Owais Mughal
In the past we have shared with you some photos of Manora Island under the title views of Manora. Today we will go on an exclusive tour of Shri Varun Dev mandir located at the Manora beach.
(Above photo is the view of the mandir facing Arabian Sea.)
The mandir is unfortunately in a bad condition of disrepair and salty-rusty sea breeze is eating away into the structure fast. When I visited the mandir on Jan 7, 2007, it appeared deserted. There were unfortunate signs of human vandalism also where it looked like people took away with them any item salvagable. The structure still appeared grand and from left over tile work and decorations it showed its glorious past.
(2) Here is a memorial tablet in Sindhi on one of the mandir gates.
Our avid reader Khair Soomro saheb helped me in translating this tablet. It reads:
“dedication from sons in the sacred memory of Seth Harchand Mal Dayal Das of Bhriya”
or in other words: “An offering from sons in the loving memory of their father Seth Harchand Mal Dayal Das of Bhriya”. (Bhriya is a town near Khairpur Sindh.)
(3) View of the mandir from West side
(4) This tablet tells us about the sponsors of colorful tile work in two languages.
Top script is Sindhi.
(5) The tile work of mandir floor
(6) Following is the tile work on mandir’s exterior wall
(7) Looking at the mandir from east
(8) The outer gate of the mandir
I asked my good friend Sridhar to translate the devnagri script for us and here was his reply:
“The top line has the character ‘Om’. It is just an auspicious syllable that is there in most prayers and is also present in most places of worship. The second line has the name of the temple (and presumably the chief deity worshipped there). It says ‘Shri Varun Dev Mandir’. The name also looks like ‘Shri Arun Dev Mandir’ (the ancient way of writing ‘A’ in Arun could well be imagined in that character, which is not that clear. But I think, on balance that it is Varun Dev and not Arun. According to Hindu mythology Varuna is the God of the oceans. There is no worship of Varuna that I have come across personally in India, though I would not be completely surprised at the existence of this temple in Karachi because of the enormous diversity in the Hinduism practiced in different parts of the subcontinent. Also, people who have livelihoods related to the ocean, for instance, fishermen, might worship Varuna. If this temple is on the beach in Karachi this could well be an explanation - it might have been built by fishermen who worshipped Varuna.”
(9) View from the outer most gate of the mandir compound
I have a sincere hope that Government of Pakistan takes care of these places of worship. If nothing else then atleast the structure should be saved from the people who take away tiles and anything salvagable for petty profits. Many people visit the mandir as it is the largest and most prominent attraction at Manora beach. A little bit of official or non-official help will go a long way in preserving our heritage.
Desi Italiana wanted to know:
Also, where do most Hindus in Pakistan live? Or are they scattered communities?
And finally, what practices do Hindus in Pakistan generally engage in? Meaning, which sect, etc (I know it is difficult to neatly delineate and define given the fact that Hinduism is very diverse and highly regional).
Most of Hindus in Pakistan live in Sindh and they are present in almost every area of Sindh. The Tharparkar district has majority population of Hindus. The District Naib Nazim is a Hindu Rajput. They also constitute a sizable business community in all over Sindh specially in Ghotki, Kashmore and Jacobabad Districts. Most of them are involved in business of agriculture commodity.
The religious practices of Hindus are diverse. A large portion are dalits (so called lower caste) and have their own rituals and practices . The so called upper caste worship River Indus (Darya Panthi) along with first sikh Guru Baba Nanik. Some also worship Shiva and godess Shakti. Indeed a temple of Kali in Qalat (Baluchistan) is one of the most sacred temples of Hinduism. A year back former Indian Foreign Minster Jaswant Singh came to visit this temple.
This is really a wonderful post. Owais has done a great job and did extensive labour to make the post meaningful and impressive. The beauty of the post is that he let his beautifully taken pictures talk themselves the grandeur and majesty of the ancient temple. To temple:
I visited that temple just after destruction of Babri Mosque. In the ensuing frenzy many temples in Pakistan were destroyed or vandalized. This temple was also vandalized at that time but it seems that some restoration is done either by community or by the government.
The temples combines structure of different periods. The dome seems to be of relatively older period probably more than a thousand years old. But tile is relatively of recent period. Tiles of interior structure seem not older than seventy years old. The tiles of exterior seem modern. Both types of tiles are commonly used in homes and other buildings in Sindh.
Fabulous!!!
I really appreciate that you take out time for such constructive writings. I am always fond of your intellectual abilities to bring things together and make them not only interesting but thoughtful and exiting. Please keep up the good work…….
Wonderful article…
Sridhar and Sajid–
Thanks for the info.
“The architectural style is the Nagara style - seen in temples all over North India. Ancient surviving examples of that style includes the complex of temples in Khajuraho, dating from the 10th century. Most medieval temples in north India also followed this architectural style (or sometimes the Orissa style).”
Sridhar–
Yes, I remember seeing mandirs like this in North India and I remember reading that they largely follow the Orissa style. Most of my exposure to mandirs on the subcontinent is relegated to Gujarat (where my parents are from), so I suppose the tiles made it seem very different from what I remember seeing.
On another note, most of the mandirs constructed in the diaspora seem to generally follow the architectural styles of South India.
***
One tiny quip: I don’t know if the objective to restore mandirs- or any religious centers for that matter, whether they are Hindu, Muslim, Jain, etc– should be to “attract tourism.” Surely, there are more important reasons as to why religious spaces should be preserved, nurtured and looked after- because they are a part of the heritage, history, and represent that sacred space where followers, the interested, and/or the spiritual can find solace. That they also demonstrate the fact that all these various elements are a part of the people of a given location is equally important.
Or maybe by “tourism” you meant pilgrimages?
–Ms. Desi Italiana
Owais
Great post….
When I was studying in DJ college, I remember to see a small temple somewhere in the vicinity of Akbar Road and Urdu bazar. Similarly there is a biG Hindu colony and a temple at Light house (where all those fancy chandelier shops are located). I wonder how many temples are still present in Karachi.
Desi Italiana…. most of the hindus in Paksitan are Sindhis living in Mirpur Khas / Tharparkar area. There is also a significant Hindu population in the city of Shikarpur (near Sukkur).
Sajid
Thanks Owais and Sridar for sharing this with us.
Sridhar
Thanks for finding the 1930s photo of the mandir as well other valuable information you have shared.
Owais
Here’s a picture of the temple from the 1930s.
http://www.harappa.com/post4/karachi07.html
The tiles are a later addition (the plaque mentions 1940). Additionally, it seems like it used to be whitewashed in those days. Comparing the recent pictures with that in the link above, it is not obvious that the temple is necessarily in a state of major disrepair. It might be abandoned, but the basic structure looks quite similar. The damage may be mostly to the tiles and other non-structural elements - and can probably be fixed quite easily.
How old is this temple? The plaque of Harchand Mal Dayal Das in Sindhi seems to suggest that it might not be that old (19th or even 20th century), but the plaque might refer to a refurbishment of an older structure or additions to it. It would be interesting to know something about its history.
The architectural style is the Nagara style - seen in temples all over North India. Ancient surviving examples of that style includes the complex of temples in Khajuraho, dating from the 10th century. Most medieval temples in north India also followed this architectural style (or sometimes the Orissa style). It is characterized by a narrow tapered tower (called the ’shikhar’) with a square base, overlaid with cutaway sections of smaller reproductions of itself. The ’shikhar’ often has a circular structure on the top, called the ‘amalaka’. This particular temple in Manora is quite simple and not large or ostentatious, but typical examples of this style also include several layers of embellishments carved into the ’shikhar’.
On a different note, I remember reading sometime ago about a visit by Pres. Musharraf to this beach, when he saw the current state of the temple and ordered its restoration.