87 Hindu pilgrims leave for Pakistan to visit Katas Raj Dham, other shrines

Amritsar, December 17

As many as 87 Hindu pilgrims left for Pakistan today through the Attari-Wagah Joint Check Post to visit Katas Raj Dham and other religious places in Lahore.

They have been given visas for a duration of seven days — from December 17 to 23. There are several Hindu temples connected to one another by walkways at Qila Katas, commonly known as Katas Raj temples, located in Chakwal district of Pakistan.

A ceremony has been scheduled at the Katas Raj temples complex on December 19, in which various political and religious leaders of Pakistan will participate.

Officials said of 112 pilgrims, 107 visas were granted, yet only 87 crossed over the border by the evening.

Before leaving from Durgiana Mandir in Amritsar, Dr Ved Kaur Punia, a retired associate professor from Jat College, Hisar, said it was for the first time that she was visiting Katas Raj temples. “I will pray to God that both the governments should initiate steps for communal harmony and peace on either side of the border,” she said.

Dharam Raj from Delhi viewed that this pilgrimage holds significance as the temples find a place in the epic Mahabharata. It is believed that the Pandava brothers spent a significant portion of their exile at the temple complex. — TNS