Katas Raj Temples

 

 

 

 

Katas Raj Temples

 Located in Mount of Salt, 25 miles from Klar Kahar in Pakistan's Chakwal District, Katas Raj is one of the most important and sacred temples of the Hindu religion in Pakistan.  The history of this temple is very interesting. This temple has been the center of various sects of Hinduism.

 

   The Nath sects of Shiv Mat made it their center and many important Nath Sadhus and Yogis lived here.  It also held an important place among other sects of Shivaism.  Then this holy place also became the center of Vishnu.  This place is mentioned in the important book of Vishnu, Mahabharata.  The Satgraha temples built by the Krishna and Pando brothers are monuments of that period.  Kanishka built a Buddhist stupa here and Guru Nanak also came here in whose memory a building stood here for years.  Thus Katas Raj became sacred in Buddhism and Sikhism as well.  Katas Raj is mentioned in these historical and religious books.

Many historical, semi-historical and giant Malay stories are associated with this place.  It is also believed that Rama, Sita and Lakshman spent some of their time in this place.

Katas Raj Temples

It is believed that al-Biruni also spent some time learning Sanskrit in Katas. Katas is also sacred to people of other faiths.  Paras Nath Jogi also breathed his last at this place and his memorial is still in the premises of the government school with Katas.  Jagat Guru Nanak also set foot in this place on the day of 'Vaisakh' and this place is known as 'Nanak Nawas'.  Apart from this, it was also the abode of various Sufis and Jogis.

Katas Raj Temples

 The Katas Raj is also believed to have built the temple of Satgarh after the Pandavas, the characters of "Mahabharata", came here.  According to a tradition, the Pandavas spent twelve years in Katas and built the temple of Satgarh.

 Katas Raj Temples

 Katas is also said to be the birthplace of the Hindu god Shiva.  Also from the stories of the Brahmins we see this place named after 'Shiva' and Shiva cried so much in grief over the death of his wife 'Sati' that in the form of a rain of tears it became a pond here which is still cut down today.  I exist and people call it the 'Holy Pool' because it was made of Shiva's tears.  The tears from Shiva's right eye fell in Pushkar (Rajasthan) and became a big pond and the tears from his left eye fell into Katas and turned into a pond.

 Katas Raj Templess

The oldest book of the Hindus is the Rig Veda which consists of eighteen volumes and is one of the largest poems in the world called Mahabharata.  This book was written around 300 BC but some Hindu scholars believe that it was written 1300 BC.  This book describes Katas in great detail.  The first book of Rig Veda states that a small river used to flow under the Katas pond.

 Katas Raj Templess

 British archaeologists believe the pond was created by natural springs.  From book 'Tazkira Jhelum' it is known that this pond is man-made which was made by cutting stones.  It is 122 feet long and is surrounded by a 19 feet long and strong wall.  According to General Alexander Kunnigham, Director General of the Archaeological Survey of India (1872-73), the depth of the pond is 23 feet.  According to Hindus, the depth is infinite.

 Katas Raj Temples

 Kohistan Salt mountains are famous not only for its recent discovery of fossils of animal bones, but also for the importance of ancient Buddhist temples and Hindu temples scattered throughout its valleys.  There are Nandana, Mulut, Gandhara Murti and Katas.

 

 The main source of the Katas is the natural springs that flow through the Guinea Canal. According to the Chinese tourist Hewan Sang, the pond is called by different names, such as Viskand (Poisonous Spring), Amir Kund, Chamar Kand, and Kataksha Kund.

Katas Raj Temples

 There is a tradition from Satgarh or seven temples that these temples were built by the Pandavas when they were living the life of Bin Bas in Kohistan Namak after taking power from the Kurus but the style of construction of the temples Similar to the existing temples. These temples are made of carved stones. They use lime for masonry and plaster.

 Katas Raj Temples

 According to the Chinese tourist Hewan Sang, there was also a stupa in Katas which was 200 feet high and was built by Maharaja Ashoka the Great.

 

 The famous Sikh General Harry Singh Nalwa built a mansion on this site. The Katas buildings are of equal importance to Hindus and Sikhs alike. Hindu and Sikh pilgrims from Pakistan and India visit these ancient shrines every year. These buildings are rare examples of architecture.

 Katas Raj Temples

 Today, Katas Raj is facing various challenges, some of which are worth mentioning

 

 1- The center of Katas is the sacred lake located in it. This is badly damaged due to industrial reasons.

 2- This temple was severely damaged by the rains in 1948 and still facing this.

 3- There is a severe shortage of experts in Pakistan who have the necessary skills to preserve the archeologically important site and its cultural heritage.

 4- Although the government took steps to put a fence around Katas and paint its walls, it affected the beauty of Katas Raj.  Restoration of ancient sites is a work of great skill.  This requires extreme caution.