Pakistan: Grand Hindu congregation being observed at Hinglaj

Karachi: A large number of Hindus travelled on Sunday towards Hinglaj mountain range, 250 kilometres west of Karachi, for the annual pilgrimage of Nani Mata, the Hindu deity, whose centuries-old temple is located in a cave.

Thousands of Hindus had travelled from across the country to join others from India, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Bangladesh to take part in the rituals and festivities at the temple of the Mata, also known as Hinglaj Devi.

The three-day pilgrimage to the temple in western Baluchistan province is organised every year in April.

Legend says that Kali Mata’s enraged father chopped her body in 52 pieces and threw them, and the head of the Mata fell in the mountains, where she reincarnated as Hinglaj Mata.

“She [Hinglaj] is the yet another semblance of Kali Mata and her blessings matter [to] us [for] everything in our lives,” Jairam Das, 50, leaving from Swami Narain Mandir, told Gulf News. He was travelling with 25 members of his family.

The main rituals of the ceremony take place on the third day of the festivities, when the master priest chants mantras to appease the deity.

Elsewhere, a bus carrying Hindu pilgrims from Tharparkar to Hinglaj had an accident, which injured at least 20 people. The incident took place at Gadani Turning on RCD Highway.

This year, the Hindu festival coincides with Easter, a revered Christian festivity, which is also being observed all across the country. The services were also administered at the church of Yohana Abad, Lahore, which was blown in a suicide attack some 20 days ago. The church was fortified by tight security.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in a felicitation message to the Christian minority stressed the need of interfaith harmony in the country.

He reassured minorities that the constitution of the country guaranteed equal rights to all the citizens regardless of their religion, sect, cast and creed. The prime minister appreciated the role minorities have played in developing the country and its prosperity.