A group of 24 Hindu pilgrims left for Pakistan on Wednesday for celebrating Shivratri at the Katas Raj temple in the neighboring country’s Punjab province.
The group led by Sunil Kumar Khanna, a leader of Pratinidhi Sabha Punjab, crossed over to Pakistan via Attari-Wagah border at 2.30 pm, said a Border Security Force (BSF) official.
“We are going to Katas Raj temple to celebrate Mahashivratri,” said Hari Om Verma, one of the pilgrims.
The pilgrims had arrived in Amritsar on Tuesday and stayed at the Durgiana Temple here. The jatha will stay in Pakistan for seven days. Shivratri falls on February 21.
The Pakistan high commission had issued visas to 25 Indian pilgrims to visit the Katas Raj temple in Chakwal district of Punjab province from December 19 to 25. One woman opted out of the pilgrimage due to poor health.
The Katas Raj temple, also known as Qila Katas, is a complex of several temples connected to one another by walkways.
The pilgrims said besides attending Shivratri celebrations at Katas Raj, they will also visit other Hindu temples in the vicinity.
Under the 1974 Pakistan-India protocol on visits to religious shrines, a large number of Sikh and Hindu pilgrims from India visit Pakistan every year to observe religious festivals.
{{/usCountry}}Under the 1974 Pakistan-India protocol on visits to religious shrines, a large number of Sikh and Hindu pilgrims from India visit Pakistan every year to observe religious festivals.
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