Several Hindu devotees attend Shivatri Festival in Mansehra

ABBOTTABAD: The three-day Shivatri Festival in Mansehra concluded on Friday after drawing a large number of Hindu devotees.

The Hindu community members from various parts of the country, including from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan, and the federal capital Islamabad attended the festival.

It should be noted that this is the last place of worship of the Hindu community in the Hazara division at Chitti Gutti in Mansehra district where Shivatri Festival is celebrated regularly every year.

The number of the Hindu minority in the Hazara division has been limited to a few families, as at the time of partition, the majority of Hindus and Sikhs from this region migrated and settled in different parts of India. And later, the new generation of those who suffered migration gradually moved away from the native land.

Shivatri Festival is celebrated every year in late February or early March, in which rituals are performed to commemorate the marriage of Shiva and Parvati. In which male and female pilgrims participate, pray for progress and prosperity and offer sacrifices.

According to Darshan Lal, President of Shiv Temple Society, who oversees the affairs of the temple, the history of this temple is more or less 3,000 years old. However, this temple remained closed for some years after partition, which was restored with the help of local elders and now it is one of the few big temples of the country where worship is organized regularly every year in which Shivji’s devotees from all corners of the country participate.

According to devotee Nighat Ghani Advocate from Peshawar, this festival was celebrated every year to commemorate the marriage of Shivji and Parvati Mata.

All the rituals of happy marriage are performed, which are still a part of the society of the subcontinent. Congregants from different parts of the country perform rituals like ghada ghadroli, mehndi and religious songs are sung on this occasion.

Under the chairmanship of Chairman Sham Lal, the organization has been responsible for the maintenance of the temple for the last 35 years.

According to Shiv Temple Society Supervisor Darshan Lal, the number of visitors is increasing every year. He said new constructions were needed given the increasing number of pilgrims. He said temporary arrangements were made in adjoining poultry farms for food and accommodation for the pilgrims coming from far away.

Om Prakash Malhotra from Battagram said: “We are grateful to the government which has taken special measures to ensure the religious freedom of the Hindu minority and the protection of their places of worship and despite being a small number, we have never faced any discrimination or hindrance.”

Speaking to the media, Assistant Commissioner Mansehra Muniba Fatima, who came there to review the arrangements and law and order, said special arrangements had been made for the safety and comfort of pilgrims participating in the Shivatri Festival.