Reviewed by Asma Mundrawala

“Woh nazar se pankhi gira deta tha,” (he could make a bird crash into the ground with his glare). Thus reminisces Bhansi, resident and keeper at the Sri Laxmi Narain Temple in Karachi, as she reflects upon the calibre of the priest Lalu Maharaj whom she knew as a child.

“A villager Jethuram’s sister dreamt of this mandir and was ordered to ask for a child. She died in prayer here and this is in her memory,” recounts Jama Pujari as he explains the presence of a cone-shaped structure covered with a red shroud at Churio Mandir in Nagarparkar.

These and many similar reflections from memory punctuate Reema Abbasi’s valuable book Historic Temples in Pakistan: A Call to Conscience that documents Hindu temples, their history, architecture, culture and people across Pakistan.

French historian Pierre Nora explains that “lieux de memoire” (places of memory) arise from a sense that spontaneous memory does not exist, and this in turn compels us to create archives, mark anniversaries, organise celebrations and authenticate documents. When certain communities create protected enclaves as preserves of memory that are to be vigilantly safeguarded, they exemplify the essence of lieux de memoire: that without this commemorative vigilance, history would sweep them away. Abbasi’s venture in archiving Hindu temples across Pakistan is, in a sense, a means to assist that preservation with a “commemorative vigilance” in a time when Pakistan demonstrates the most violent persecution of its minorities.

A survey of the book reveals a dismal outlook in the Punjab where temples are desolate without their deities and the Hindu community dwindles as it takes refuge in the more embracing Sindh. Despite the prevailing diffidence it is uplifting to witness the thriving culture and its lifelines in the temples and the people. Within the book’s organised structure covering all four provinces, Abbasi provides an overview of each of the regions before introducing the temples individually. From the most remote regions to the most accessible ones, every temple carries a story; be it a legend associated with the deities or a tale that generations transfer through oral history. The text does not merely rely on personal narratives. The author also provides meticulous architectural description of every temple and its environs. There is a sense of detail in the cataloguing of all the structures that thrive in a multifarious landscape. This is supported in some cases by information on temples that are recorded in the Sindh Archives, or in documentation by travellers during the Raj or from the accounts of Al Biruni and the pilgrim Hsuan Tsang.

In this engaging expedition, one temple particularly captures attention for its location and the legends that surround it. Set deep into a cavernous region situated in the Hingol National Park (Balochistan), the Hinglaj Mata Temple has been a celebrated pilgrimage site for centuries and is said to have hosted eminent sages, saints and kings through its history. Abbasi’s research indicates a series of legends associated with this temple dedicated to Durga and held in esteem by both Hindus and Muslims. This is where the goddess Sati’s head is said to have fallen when Vishnu cut her corpse in 52 parts. It is also considered to be the place where the deity Ganesha slew the villainous Sundar for tormenting the poor. Interestingly, the Muslims revere this shrine as homage to Bibi Nani, believed by the locals to have arrived in this region with her brother to preach Islam. Set in a cavern, the cave-shrine of Hinglaj Mata is presented as an awe-inspiring locale. The two-and-a-half kilometre road leading to Durga’s cavern is home to several points of veneration. Leading the reader through a labyrinth of paths, the text is successfully able to transport the reader into an engaging journey up and down its craggy routes, crevices and cavities.

As a sharp contrast to this experience, the Sri Swaminarayan Temple located near M.A. Jinnah Road, Karachi, is described as an oasis in the midst of the city’s frenetic energy. Accessible through an inconspicuous gate, the temple is surrounded by apartment blocks with four hundred homes. Described by Abbasi as a “jewel of a shrine” for its elegance, the site also served as a refugee camp for one year after Partition. Dedicated to the worship of Krishna, the temple architecture is conspicuous for its sandstone spire built in the North Indian style. Entrenched in the heart of a fast-paced megapolis, the Sri Swaminarayan Temple is one place where time seems to have remained still.

To extend her inquiry Abbasi provides tangential insights into the festivals surrounding the temple culture as well as a section on Fakira, the master craftsman and idol-maker. This addendum furnishes the text with a seemly texture, satisfying curiosities about rituals and practices that may be outside common knowledge for a local audience. This, interspersed with personal observa-tions, lends the very readable text an overall appeal and widens the book’s audience.

Assuredly the most compelling feature of Historical Temples in Pakistan is Madiha Aijaz’s striking photography. As Abbasi’s text escorts the reader in a journey through physical spaces, Aijaz’s eye equips it with an incomparable visual representation. Capturing the essence and spirit of the temples and their communities with ease and sensitivity, the photographs are undeniable proof of Aijaz’s mastery over her craft. Images of joyous festivals, daunting landscapes, serene interiors are matched with portraits that represent the optimism of youth and the weightiness of the present and future. To lend her pictorial journey a voice, Aijaz writes a “photographer’s note” at the end of every section dedicated to a temple. Personal and concise, these observations into moments, spontaneous thoughts and interactions offer quiet reflections throughout this extensive journey.

If the book is let down in any aspect, it is in its design. In its artistic representation, the book appears to be a hurriedly compiled project. Overcrowded and predictable, the design sensibility does not converse with the content. While understandably Aijaz’s photographs may have made it difficult to be selective, their abundance denies the book’s layout the much-needed breathing space it deserved. It is not merely this profusion but also the use of market ready vector images and an overall lack of typographical sophistication that impose a dated and lackadaisical sensibility on the design.

Abbasi’s year-long investigation emerges at a time when an ever-increasing intolerant climate in the country closes in on the minorities. As the book documents innumerable temples that faced the brunt of the Babri Masjid-related riots, it also relates the plight of Hindus who have been displaced, have changed their faiths or live a disguised and fearful existence. This book can no longer be seen singularly as a quest to archive and document. It offers many symbolic readings beyond the obvious. Could it be a gesture of protest and a desperate voice audaciously fighting for pluralism in the face of bigotry? Could it be an urgent need to remind ourselves of our diverse heritage and our secular values? In Abbasi’s words it is this and much more. Her effort is, in her own words, “a battle to erase malignant apathy” and a hope to “rescue Islam’s secular values from Islamism.”

Modern memory, which is archival in nature, is entirely dependent on the specificity and materiality of the vestige and the visibility of the image. The need for tangible reminders of that which no longer exists except through the capacity of memory leads to an obsession with the archive in an age where we attempt to preserve not only the past but the present as well. The anxiety about the significance of the present and the uncertainty of the future enables us to invest even the humblest of testimonies with the dignity of being memorable. Historical Temples in Pakistan is an effort to preserve the past and the present in our collective consciousness because these temples are not merely emblems of a faith, they are also, according to Abbasi, “vestiges of ancient lore […], like warriors of Time, pitted testaments of a peaceful, pluralistic past.”

The reviewer is Associate Professor in the Department of Fine Art, Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture.

Historic Temples in Pakistan: A Call to Conscience

(RELIGION/ARCHITECTURE)

By Reema Abbasi

Photography by Madiha Aijaz

Niyogi Books, India

ISBN 978-93-83098-49-1

296pp.