PESHAWAR, Sept 15: A Peshawar High Court bench on Thursday allowed Hindus to worship at an ancient temple situated at the famous archeological site of Gorgathri.

It also directed the home department to ensure proper security at the temple.The bench consisting of Chief Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan and Justice Waqar Ahmad Seth issued the directions during the hearing into the claim of a Hindu woman, Phool Vatte, to the temple.

She had also requested the court to allow Hindus to worship at the temple. The court accepted the request saying there is no harm in allowing Hindus to worship at the temple.

It however, declared that the temple would continue to be in the government’s control.

Mohammad Asif defended Vatte, while Deputy Attorney General Khursheed Khan represented the federal government and Maazullah Barkandi Evacuee Trust Board.

Vatte’s lawyer said the temple overseen by her client’s family was taken over by Evacuee Trust Board after partition but in 2002, its control was shifted to the provincial Department of Archeology.

He said the temple had ancient statutes and a trident made of gold but they all were taken away by the department.

The Evacuee Trust Board lawyer said a local civil court had already rejected the claim of the applicant to the temple.

The deputy attorney general said the Department of Archeology had taken the control of the temple to preserve it as an archeological site. He said he had learnt reliably that initially, it was a Buddhist temple but was turned into a Hindu temple during the rule of Sikhs.

Khursheed said the applicant’s family was simply the caretaker of the temple and couldn’t claim its ownership.

He said after taking over the temple, the government provided shelter to the Hindu families living there.

On an earlier hearing, ex-director (Archeology) Saleh Mohammad Khan had said his department had taken possession of the temple only to preserve it.

He had also said the temple’s preservation was underway at the cost of Rs2.5 million.—Bureau Report