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110 pilgrims reach Pak to celebrate Maha Shivratri at Katas Raj Temple
A maximum of 200 Hindu pilgrims can be part of the trans-border pilgrimage.
A 110-member group of Hindu pilgrims on Monday crossed over to Pakistan via Attari-Wagah joint check post to take part in Maha Shivratri festivities at ancient Katas Raj Temple.
The pilgrims were from different states, said the Kendriya Sanatan Dharam Sabha (KSDS) president Shiv Partap Bajaj, who organises the pilgrimage every year.
The pilgrims had gathered at Durgiana Temple on Sunday evening. On Monday morning, they were seen off by religious leaders amid ‘Har Har Mahadev’ chants.
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Under the Pakistan-India Protocol on Visits to Religious Shrines, 1974, a large number of Sikh and Hindu pilgrims from India visit Pakistan to celebrate religious festivals every year.
A maximum of 200 Hindu pilgrims can be part of the trans-border pilgrimage.
Pakistan Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) spokesperson Ghulam Mohayuddin said the pilgrims, led by Trilok Chand and Raghu Kant, were received at the border by ETPB additional secretary (shrines) Saifullah Khokhar, deputy secretary Umar Javed Awan, members of the Pakistan Hindu Mandir Management Committee, senior officials and local Hindu leaders.
The pilgrimage arrangements have been made under the special directives of the federal ministry of Religious Affairs and the chairman of ETPB, Syed Ataur Rehman.
“I have visited Pakistan before, and every time I come here, I feel immense happiness. We are treated with great respect and hospitality,” Raghu Kant told reporters at the Wagah border.
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After their arrival, the pilgrims proceeded to Gurdwara Dera Sahib in Lahore where they would stay overnight.
On Tuesday, they will travel to the historic Katas Raj Temple, where they will perform Maha Shivratri rituals on February 26.
On February 27, the pilgrims will return to Lahore from Chakwal. On March 2, they will leave for India.
Pakistan is home to several temples revered by Hindus. The Katas Raj Temple in the northeastern Chakwal district and Sadhu Bela Temple in the southern Sukkur district are the two most-visited sites by Hindus, who form the biggest minority community in Pakistan.
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The Hindu pilgrims normally visit Katas Raj twice a year, once in February/March during the festival of Maha Shivratri and again in November/December.
The Katas Raj Temple, also known as Qila Katas, is a complex of several temples connected to one another by walkways.
(With PTI inputs)
