Pakistan to restore 1,200-year-old Hindu temple evicting illegal occupants

Lahore: A government body that looks after minority worship places in Pakistan evicted "illegal occupants" of an ancient Hindu temple in Lahore city ahead of its plans to restore the temple.

The Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) last month retrieved after court battle the possession of Valmiki Mandir (temple) situated near the famous Anarkali Bazaar Lahore from a Christian family.

ETPB spokesperson Amir Hashmi told PTI that Valmiki Temple will be restored in accordance with a 'master plan' in the coming days.

"Over 100 Hindus, some Sikh and Christian leaders today gathered at the Valmiki Temple. Hindus performed their religious rituals and had lungar (food) for the first time it was retrieved from the grabbers," he said.

The occupants of the temple, a Christian family that claims to have converted to Hinduism, had been facilitating only the Valmiki caste Hindus for worship at the temple for the last two decades.

An ETPB official told Dawn newspaper, the temple's land was transferred to the ETPB in the revenue record, but the family in 2010-2011, claiming to be the owner of the property, filed a case in the civil court.

The official said besides going into litigation, the family also made the temple only for the Valmiki Hindus. This left the trust with no option but to fight the case in court.

"This time, the court also reprimanded the petitioner for false claims," the official added.

Valmiki Temple, the only functional temple in Lahore besides Krishna Temple, came under attack from an angry mob following the demolition of Babri Masjid in India in 1992.

The mob stormed into the temple and smashed the idols of Krishna and Valmiki, broke utensils and crockery in the kitchen and seized the gold with which the statues were embellished.

The temple was demolished to rubble and the building was set on fire. The shops in the neighbourhood also caught fire and it took days for the authorities to extinguish the flames.

PTI with edits