Goraknath Temple

Hindu temple in Peshawar, Pakistan
34°00′29.5″N 71°34′50.3″E / 34.008194°N 71.580639°E / 34.008194; 71.580639ArchitectureTypeHindu templeCompleted1851; 173 years ago (1851)Temple(s)1WebsitePakistan Hindu Council[usurped]
Temple and its Banyan tree

Goraknath Temple (Urdu: گورکھناتھ مندر) is a Hindu temple located in the Gorkhatri area of Peshawar in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The temple is dedicated to Guru Gorakhnath who founded the kanphata Jogi order at Tilla Jogian in the first century BC.[1][2][3][4] The temple was built in 1851.[5]

History

Goraknath Temple is one of the few surviving Hindu temples in Peshawar, along with Kalibari Mandir and Dargah Pir Ratan Nath Jee, Jhanda Bazaar. The Peshawar High court ordered the Evacuee Trust Property Board to open this temple (or mandir) as a result of the petition filing by the daughter of the temple priest.[1][2][3][4] It may have been constructed during the rule of the governor Avitabile during the years 1838–1842, but an earlier dating of between 1823–1830 has also been suggested for its date of erection.[6] The Gor Khatri temple is divided into two areas on a west-east axis: the eastern versus western shrines, which are connected by a chamber.[6]

Following the reopening of the temple, it was attacked three times in the following two months. In the third such attack, the attackers burnt the pictures of gods inside the temple and took away the idols, the Statuette of Lord Shiva was smashed to pieces and the holy Gita was burnt down.[7][8]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Hindu temple in Peshawar reopens after 60 years
  2. ^ a b Gunman Kills the temple guard
  3. ^ a b Gorakhnath temple reopens for Diwali after 60 years on court orders
  4. ^ a b Shiv Ratri begins at Peshawar temple
  5. ^ "PHOTOS: Hindu temple in Peshawar reopens after 60 years - Rediff.com News". m.rediff.com. Retrieved 2019-01-02.
  6. ^ a b Shah, Ibrahim (2016-07-02). "Hindu Iconography in the Gor Khatri Temple (Peshawar): Sacred Imagery Painted in the Śaiva Shrine". South Asian Studies. 32 (2): 185–198. doi:10.1080/02666030.2016.1218125. ISSN 0266-6030.
  7. ^ "Religious intolerance: Hindu temple vandalised in Peshawar". City: Islamabad. The Times of India. TNN. 21 May 2012. Retrieved 23 February 2020.
  8. ^ "Gorakhnath temple vandalised in Pakistan". City: Peshawar. Pak Tribune. TNN. 21 May 2012. Retrieved 23 February 2020.

External links

  • Pakistan Hindu Council website[usurped]
  • Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) website
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Shakti Peethas
Notable temples
Balochistan
Peshawar
Punjab
Lahore
Soon Valley
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Karachi
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa