Hindus are not allowed to worship Lord Ram in Ram Kund Mandir in Islamabad.

A Ram Mandir in Pakistan where Hindus are not allowed to worship | Ground Report of India Today. 

Amid the discussions surrounding the consecration of the grand Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, talks also arise about a 16th-century Ram temple in Pakistan’s Sadipur. 

Tanzeela Mazhar from Islamabad

As Ayodhya in India ecstatically celebrates the return of Ram Lalla after years, the spotlight turns towards the Ram Kund Mandir in Islamabad, Pakistan. This neglected temple is linked to the historic exile of Lord Ram and his family. Despite the significance of the site in Hinduism, the temple appears to be ignored and has transformed into a mere tourist spot. All idols have been removed and the Kund, a sacred water body, has now become a fouled rainwater channel. Amid the vibrant Ayodhya celebrations, the dormant status of Ram Kund Mandir presents a stark contrast.

A 16th-century temple in the Margalla Hills of Islamabad, known as Ram Mandir or Ram Kund Mandir, holds great significance in Hindu beliefs. But, Hindus are not allowed to worship there, and the idols have been removed. The heritage structure in Sadipur, Pakistan, has now become a tourist attraction, drawing large numbers of people.

Pressed against the foothills of the Himalayas in Islamabad, the tiny sixteenth-century temple is built as a shrine to the Hindu god Lord Ram, who Hindus believe lived in the area with his wife Sita and brother Lakshmana, spending some time during the 14-year exile here.

A pond adjacent to the temple, called ‘Ram Kund,’ further strengthens this belief, as it is said that Rama drank water from it.

The temple is a simple, single-story structure made of red brick. It has a rectangular courtyard with a raised platform in the centre where the idols of Rama, Sita, and Lakshmana were placed.

According to official records dating back to 1893, annual fairs were held at the pond near the site to commemorate the life of Lord Ram. Hindus from far and wide travelled to the temple for worship and stayed in the adjoining dharamshala for centuries.

But since 1947, following the partition, Hindus have not been allowed by Pakistani authorities to worship at the temple and the compound in which it is housed.

When Islamabad city was established in 1960 on the border of the Punjab plains, in the same year, the Rama Mandir Temple complex was converted into a girls’ school. After years of protests by the Hindu community, the school was moved to another location, and the temple was finally vacated in 2006. However, Hindus were still not allowed to worship there.

The shrine today is all but subsumed into a touristy strip of restaurants and handicraft stores. Instead of the freshwater ponds that once surrounded the area and were considered holy by the Hindu community, a contaminated rainwater channel now flows through the village.

A gurdwara was constructed adjacent to the temple by the Sikhs, serving as a school for spreading the teachings of Guru Nanak.

Discussions and movements are ongoing, advocating for the temple’s return to Hindu worship.

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The report and video were published in India Today on jan 20, 2024.