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

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

The Hinglaj Yatra, held in the dramatic surroundings of Hingol National Park in Baluchistan province, is Pakistan’s largest Hindu festival, drawing over 100,000 Hindu pilgrims from across the country. The festival centers around Hinglaj Mata, an ancient cave temple, where pilgrims climb steep mud volcanoes and perform rituals to seek divine blessings. Despite being a Muslim-majority country, Pakistan is home to 4.4 million Hindus, and Hinglaj Mata remains a significant site of pilgrimage for Hindus. The festival attracts pilgrims who believe that visiting the temple during the three-day event will cleanse them of sins.

Pilgrims embark on journeys from distant locations, predominantly from neighboring Sindh province, traveling long distances by bus before completing their journey on foot due to limited vehicular access to the holy sites. The challenging terrain and desert-like conditions do not deter their festive spirits, as pilgrims clad in brightly colored apparel navigate rocky paths to reach Hinglaj Mata.

For many pilgrims, the festival holds deep personal significance. Some seek blessings for fertility, others express gratitude for past blessings, and all hold hopeful expectations that their prayers will be answered by Hinglaj Mata. The festival transforms the park into a bustling hub of activity, with numerous stalls selling snacks, drinks, jewelry, and clothing. Pilgrims engage in ritualistic offerings of coconuts, sweetmeats, flowers, and incense, while the park’s Hingol River provides a setting for ritual bathing akin to the Ganges in India.

Despite the significance of Hinglaj Mata to Hindus in Pakistan, the festival highlights broader challenges faced by the Hindu community, particularly in the context of strained relations between India and Pakistan. Travel restrictions and political tensions limit interactions between the two countries, impacting religious pilgrimages and people-to-people contact.

Versimal Divani, the general-secretary of Hinglaj Mata, expresses a desire for greater access to the festival for Hindus from around the world, emphasizing the benefits of cultural exchange and economic opportunities that could arise from increased participation. The Hinglaj Yatra encapsulates the resilience of Pakistan’s Hindu community and their enduring spiritual connections to ancient religious sites, despite broader geopolitical complexities that shape their experiences and interactions.

दोलखाको चाडपर्ब तथा जात्राहरु

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