LAHORE
Though the city is passing through a time of crazy expansion frenzy but still there are places which are unexplored yet and if conserved can become popular tourist attraction and Bhairoon Ka Asthan is one of such sites in the provincial capital.
Hidden from the general public, Bhairoon Ka Asthan is situated near the locality of Ichhara and presently known as Madina Colony. Originally this site was a walled complex of temples but with the passage of time the temples, houses and other structures inside the wall demolished or changed to residential use. The incident of Babari mosque demolition in India proved to be the final nail in the coffin of this complex and local citizens completely demolished the upper portion of one of the two surviving temples.
The majestic entrance gate and heavy wall of this complex clearly shows how important this complex was in its time of glory. Locals of this colony said the temple had vast ponds where the visitors used to take bath but they also vanished.
Presently, one can witness a tall, cone-shaped structure of the temple, which is broken from the upper corner. Locals said it was broken after Hindu extremists demolished Babari mosque in India. As per the locals, Bheeru is derived from the Sanskrit word of Bherv, which means Bogey-man. In Hindu mythology, Bheeru is an incarnation of Shiv-Rudar, who is the Hindu deity of destruction who travels on a dog and the fear that he excites is such that even the witches and the ghosts are afraid of him.
After the main entrance, there is a long corridor for the entrance to the main building. At the end of the corridor, there is another gate which is smaller than the entrance gate. In the east of this complex was a Langar Khana, where people were given free food while there was a well right in front of the main temple, which does not exist now.
On each side of the temple are arches while next to the main temple were some Samadhis. After the Babri mosque’s incidents most parts of this complex were taken down. However, the main temple survived because it was constructed with very strong material.
Merajdin, who resides in the temple with his family, said he had been living in this temple since he migrated to Pakistan in 1947. He said in early years, many Hindu and Sikh people used to visit here but with the passage of time, the local community built houses in the temple, the Hindus and Sikhs stopped visiting here.
Local residents said that they were poor enough to spend a huge money to preserve this ancient infrastructure but they would welcome the government for any such move. The complex can be turned into a living tourist site, which will provide economic opportunities for the residents. It can attract a large number of local as well as international tourists and can boost the soft image of the country too.
