The fame of Lahore over the ages has rested on its people and their intelligence and tolerance. As different belief systems came to power, there certainly asserted themselves, but never was the tolerance of the people overcome.

The real damage to our city, and its people, has come from the extremist elements in every faith system. These extremists have worked hard to physically eliminate the very structures of other faiths. So, it has been in Lahore. Let me explain. Every time we roamed about in our college days in or near Anarkali, we would drop in at the famous Valmiki Temple in Nila Gumbad. A dear friend lived in the lane opposite it and so we had to pass by it. Often they would be distributing sweets, and that was good enough an excuse to try some and have a quick peep at the idols inside.

Much later in life as one got stuck in the ‘pen-pushing’ trade did one discover that Valmiki was a great and legendary poet who wrote the epic ‘Ramayana’, and was, allegedly, the teacher of the two sons of Rama, the ruler of Lahore. We all know that Lahore was named after one son named Lav, and Kasur was named after the other son Kush. So, in historic terms Valmiki was very much an inhabitant of Lahore, or to be safe the nearby areas. This is reason enough for us to study him. We know that Valmiki belonged to the Sharma clan, whose geographic location is very much near Sialkot and Gujranwala in Pakistan’s Punjab. In Hinduism they are considered among the Brahmin caste, while in Pakistan they are considered among the rich landowning persons. It should not surprise anyone that the major epics of Hinduism have their origin in the lands of Pakistan, little that our neighbours are willing to accept. But then distorting history seems a sub-continental communal pastime. It is a fact that with the Aryans came the caste-loaded Hinduism, which then moved eastwards to claim the Ganges as their ‘holy’ river. A lot of Indian scholars secretly wish that some of their ashes be thrown in the Purushni, or Irawati, the original name of the River Ravi.

The temple of Valmiki is certainly not the oldest in Lahore, for that is the Temple of Lav inside the Lahore Fort. That is one of the oldest in the sub-continent. Before the Lahore Fort came about, mud-walled that it was then, this was a major point for Hindu devotees of Lahore, who, naturally were in a majority. The events of Partition in 1947 ended that and the temple started decaying. Recently it has been retouched, though a lot more needs to be done. Back to the Valmiki Temple, for it is now fully functional. In the terrible days after the Babri Mosque incident, communal extremists allegedly smashed the idols, though the police claimed the priest had hidden them. But then once tempers had cooled the idols one day returned, bigger and better-looking. The few Hindus of Lahore quietly do come and do what they need to do.

The other functional temple of Lahore is the Krishna Mandar of Ravi Road, opposite the Timber Market. This was once an ancient building but in the Babri Mosque episode a local builder, backed by a few powerful politicians set about demolishing it. The Lahore High Court moved in, and the demolition was denied. But then it is now fully renovated and functional. This is today one of two temples open to believers. But then because of the ancient history of Lahore, the city has several smaller temples, some function on a weekly basis, while others secretly are used, and secretly because of the power of extremist communal forces. For example, the Akbari Mandi Temple is in fine shape, and before 1947 was used by the large Hindu traders who lived in the city. Nearby is the Arya Samaj Temple, which is locked up and decaying.

The most important temple of Lahore is the Ichhra’s Bhairav Temple. The name Bhairav is derived from the Sanskrit word Bherv, which means an illusion of the Lord Shiv the Hindu god of destruction. This temple, now in a dilapidated condition, is strongly associated with ghosts (Jinns and magic) and is allegedly still used by local ‘holy’ men and their occult work.

Another temple in Ichhra is the old Chand Raat Temple, which is sometimes opened, but remains non-functional. It seems that like all other belief systems, traders had, and still do have, a strong association with places of worship. It probably has to do with the uncertainty of business. In and around the Shahalami Market as well as Akbari Mandi, several old temple structures exist. For example, the ‘Doodhwalli Mata’ temple slightly to the west of Shahalam Gate. There was a movement to knock it down, but amazingly Muslim traders advised against it. They probably thought the evil spirits would harm them. Nearby is the Tulsi Mandir, in Mohalla Chiri Maran, in Shahalami. This was saved from mobs by people of the ‘mohallah’ who considered it a lucky omen. Beliefs take up strange forms. But then the rich Hindu traders of Lahore built two excellent temples in Model Town ‘B’ and ‘D’ Blocks. They stand and are not used, for no Hindus live there any longer. Then there are several temples that are not used, unless some pilgrims insist. For example, there is the Aitchison College Temple, or the Hanuman Temple of Old Anarkali, or the Devi ka Asthan inside Lohari Gate. The number of abandoned temples is large, which reflects a past that we have forgotten.

Besides Hindu temples, the city has several Jain temples, a few of which are operational. Every person knows about Jain Mandir, and the fact that it has been rebuilt speaks volumes of the people of our dear city. Luckily, the Sikh temples are reasonably functional, and with time are being rejuvenated. This speaks a lot about the mutual respect that communities have, not to speak of the disrespect our communal priests have for other belief systems, or variations of their own.

When we think of the worship places of other belief systems, it is impossible to understand that by destroying those of other religions, just how does it strengthen our religion. If anything, it weakens it. That is why we must seriously think of this issue. As we cross 77 years of separate communal living, it is about time that everyone in the sub-continent learns to tolerate the beliefs of others. No matter how we envisage the Almighty, in the end all of us are the same. For this reason alone, it makes sense that the dilapidated places of worship all be restored … if for anything their cultural relevance. Lahore will be the richer, and certainly more beautiful.

Published in Dawn, July 7th, 2024