pakistani Government.

   Although it has to be noted that the Hindu Temple came under attack from the Locals after the Indian Army attacked the Babri Mosque in Kashmir in 1992.

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   • shantii maharaj

     May 25, 2012

     

     as a human race i am liken to think we must always be proud of our history be it hindu christian or muslim. must we disrespect each other in the name of desecration. the father of the nation pakistn came from hindu roots. his granfather was a rajput hindu. jinnah intended. for pakistan to be a secular place where all creed find an equal place to live in harmony. religion is simply respect for humanity. i often wonder if god needs man to kill and plunder in his name. we must also recognise the muslim invaders of the sub continent were barbarians who converted by the sword. the hindus of the indus valley. it was never conversion by choice. its widely known that these barbatian destroyed every temple and erected a mosqie such was the order of the time. perhaps the muslim communities should be mindful of their roots and give way to see if the ram temple remains were under the babri masjid. all in lets live with decency and respect for each other. god must really be laughing at the human race. who are we as mortals to question the multiplicity of the divine

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2. Kashif

   August 25, 2010

   

   Sorry, the Babari Mosque was in Utter Pardesh, which is in India not Kashmir!

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3. Kashif

   August 26, 2010

   

   Pakistan Hindu Council lack of sensitivity for the Manora Hindu Temple. (Not Pakistan government who was repairing it) From ‘The News (Pakistani Newspaper)’

   While on the one hand the Pakistan Hindu Council is fighting for possession of the Hindu Gymkhana building on historical grounds, the same organization has blatantly violated a heritage act to destroy a temple in Manora which is in its possession. The News has seen first hand how the PHC has tried to “renovate” a historic temple and in the process destroyed its historic tile work while the Pakistan Navy, under whose control the renovation work was being carried out, stood by and watched silently.

   The PHC has blatantly violated the Sindh Cultural Heritage (Protection) Act in its attempt to renovate the Shri Varun Dev Mandir which is a heritage site protected by law. The temple had been decaying for the past several years.

   Last year, the Pakistan Hindu Council took charge of “renovating” it.

   However, instead of restoring the beautiful architecture of this historic temple, the council ordered the contractor to destroy the tile work on the exterior and interior walls in order to replace them with new tiles. It was this tile work on the walls of the temple that bore witness of the temple’s glorious past.

   Moreover, violating the provisions of the Sindh Cultural Heritage Act which restricts construction on a heritage site, the temple is being expanded by building an additional structure, which the council members claim will accommodate extra worshippers once they start visiting the temple. “It is a historic temple, which once restored, would attract worshippers from mainland Karachi,” claimed Dr Ramesh Kumar, patron of the PHC. What he, however, failed to explain was why the council violated the Heritage Act, adding that the permission for ‘renovation’ at the temple had been granted by the Pakistan Navy after ‘months of effort.’

   When contacted, Shams Jafrani, Secretary Sindh Culture and Tourism confirmed to The News that the temple is protected under the Heritage Act and the renovation plan had also been shared with the department, but they rejected it. Later, an official team was also sent to inspect the site. “The team visited two months back along with architect Arif Hasan, who is a consultant with the department. We disapproved of the plan and ordered that restoration of the temple could not take place in this manner,” claimed Jafrani, adding that he was unaware that the community members ignored the government’s instructions and began construction with the permission of the Pakistan Navy.

   He assured that a notification would soon be issued to the said organizations by the Sindh Culture and Tourism Department for violating the law.

   Jafrani further said that the renovation plan was not only proposed by the Pakistan Hindu Council, but members from other organizations like the Karachi Hindu Panchayat and Pak Hindu Welfare Association also requested that permission be granted to restore the temple. What is, however, evident is far from rescuing the historic temple and preserving the heritage property, the council has in fact destroyed the site, which is the most prominent attraction of the Manora beach.

   During a visit to the temple by The News, it was observed that the rich etchings in Devanagari script on the walls and the craftsmanship on the walls is no longer visible as the tiles (forming the carvings) have been broken. Marble plaques commemorating the donation of these tiles indicate how significant the donation was to the temple and the persons making the donation.

   Dr Kumar claims that the decision to replace the old tiles was taken because “most of them had been broken and the new tiles being used would not match the historic tiles.”

   This is, however, untrue as a previous visit to the temple (before the renovation process began) shows that most of the tiles used in the structure had been intact and only required some cleaning.

   The News contacted Commodore Hashim of the Pakistan Navy for the point of view of the Navy, who did not have the relevant information. The paper wanted to know under what grounds was permission given to renovate this temple and what permission was given.

   However, The News was later informed that the concerned official was on Moharram leave and could not be contacted before Friday.

   It was after the attack on the temple in 1992 in reaction to the Babri mosque incident in India, that the temple had been abandoned. But despite not being taken care of for so long and the fact that sea winds were slowly eroding the walls, the rich architecture of the temple and its historic tiles continued to attract the attention of visitors because of its historical significance. The temple, named after Lord Varuna – the god of the ocean in Hindu mythology – is believed to be a 1,000 years old.

   In the final analysis, the temple was not destroyed by fanatical Muslims of by time or nature, its biggest enemy seems to have been the Hindu community itself which pledged to protect and preserve it.

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4. Subarno Pandey

   August 26, 2010

   

   Kashif,

   Your impression about the concerned matter is not clear at all. By this reporting and through your reply you wanted to establish the tolerance of Islam which is absolutely false. In Pakistan 1000 of Hindu and Jain Temples were demolished by the Islamists under the Quranic direction to destroy the Kaffirs and their belongings without any mercy. It is not only the story of Pakistan, it is the compulsion of any religious Muslim throughout the world.

   The Babri construction was erected upon a destroyed Rama Temple in 1528 by Mir Baqi,commander-in chief of Babar. You may search the reality in the web-spaces.

   Chronology of Ram Janmabhoomi events

   In 12th century, a temple complex is built in honour of Lord Ram.

   In 1528, the Babri Mosque is constructed by Babar’s general , Mir Baqi on the orders of the Mughal leader Babur post destruction of existing Ram Mandir.

   In 1949, icons of Lord Ram appeared in the Babri Mosque. The semi-governmental Waqf Board, an Indian Muslim trust owned the land on which the mosque stood. Both Hindu and Muslim parties launch civil suits. The Indian government, declaring the site “disputed”, locks the gates to the mosque.

   In 1984, a movement is started for the creation of the Ram Janmabhoomi temple by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bharatiya Janata Party, under the leadership of L K Advani.

   In 1986, a district judge of Uttar Pradesh, orders the opening of the disputed structure to Hindus. This, allegedly, came from the Congress government, headed by Rajiv Gandhi, which tried to balance the favour shown to the Muslims in Shah Bano controversy.

   In 1989- 1990, the VHP intensifies its activities by laying foundations of the Ram temple on the adjacent property. Prime Minister Chandra Shekhar proposes negotiations which only intensify the crisis.

   In 1992, on 6 December, the Babri Mosque is forcibly demolished by Kar Sevaks. The then Narasimha Rao led Congress government let a makeshift temple appear in its place before moving the courts for status quo. The demolition of the mosque triggered large-scale rioting.

   In 2005 Islamist terrorists attacked the structure and were gunned down by security forces (for more information see Ram Mandir Attack). On 3 April 2009 the Bhartiya Janta Party – BJP released their Manifesto again promising to construct Ram Mandir

   In November 2009 details of the Archeological survey are announced, which result in heated exchanges in the Indian parliament.

   Again you wrote in last that “India not Kashmir!”. Your Islamic propaganda is very much clear here. We think Kashmir is an integral part of India, noway a part of Pakistan. Or Pakistan can not succeed any way to separate Kashmir from India never and never.

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5. Kashif

   August 26, 2010

   

   Mr. Pandey,

   ‘If’ a temple was built over there at location of the Mosque, it was wrong to have been turned down by Babar or anyone for that matter. The location of Lord Ram’s Temple has yet to be ascertained. But again, it was wrong to be turned down, if it was there.

   I do not portray the views of Islam, I portray my own views as a Pakistani. Whether Kashmir goes to India or Pakistan, I seriously do not care…India can continue its blatant human rights violation in Kashmir, and continue spending its defense budget over there, instead of feeding its poor masses. I think Pakistan, had also better forgotten Kashmir, since Kashmiris do not want to become a part of Pakistan anyways, and instead want Independence.

   I hope your temple is revived again on Manora. Of course, India cannot build a new Babri Mosque for the Muslims.

   PS: Thanks to the Indian People and government for their aid to the Pakistani Flood Victims during their time of need.

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   • Prashant

     September 3, 2010

     

     Dear Kashiff,

     What about Kashmiri Pandits who are living like refugees in their own country. Do you call it human violation or cleansing the land from kaffirs.

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   • Ujwal shivdaswani

     June 4, 2012

     

     Dear brother kashif,
     my name is Ujwal shivdaswani , i was pakistani born hindu , as you quote in your previous post , we were the victims of the extremists attack in umerkot,sindh ,pakistan , after the babri masjid demolish , mager iss mei humara pakistani hinduoka kia kusoor tha .. humare ghar ko jaladiya gaya , mera dadeo ko humare samne he zinda jaladiyagaya ….. mera buva ko rape kiagaya ……. no one even came for help that time
     my mon ran continiously for 2 days to save her honor and my life , i was 4 yrs old when this happen ……………….. then we came to india in 1993
     this kind of hatredness should stop …….. hope hindus in pak will have future
     remember we pakistani hindus are pakistani by choice not by force (at time of partition we had chance to go to india but we didnt because we love our land , for the love for our mother land my sindh ………

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6. Manjiri

   September 30, 2010

   

   In the name of Islam many temples were destroyed. Hinduism is oldest religion. Islam came later in 8th century and demolished many temples. And what independence u are talking? Majority of Kashmiris want KAshmir in India. And don’t forget even Pakistan was a part of India & it will be again after some years. And at least Pakistan should feel for the local Hindus afterall current Muslims’s ancestors were Hindus only.

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7. Praveen

   October 19, 2010

   

   Dear Kashif, I am an Indian hindu. I think people like you should become more vocal in both India and Pakistan so that we can forget the past and go forward. We Indians don’t need Pakistan’s thanks. What we need is Pakistan’s help if ever such calamity falls on India. we are brother nations and should always help each other. -Praveen.

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8. MALLIKARJUNA SHARMA

   April 5, 2011

   

   I think the Indian Government should mobilize and give some handsome funds to the Pakistan Government or to the responsible organization there (which involves the participation of Pakistani Hindus) for the upkeep of these old temples. Though you are talking of neglect of temples there, I am happy that at least they are not destroyed till now, though Hindus there don’t amount to more than 3% or so. I agree with Praveen about the need for fraternal amity between the citizens of both nations and don’t agree with Manjiri in that majority of the Kashmiris want to remain in India. I think majority in the Valley want to be in Pakistan or be independent but certainly majority of people in Jammu and Ladakh want to remain in India. So I always advocate partition of J & K along these lines between India and Pakistan.

   If what Kashif accuses of Pakistani Hindu Council is true – and I hear a ring of truth in his allegations – then it is really regrettable. What of Pakistan, even in India so many ancient temples are in a dilapidated state and nobody cares about them. Land sharks and idol-looters are on the rampage in India too and many ancient monuments are destroyed or let perish like that.

   MALLIKARJUNA SHARMA

   mksharma55@gmail.com

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9. Changaiz Khan

   December 8, 2011

   

   I am sorry to say our government is full of corrupt & illiterate politician / bureaucrat / Kick backers / Angotha Chap and all of above Mirzafar and Jaichand, they sold our soil so how can you expect them to spend money for saving historic places on our soil beside to keeping money in their pockets.

   Above of all we all are nut case and still we are expecting the same…………..

   Barwoo Hosh Kay Nakhoon lo

   Regards

   Moo Phat

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10. Ni luh astini

    November 18, 2013

    

    I came from Indonesia, my religion is Hindu…i really feel so up set when i been reading this story about a temple its was 1000 years old in manora sandy beach Pakistan. it had been upkeep leaving from government. so i just can do pray hope full one day there is care come government or any donation so being in this place still can do daily routine for pray specially for Hindus religion….salome..om swasti astu.

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    • h c grover

      March 17, 2015

      

      to all eaders
      i am from india i am ready to donate if some one come forward to restore the temple

      grover h c

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13. Prathmesh Tiwari

    May 15, 2017

    

    Current status of Pakistan = Current status of this temple.

    Restore this temple (and others like this), and improve the status of Pakistan.

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