Pakistan wants Indian gods

LAHORE: Pakistan’s imports will now feature Indian gods. Part of a government plan to restore the 6th-century Katas Raj temples, located in Chakwal district of Punjab province, the imports will help attract tourists as well.

The Katas Raj site houses the Satgarha, a group of seven ancient Hindu temples, the remains of a Buddhist stupa, a few medieval temples, havelis and some recently-constructed temples. A three-member archaeological team has left Pakistan for India to visit various archaeological sites.

Oriya Maqbool Jan, director-general of the Punjab Archaeology Department, who heads the Pakistani team, said they would visit Agra, Fatehpur Sikri, Ajmer, Pushkar, Aurangabad,  Ajanta and Varanasi between January 21 and 31. The team would gather information about deities and temple rituals. Designers and sculptors would, then, be hired to create replicas for the Katas Raj temples.

The temple conservation project will be completed by March at a cost of Rs 5.1 crore. Jan said most of the temples being restored by the Pakistan government were erected during the reign of the Hindu Shahias. The earliest of the Katas Raj temples date back to the second half of the 6th century. The temples are constructed on square platforms with cantoned corner pilasters.

The Ramachandra temple is situated to the east of the Hari Singh Haveli and is closed from all sides, except an entrance on the east. The temple has two jharokas that have been severely damaged. The Hanuman temple, on the western extreme, has an undecorated ceiling. The Shiva temple is also built on a square platform. Its entrance is a recessed round arch with faint cusps and a rectangular opening to the north.