My Visit to Hari Mandir, Hazro (2018)

My Visit to Hari Mandir, Hazro

—All photos and text by the author

Date of Visit: -      29-03-2018

Hazro is a town located in the north-west of Pakistan in the Attock District of the Punjab province Pakistan. According to the Gazetteer of Rawalpindi, Hazro was the scene of the great battle in which, in AD 1008, Sultan Mahmud Ghaznawi defeated the united forces of the Rajas of Hindustan and the Hindus of Punjab with a slaughter of 20,000 men, it was afterward fixed upon by some of the Pathan followers of that chieftain to be the site of the colony

The population according to the 1901 census of India was 9,799. According to the Gazetteer of Rawalpindi, Hazro had a significant Hindu population which was "half Pathan, half Hindu".

Long ago, I have seen a picture of this town. A large complex of Hindu Temple, with amazing Jharoka’s, wooden balconies, and paintings at the facade.  That made me travel from Lahore to visit this magnificent architecture. The temple is named 'Hari Mandir’ and located in the middle of town. After all this travel, when I reached this place, I came to know that this Hindu temple is occupied by an Afghan refuge family and they were very much reluctant to show this building.

In fact, they did not open the door and asked me from the inside to run away.  I was standing in despair when I told by local boys that the first floor of this temple has been occupied by some other family. I found that family very welcoming and they allowed me to visit their portion of the building. Narrow damage stairs took me to sikhara (tower of the temple). On the lower part of Sikhara, few lines in Hindi script have been carved on the surface. Thanks to my friend Rohit Bhat from Mumbai, India, who has translated these for me:-

OM

Shree Ganeshay Namah

Shrimaan Bhagat

Vishandas Swargwasi ji ki Mitrawari

Shrimaan Swami

Dayanand Saraswati

Babu Ramdasji mandir banwaya.

Mahina Falgun (Feb- March basically Holi)

The last lines are blurred

That temple is constructed for Hindu deity Vishnu. Most of the rooms of that portion were locked and their keys are with the owner.

I again came outside the complex and started taking photographs of elevations. Then, I saw another inscription present above the main entrance:-

The temple was built in memory of Bhagat Bishandas Vekanth by Swami Diyanand of the Sarswati Sabhapati Harri Mandir committee of Hazro in vikram sambat (Indian calendar) 1989 that is, circa 1928 A.D.

So, it means that this temple is constructed nineteen years before the partition of British India.

The mandir is connected with an adjacent building with a bridge and might be served as the living quarters for the pilgrims at that time.

The photograph of the front facade and floral painting which I have seen some years back is sadly disappeared now.

My task of visiting the ground floor of this complex was still left and I was standing in chaos what to do next? I have no energy left to knock the door again and to request the Afghan family to permit me to visit this place. I was about to leave, then suddenly somebody called me from behind, it was an old Pathan lady from a neighboring house. She already came to know from street children that a guy comes from a Lahore and leaving the place because of not getting the permission. But she still inquired me my purpose of visit and asks me to wait outside. She went inside the Afghan family living portion and came after five minutes and asks me, "Son, I took the permission but took photos as earliest as u can."

Earlier, I read an article by prominent writer Zulfiqar Ali Kalharo about this place that there were floral paintings in every room of this temple, but the current owner whitewashed them. Unfortunately, Zulifqar not able to take any picture of inside of this building

I hastily went inside the Afghan living portion of the building, found a rectangular roof supported by two-story motifs-column and arch frame. That roof luckily still has floral patterns and landscape paintings on its surface.

I thank the old Pathan lady and left the place.

It is very sad to see the current depilated state of this amazing historical and religious architecture. Old edifices like these are representations of the true heritage of any place. But the concerned department's negligence brought it to total vandalism. 

An old Hindu Temple located inside MAO college Lahore

Government Muhammadan Anglo Oriental College (abbreviated to Govt. M.A.O College Lahore;  is a Public College located adjacent to Civil Secretariat Lahore. It is among the oldest educational institutions in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. It was established in 1933 as MAO College by Anjuman-e-Islamia at Amritsar and Professor S. Mercado was appointed as the first Principal. It had played significant role in the creation of Pakistan.

After the independence of Pakistan in 1947, the College was shifted to Lahore.

An old, Hindu temple standing tall inside the premises of this college. Nothing much knows about the year of construction of this edifice.

The temple is constructed of clay burnt bricks that are commonly known as ” lakhori ” popular in the mughal architecture and abundantly in Nawabi architecture of Faizabad and Lucknow .The form which is flat , thin , of red colour . Initial Awadh architectural structures were made of these slim elements. The best part is , it could be used and aligned in multiple formats of arches , sculptural facades because of their small size and thinness , they could be placed to make intricate shapes and fine details on walls and column surfaces

The structure consists of single story square “Sanctum” which was designed for placing the housing deity. In sanctum room corner squinches portion filled with extended flower bouquet element made of lime. From square sanctum structure main temple curvilinear spire (tower, sikhara) is raised, which is common type of northern Indian Shrines (Latinas). For construction of curvilinear spire small dimensions bricks used which are different from ground floor of temple.

On external walls of temples you will see double facet a vertical offset projection. In Hindu temple architecture it is called “ratha”.

The Last left Bengali Temple in Walled City Lahore

07-04-2013

Located in Tehsil Bazar  walled city lahore in a house like complex; this edifice  is known as 'Bengali Mandir.' Bengali Mandir is normally associated in worshiping the deity of "Kali Mata'. In lahore, i have mostly seen Shiv mandir;s and also there is one Hanuman temple located in moti bazaar near rim market. Thanks to late Rao javed sahib who has shown me this temple in 2013.

Entrance View

Wooden Roof

location for placing Diety 

Inside Temple

Late Rao Jave Sb, a great historian

Stairs to enter Temple

Signage

The SS Jan Hall lahore

April 07, 2013

The SS jain hall stone laid by Shrimiti Sukh Devi Jain in 1940 In 1940, the total population of the Municipality of Lahore was 671,659, out of which Muslims constituted a majority of 64.50 per cent. Except for a small Christian community and some individuals from other minor groups, the rest were Hindus and Sikhs who together made up 36 per cent of the population. Jainism traditionally known as Jaina dharma, is an Indian religion that prescribes a path of non-violence towards all living beings. It is one of the oldest religions of the world finding its roots in ancient India.Tradition says that this belief has been preached by a succession of twenty-four propagators of faith known as tirthankara. Jainism emphasises spiritual independence and equality between all forms of life. Practitioners of this religion believe that non-violence and self-control is the means by which they can obtain liberation from the cycle of reincarnations. The SS Jain hall located in premises of Tehsil Bazaar, androon lahori gate Lahore. Jains performed there religious activities and gatherings here. The roof of hall is at least 20 ft high. In center of rear wall wooden symbol of Genism is placed .Inside the building there is still remains of a mandit for performing marriages at that time. There are also scripts in hindi languages written on walls. The current situation of structure is in extreme bad condition. All the ground floor occupied and houses are constructed. Only the middle portion of building standing which covered in dust.