Christians, Hindus feud over Lahore temple

Ashwin Shuddha Trutiya

Islamabad: The Balmiki Hindu Temple situated in the famous Anarkali bazaar of Lahore has become the centre of a feud between converted Christians and Hindus, each claiming full rights to the temple, with Christian converts currently retaining control of the site.

The historic Balmiki temple was named after Baba Guru Balmik Swami who was a Hindu scholar, saint and writer of Ramayana and supposed to be the re-incarnation of Jagat Guru in Hinduism. He was born around 60,000 years before Sree Ram  (a Hindu god).

The ancestors of the Balmiki Christians, who currently have possession of the temple, converted to Christianity from Hinduism about 30 years ago, but are still affiliated with the Swami Balmik, for whom the temple was built.

They maintain that they have full rights to the temple despite being Christians, and will not give it up. Conversely, the Hindu Sudhar Sabha, an association of Lahore’s Hindu population, has alleged that the Christians caretakers harass them and prevent them from worshipping in the temple. They claim that their actions have made the temple the site of a hub of activities that are against the respect of the temple.

However, the Christians claim that they do not want any ‘occupier’ to intervene in the internal affairs of the temple. A committee of Christians which look into its financial and other affairs currently runs the Temple independently.

However, the shops outside the temple are rented out by the Auqaf (Evacuee) Department of the Punjab government. A few years ago, when the Babri Masjid in India was demolished in India, some protestors partiallydemolished the Balmiki temple in retaliation. However, it was repaired afterwards.

Hindu Sudhar Sabha Programme Director Amar Nath Randhwa says the Balmiki Temple has no qualified pandit at present. “If the Christians who had possession of the temple wanted to keep it under their control, they should convert to Hinduism.  These Christians have literally turned the temple into a prostitution den.

Source: DNA India

Also See

1. Save Temples
2. Hindu Dharmajagruti Sabha