Katas Raj Temple Complex. Ancient remains of Hindu temple complex.

I finally managed to visit the Katas Raj Temple complex on 18 August 2013. This involved a drive of 220 km via the Islamabad Motor Way exiting at Kalar Kahar. A drive of 25 km on the Kalar Kahar road passing settlements like Khairpur, Daler Pur (note the Hindu names) and Tatral to Choa Saidan Sah where the ancient temple complex is located.

Historical: These temples, some of them dated around 6th Century AD and some forts that were build more recently, around 900 years ago. The temples are built around a pond which is considered holy by Hindu and a dip in this pond is believed to cleanse their sins. The pond has under ground source of bubbling water and is said to be 50 feet deep. After the partition of Indai and Pakistan in 1947 the complex remained uncared for and today the entrances to the temples are locked and devoid of the holy idols. A local man told me that several weapons and other relics have been stored in the reception building in the complex but the building remained closed for public viewing.

Renovation of the site: Some efforts of protection and renovation is evident and it started after a visit by the then Indian Deputy PM, Mr. Lal Krishna Advani visited the temples. At the moment however, I was told that the staffs have now been removed and the work has slowed down. I appreciated that restorations and protections are in fact being carried out (although I thought the marble flooring as a little out of place and time). As a Hindu myself, the worst feeling for me is to see the temples empty of its idols, their soul. This state is not new as I have seen many remains of temples in various state of abandonment, deprived of its soul the idols. Even though Pakistan is a Muslim country and does have many majestic Masjids, the Hindu temples (and some Buddhist stupas) are also the ancient heritage of the country and should be preserved, not for religion or faith but at least for their historical value.

Ram Chandra Temple

Individual temples in the complex: Some main temples in the Katas Raj complex are the Hanuman mandir, Ram Chandra Mandir, Shiva Mandir. Important buildings in the site are the fort cum dweling of Hari Singh, a Sikh General of Ranjit Singh, a dwelling of Maharaja Sundar Nath and a 12 doored square building. Another important land mark is the remains of the stupa claimed to be erected by Emperor Ashoka. One can clearly see many small caves on the other side of the stream, across the road, in the face of the limestone ledges. Buddhist monks were said to be using these for their meditation and that a Buddhist centre of education was in this area in ancient times.

Shiva Temple

Hanuman Temple and Ram Chandra Temple

An idol bass relief on Ram Chandra Temple wall

Ram Chandra Temple: view from across pond

Saat Ghara or the Seven Temples: On the topmost platform are a set of small temples which are stated to be the remaining of the 7 temples build by Pandavas when they spent 4 years out of the 12 years of exile (banabas). Three such temples are now standing after renovation.

The pond where Yudhisthar saved his brothers: The local guide told me that the pond was famous from Mahabharata and was the same pond where the eldest Pandava, Uddhistir answered all the question of the Yakchhya and managed to revive his four brothers who fainted/died being unable to answer the Yakchhya's question before being allowed to drink water from the pond.

The Saat Ghara or Seven Temples

Another legend related it to the death of Sati Devi, Lord Mahadev's wife. When Sati Devi died Mahadev wept in sorrow for so long that his tears filled the pond.

Stupa of Ashoka (top) and leaf on temple wall stone (bottom)

Another interesting aspect of this complex and the area in itself are the limestone rocks that have embedded in them sea shells embedded in them as fossils and one could also see clear imprints of leaves in the building blocks of stone used in the construction of several temples and their adjacent walls.

I am very happy that during my final days in Pakistan I was able to visit this great area. Along with Harappa, Taxila and some other such heritages in Punjab Province this also gets recognised as a World Heritage site for which I heard Pakistan is thinking of applying for.

Employment opportunities from manufacturing biogas stoves in Pakistan

Most of the biogas household use the regular CNG stoves for cooking. CNG stoves are made to run on pure methane and under a fixed pressure. Biogas plants of the fixed dome model is not supplied under uniform pressure. Biogas on the other hand is only 50 to 60% methane as compared to 100% in CNG. This require the biogas stove to have different specification to be as efficient. In 2011 Pakistan Domestic Biogas Programme provided training on manufacturing of a biogas stove to four persons: two each from Faisalabad and Sargodha districts from the Province of Punjab. The objective of organising such training was twofold:

1.      Make available an appropriate biogas stove that are locally available for households who have installed biogas plants.

In the project area most biogas households install the natural gas stove that still works with biogas but not as efficiently as it should. This particular stove requires some adjustments before it can be properly used. The households are not aware of or often ignore making the required adjustments thereby forfeiting the efficient use of biogas.

2.      Make available an opportunity for employment to enterprising individuals.

For individuals or small enterprises this skill will provide an opportunity to add to their product range an additional but profitable and marketable item. This will help them run their enterprise more profitably and also generate other spin off employment opportunities for example to those who cast the burners and to those who manufacture the stove body frame.

Adnan is a young man who participated in the training. He owns a small lathe workshop in Sargodha City in Punjab Province where he mainly carried out metal fabrication required for repairing various equipment. He directly employs two persons in his workshop. After the training he started manufacturing the biogas stove on top of his regular work. Gradually the stoves have started to get popular and are the main source of income for the workshop. Starting from selling one or two stoves a month  a year ago, he now regularly sells at least 12 in a week and the demand is increasing as orders are not only coming from his district but also from adjoining districts. Manufacturing biogas stoves has now become his main activity although he is also continuing his other works. He anticipates that as the households keep on realizing the benefit of using a biogas stove instead of the regular natural gas stoves, demand for his stove will still rise

He gets the burner cast elsewhere as per the required specification and carries out the finishing works in his workshop. He also orders the body of the stove made elsewhere according to required specifications. He assembles the burner at his workshop. In this manner he is helping to increase the spread of the employment opportunities linked to the stove manufacturing.

At present his main clients are the Biogas Construction Companies (BCC) who help sell the stoves to the households, making a small profit during this transaction. The main reasons the BCCs are promoting his stoves are not for the small profit that they make but for the associated benefits. They get fewer complaints about functioning of the biogas plants from households who have installed the biogas stoves which saves them from making repeated and expensive trips to their clients for helping out on repairs.

Adnan is now in a lookout for interested retailers in districts who can stock his stoves in bulk and from whom households or the BCCs may buy directly.

Adnan with his biogas stoves

Mehboob is one of the constructer of biogas installations in Sargodha district. He motivates households to buy the biogas stove. He has a special way of doing this. Even when a household says that they will use the regular CNG stove (already have one, is cheaper) he leaves a biogas stove and encourages them to try it out. He promises that he will take it back if they do not want it when he makes a follow up visit. Most of the times, once the household tries the biogas stove it is sold. He started promoting biogas stoves after encountering continued problem of foul smell in the kitchen of a household where he had installed a biogas plant. His many attempts to address this problem did not work until after 

he changed the stove into a biogas stove.

Mehboob