It is probably the only temple and certainly the oldest and largest dedicated to the Hindu god Varuna in the entire Indian sub-continent.
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This story is all about an ancient Varuna Dev Temple which is located at Karachi, Pakistan.
It is from social media, propagating that it is being used as a “Toilet for tourists”… Here we are presenting the facts with ground level reality.
Varuna/ Baruna is the Hindu god of the water and of the celestial ocean, as well as a god of law of the underwater world, Makara is his mount. The origin of Varuna is in ancient Vedic religion. Originally the chief god of the Vedic pantheon, Varuna was replaced by Indra and later faded away with the ascendancy of Shiva and Vishnu. Lord Varuna was mentioned in the (Vedas, Ramayana, Zoroastrianism).
Historical Background :
Though we don’t have exact details about the date built, As per the history it was built before 10 th century.
Few believe that around 16th century, a wealthy sailor, Bhojomal Nancy Bhattia bought Manora Island from the Khan of Kalat, who owned most of the land along the coastline at that time and then his family took over this temple.
Exact date and year of first construction is not known as much history and inscriptions of Hindu temples in Pakistan have been destroyed.
It is widely believed that the current structure was renovated in around 1917–18.
Inscriptions at Temple :
There are few inscriptions, that are currently available at this temple in two language scripts one is the Devanagari and the other is Sindhi.
Inscription in devnagri script says : Om, Varun Dev Mandir.
Inscription in Sindhi on front gate says, “dedication from sons in the sacred memory of Seth Harchand Mal Dayal Das of Bhriya.”
Currently, Bhriya is a town in Khairpur in Sindh Province, Pakistan.
Past Condition of Temple (till 2008):
The temple’s decayed appearance reflects a lack of care, and its walls and rooms once served as a toilet for visitors to Manoras sandy beach.
Humid winds are eating into the structure and the rich carvings on the walls of the mandir are slowly eroding.
In 2008, Temple caretaker Jivraj said that he had written to the Manora Cantonment Board (MCB) for the records of ownership, but was told no such document existed. An MCB official said that since the temple area was in the jurisdiction of the Pakistan Navy, the MCB could not do much.
The steps and front door letting one inside the temple courtyard is missing. In its place the person guarding the place has piled up some construction material. The temple shikhara has also tilted to one side. There used to be a well in the courtyard that’s caved in. The stone work has corroded, the stucco work destroyed. The plinths also are in bad condition. A new structure, not a part of the original one, is blocking the temple view from one side.
This temple was sealed in the 1992, after few people broke into it and destroyed the structure, following the Babri Masjid incident in Ayodhya, India.
The last Pooja ritual held at this place was in 1950s.
The temple, which also houses two smaller temples, the Jhoolay Laal and Shiv temples, has seen plenty of repairs since the 1970s but these have contributed more towards damaging the building than preserving it. Unskilled people had fixed tiles using concrete, which resulted in damaging the surface of the structure.
Cutrent Scenario and Funding :
Kaleemullah Lashari is the conservation director and team members are working under the authority of Pakistan Navy , Sindh Exploration and Adventure Society. This project is funded by U.S. Fund for Cultural Preservation , AFCP will provide $250,000 in funding to rehabilitate Varun Dev Temple on Manora Island.
Besides the temple, there are also two gurdwaras of the Sikh community. Manora Island is an example of Pakistan’s religious diversity, interfaith harmony, and rich cultural heritage.
The number of temples, churches, mosques and shrines on Manora Island represents a culture of tolerance among people belonging to different religious faiths and ethnic groups.
Temple’s reinnovation is in progress and this is the current status of the temple.
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