Ancient ages Archaeologists have discovered many things in the Pakistan like swastika symbol and yogic postures in Mohenjo-daro, in Sindh which clearly shows the influence of hinduism in this part of pakistan.if we look at history of Hindus it is major part of epic of mahabharata The religious beliefs and folklore of the Indus valley people have become a major part of the Hindu faith that evolved in this part of the South Asia. even Ramayana and lord shree ram has its mark of presence in Pakistan as sons(twins) of lord Rama Kusha founded Kasur and lava found the city of Lahore in Pakistan Kasur was founded by his twin Kusha, both of whom were the sons of Rama of the Ramayana. The Gandhara kingdom in northwest of Pakistan has been major part of hindu history in both Mahabharata and Ramayana. Most of the cities of Pakistan have Sanskrit roots for example Multan and Peshawar. History: Hinduism was once major religion of Pakistan . Many invasions and migrations and settlements along with major conquests lead to forceful conversions of Hindus and Buddhists living in Pakistan. The major reasons of decline of Hinduism in Pakistan was conquests and forceful conversions during Islamic rule in Mughal period of India. Hindus constitutes 1.7% of total population of Pakistan. After division of India and Pakistan in 1947 Approximately 60 lakh of Hindus and Sikhs migrated to India. According to 1998 census of Pakistan Hindus constituted population of 25 lakhs in Pakistan and out of which majority of Hindus live in Sindh province of Pakistan and they constitute 6% of total population in Sindh province. According to a report taken from internet the of harijans in Pakistan has population in excess of 2 million Religious, social and political institutions Indus river is holy river for Hindus and constitute a important part of Hinduism living in Pakistan. the Pakistan government periodically allows Hindus from various parts of country and outside to make pilgrimage to the holy river. The communal violence of the 1940s and the subsequent persecutions have resulted in the destruction of many Hindu temples in Pakistan, although the Hindu community and the Government of Pakistan have preserved and protected many prominent ones. The Hindu Gymkhana in Karachi has tried to promote social development for Hindus in the city. One of the few temples remaining in Karachi today is the Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Karachi. Picture: 200 year old Shri Swaminarayan temple Hindus are allotted separate electorates to vote and seats in the provincial assemblies, National Assembly and the Senate. The Pakistan Hindu Panchayat and the Pakistani Hindu Welfare Association are the primary civic organizations that represent and organise Hindu communities on social, economic, religious and political issues in most of the country, with the exception of the Shiv Temple Society of Hazara, Picture :Shiva temple hazara which especially represents community interests in the Hazara region of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, in addition to being the special guardians of the Shiva temple, at Chitti Gatti village, near Mansehra. There are minority commissions and for a while, a Ministry of Minority Affairs in the Government of Pakistan looked after specific issues concerning Pakistani religious minorities. Contd
Picture : Hinglaj Mandir or Nani Mandir, Hingol National Park, Baluchistan Hinglaj Mandir or Nani Mandir is one of the most important Shakti Peeth of Goddess Sati. The temple is located in Hingol National Park in Baluchistan province in pakistan History: As per the history of temple it is believed that when lord Vishnu cut up Maa Sati's dead body into 52 pieces so as to calm Lord Shiva who was doing Tandava. These 52 pieces got scattered over different places in the subcontinent and Maa Sati's head fell at Hingula or Hinglaj where this temple is located. Another belief as per the ancient scripture and that people believe in is that Bhagwan shree Ram meditated here to atone for his sin of 'Brahmhatya' - killing a Brahmin i.e Ravana who was a great devotee of Lord Shiva & Goddess Durga. Picture: Hindu Temple, Umerkot, Sindh Picture : Hindu Temple, Sialkot, Punjab Picture : Kalka Cave Temple, Arore, near Rohri, Sindh 160 year old temple designed as per the ancient hindu architecture is located in the seashore off Manora Cantt. The Temple was illegally occupied by land grabbers after the partition in 1947. after much of struggle Pakistan Hindu council brought it back in control of Hindus in 2007 and renovated it for better. Contd...
