ETPB claims to have been busy with making preparations for Mahashivratri

AMRITSAR : In spite of recent aerial dogfights by flyboys of India and Pakistan , the preparations to receive Indian Hindu devotees on the occasion of Mahashivratri continued in Katasraj cluster of temples in Pakistan even as one of the Indian Hindu jatha had already cancelled its pilgrimage owing to escalated tension between two countries following India’ airstrike to dismantle Jaish-e-Mohammad, responsible for Pulwama suicide attack, terror camps in Balakot, Chakothi and Muzaffarabad inside Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK).


While talking to TOI over the phone from Chakwal on Sunday, deputy secretary, Hindu affairs, Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB), Faraz Abbas informed: “ All this time we were making preparations to receive Indian as well as Pakistani Hindu devotees at Katasraj temples to celebrate Mahashivratri on Monday”.


He said ahead of Lord Shiva’s religious festival, ETPB got the whole cluster of temples whitewashed. “On February 26, we had sent a truckload of utensils, gas cylinders, cereals, flour, spices, edible oil etc from Lahore for setting up langar for the devotees,” said Faraz adding that two days later they got the Mahakund (holy pond) cleaned.


Situated about 6 kilometres from Choa Saiden Shah in Chakwal district of Pakistan, Katasraj Temple prominently among them Shiva temples have been existing there since the times of Mahabharata. The myth is that Pandava's had spent the substantial time of their exile at this place. According to Hindu mythology, Katas and Pushkar are the eyes of Shiva.


ETPB deputy secretary, Hindu Affairs informed that in absence of Hindu jatha from India, they were expecting Hindu’s from Attack, Mansera, Peshawar from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) and Singh provinces of Pakistan to arrive at Katasraj to celebrate Mahashivratri.


He informed that ETPB had already sent two Pujari’s Kashi Ram and Vikas from Lahore and Rawalpindi respectively to join a locally stationed Pujari Naval Kumar at Katasraj for performing various Hindu religious rituals on the occasion of Mahashivratri.


President of Kendriya Sanatan Dharam Sabha Shiv Partap Bajaj who was to lead a Hindu jatha to Katasrj but had cancelled due to mounting tension between two countries said “Due to security reasons we were left with no option but to cancel the Katasraj pilgrimage" adding that he had talked to Faraz Abbas who had informed him about the preparations made by them for the Hindu’s arriving at Katasraj from various parts of Pakistan