Hindu devotees climb stairs to reach the summit of a mud volcano to start their pilgrimage at one of the faith’s holiest sites in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province. [Mohammad Farooq/AP Photo]Published On 28 Apr 202428 Apr 2024
The dramatic surroundings of Hingol National Park in Balochistan province are the setting for Pakistan’s largest Hindu celebration, Hinglaj Yatra, which started on Friday and ends on Sunday.
Muslim-majority Pakistan is home to 4.4 million Hindus, just 2.14 percent of the population, and the ancient cave temple of Hinglaj Mata is one of the few Hindu sites in the country that continues to draw large numbers of pilgrims every year.
The journeys begin hundreds of kilometres away, mostly from neighbouring Sindh province. Hundreds of packed buses set off from cities like Hyderabad and Karachi, travelling along the Makran Coastal Highway that hugs Pakistan’s south and southwest.
But there is scant parking and vehicular access to the holy sites, so many pilgrims disembark and complete their travel by walking over parched and rocky terrain, sometimes barefoot and carrying children or luggage.
It’s a few kilometres from the main road to the mud volcano and then, from there, almost 45km (28 miles) to Hinglaj Mata.
Kanwal Kumar, 28, was visiting the temple for the first time with her husband. “We have yet to conceive a child after six years of marriage, so we are hopeful for help from the goddess,” she said. “We believe that no one returns empty-handed. All wishes are granted by Hinglaj Mata.”
While there is no ban on Hindu worship in Pakistan, openly practising the faith is not routine, as ties between Pakistan and Hindu-majority India are riddled with animosity and suspicion.
Versimal Divani, the general-secretary of Hinglaj Mata, lamented that only Hindus in Pakistan can attend the festival.
“We can visit this temple in our beloved country whenever our heart desires,” said Divani.
“But this is not the case for the rest of the world’s Hindus. I would like the Pakistani government to issue them visas so they can come here and take blessings with them. It’s good for people-to-people contact and it’s good for the economy, too.”
Hindu devotees get off a bus and walk toward a mud volcano to start their pilgrimage. [Junaid Ahmed/AP Photo]Winds buffet the desert-like conditions, churning up dust that whips the eyes, nose and mouth. The pilgrims’ festive cheer and brightly-coloured apparel are a contrast to the arid landscape. Strong gusts distort people’s celebratory cries. [Junaid Ahmed/AP Photo]Devotees climb hundreds of stairs or clamber over rocks to reach the summit of the volcano, tossing coconuts and rose petals into the shallow crater while seeking divine permission to visit Hinglaj Mata, an ancient cave temple that is the focus of their three-day worship. [Junaid Ahmed/AP Photo]Devotees arrive at an ancient cave temple of Hinglaj Mata, which Hindus believe is one the places where the remains of Sati, the goddess of marital felicity and longevity, fell to earth after she ended her life. [Junaid Ahmed/AP Photo]Maharaj Gopal, the temple’s most senior religious leader, explains why people flock to it. “It is the most sacred pilgrimage in the Hindu religion. Whoever visits the temple and worships accordingly during these three days will have all of their sins forgiven”, Gopal says. [Junaid Ahmed/AP Photo]More than 100,000 Hindu devotees are expected to attend the annual festival. [Junaid Ahmed/AP Photo]Hindu devotees perform their rituals in the ancient cave temple of Hinglaj Mata. [Junaid Ahmed/AP Photo]Hinglaj Mata thrums with activity, even after dark. Fairy lights and other decorations adorn the shrine and pilgrims jostle for position in front of it, sometimes holding up babies so the deities can bless them. Stewards urge them to pay their respects and move along. [Junaid Ahmed/AP Photo]Aloo Kumar, 55, wanted to express her gratitude to Lord Shiva, one of Hinduism’s three most important deities. “We prayed for a grandson during last year’s festival. He blessed our family with a grandson,” Kumar said, gesturing towards the boy beside her cradling his baby sibling. [Junaid Ahmed/AP Photo]Hindu devotees take rest upon arrival at the ancient cave temple. The festival brings the Pakistani park to life. Hundreds of stalls spring up to sell snacks, drinks, jewellery, and clothing. Vats of hot food are prepared in the open air or thatched huts. Pilgrims purchase coconuts, sweetmeats, flowers, and incense for their ritualistic offerings. [Junaid Ahmed/AP Photo]
