A Hindu festival in southwestern Pakistan brings a mountainous region to life

HINGLAJ, Pakistan (AP) — The ascent of steep mud volcanoes marks the beginning of Hindu pilgrims’ non secular rituals in southwestern Pakistan.

They climb tons of of stairs or clamber over rocks to achieve the summit, tossing coconuts and rose petals into the shallow crater whereas searching for divine permission to go to Hinglaj Mata, an historic cave temple that’s the focus of their three-day worship.

The dramatic environment of Hingol Nationwide Park in Baluchistan province are the setting for Pakistan’s largest Hindu pageant, Hinglaj Yatra, which began on Friday and ends on Sunday. Organizers say greater than 100,000 Hindus are anticipated to take part.

Muslim-majority Pakistan is house to 4.4 million Hindus, simply 2.14% of the inhabitants, and Hinglaj Mata is without doubt one of the few Hindu websites that continues to attract massive numbers of pilgrims yearly from throughout the nation.

Muslims and Hindus usually stay peacefully in Pakistan, from the place many of the Hindus migrated to India when it was divided by British colonialists in 1947. However there have been assaults on Hindu temples lately as relations between the rivals stay tense.

Hindus imagine Hinglaj Mata is one the locations the place the stays of Sati, the goddess of marital felicity and longevity, fell to earth after she ended her life.

Maharaj Gopal, the temple’s most senior cleric, explains why folks flock to it.

“It’s the most sacred pilgrimage within the Hindu faith,” mentioned Gopal. “Whoever visits the temple and worships accordingly throughout these three days may have all of their sins forgiven.”

The journeys start tons of of kilometres (miles) away, principally from neighbouring Sindh province. Tons of of packed buses set off from cities like Hyderabad and Karachi, touring alongside the Makran Coastal Freeway that hugs Pakistan’s south and southwest.

However there’s scant parking and vehicular entry to the holy websites, so many pilgrims disembark and full their journey by strolling over parched and rocky terrain, generally barefoot and carrying youngsters or baggage.

It’s just a few kilometres (miles) from the principle highway to the mud volcano after which, from there, nearly 45 kilometres (25 miles) to Hinglaj Mata.

Winds buffet the desert-like situations, churning up mud that whips the eyes, nostril and mouth. The pilgrims’ festive cheer and brightly colored attire are a distinction to the arid panorama. Sturdy gusts distort folks’s celebratory cries of “Jai mata di” and “Jai shiv shankar.”

Kanwal Kumar, 28, was visiting the temple for the primary time together with her husband. “We now have but to conceive a baby after six years of marriage, so we’re eager for assist from the goddess,” she mentioned. “We imagine that nobody returns empty-handed. All needs are granted by Hinglaj Mata.”

The Hindu pageant brings the Pakistani park to life. Tons of of stalls spring as much as promote snacks, drinks, jewelry, and clothes. Vats of sizzling meals are ready within the open air or thatched huts. Pilgrims buy coconuts, sweetmeats, flowers, and incense for his or her ritualistic choices.

Aloo Kumar, 55, wished to precise her gratitude to Lord Shiva, certainly one of Hinduism’s three most essential deities. “He blessed our household with a grandson,” Kumar mentioned, gesturing towards the boy beside her cradling his child sibling. “We prayed for a grandson throughout final 12 months’s pageant.”

Hinglaj Mata thrums with exercise, even after darkish. Fairy lights and different decorations adorn the shrine and pilgrims jostle for place in entrance of it, generally holding up infants so the deities can bless them. Stewards urge them to pay their respects and transfer alongside.

The park’s Hingol River offers Hindu pilgrims with the chance for ritual bathing, just like the Ganges in India.

Whereas there is no such thing as a ban on Hindu worship in Pakistan, overtly practising the religion is just not routine as ties between India and Pakistan are damaged. Their interactions are riddled with animosity and suspicion after having fought three wars, constructed up their armies and armed them with nuclear weapons.

Journey restrictions and hostile bureaucracies largely maintain folks from crossing the border for leisure, research and work, though the international locations generally make exceptions for non secular pilgrimages, normally for India’s Sikhs.

The a long time of political hostility current a problem for the minority Hindu group, as many in Pakistan equate Hindus with India. The reverse exists in India, the place Muslims complain of discrimination.

Versimal Divani, the general-secretary of Hinglaj Mata, lamented that solely Hindus in Pakistan can attend the pageant.

“We are able to go to this temple in our beloved nation each time our coronary heart wishes,” mentioned Divani. “However this isn’t the case for the remainder of the world’s Hindus. I would love the Pakistani authorities to concern them visas to allow them to come right here and take blessings with them. It’s good for people-to-people contact and it’s good for the economic system too.”

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