Sindh is full of religious places particularly the area of Sukkur and Rohri city no matter what religion it is.
If we talk particularly about Hindu temples, then there’s a very famous and old one by the name of Sadhu Island or Sadh Belo. In Urdu it is called Sadhu Bela. It was established in 1823 by Swami Brakhandi Maharaja and is located in Sukkur on Indus River. Swami Brakhandi Maharaj migrated from Nepal and settled in this part of Sindh. It is believed that he spent almost 40 years worshiping the goddess of food Mata Anporna, who blessed the land with abundant food.
The Sadhu Bela temple is considered sacred by many Hindu pilgrims. Situated on an island-like structure, the temple is a beautiful sight, especially before sunset. It is set in stunning designs of art and architecture, preserving within it many important emblems of the Hindumat. This sacred shrine is located on the River Indus flowing between Rohri and Sukkur
Sukkur is Sindh`s third largest city spread over an area of about 5,165 square kilometres. It is situated 220 feet above sea level. The weather is extremely hot during the summer while it becomes cold and dry during the winter. The main and important places in Sukkur include Arorh, Shah Kheruddin`s Shrine, the Island of Bakhar, Minaret of Masoom Shah and Sadh Belo. Just across the Indus is the town of Rohri, an important rail and road junction. Not too far from Sukkur is the date-producing Khairpur region, while Mohenjo-Daro is only a 100km away.
The Sadhu Bela temple is considered sacred for many Hindu pilgrims. Situated on an island-like structure, the temple is a beautiful sight, especially before sunset. It is set in designs of art and architecture, preserving within it many important emblems of the Hindumat. This sacred shrine is located on the River Indus flowing between Rohri and Sukkur. After crossing Rohri Bridge, a road runs along the river towards Sukkur. Walking along this road, a very big and spacious building is seen in a grove of trees on the left hand side. This is the shrine of Sadhu Bela. This astonishing shrine can only be reached by a boat, which lands right at the main gate of the shrine.
Moreover, the temple has very attractive architecture; the walls of the temple are decorated with marble carving on which their gods sculptures are put up in a very beautiful way. The temple has lawns as well and so many different symbolic things are placed there which according to their religion are used by their gods. The temple covers a huge area and its structure is less modern and more attractive. There are different gods’ sculptures available there and Hindus perform different types of prayers on different occasions. Other than that, there are almost 48 rooms available there to facilitate visitors and a library is also situated where thousands of books are available about different subjects and topics regarding Hinduism.
The security system is very tight nobody can enter or visit the temple without having permission; there is a proper way to get permission from Hindu punchait. For non-Hindus, it’s difficult due to the security system because Sadh Belo is the biggest temple in Pakistan. During the festival days, arrangements are made to provide free food and water to the devotees, as well as providing them a comfortable space to spend the nights. The devotees, whose prayers from last year are answered, can see distributing sweets, food, chilled milk and other things among the people.
Sadly and very importantly, for the past few years, no pilgrim from India is seen in this festival, apparently, due to visa issues in the wake of renewed hostilities between India and Pakistan. I request Pakistan’s government to grant visas with ease to those who wish to attend this festival for three days. Festivals like these will help to create religious tolerance and interfaith harmony and in longer terms, it will play a positive role in peace building, recovery, reconciliation and violence prevention.
I also request the Sindh government to take attention towards these historical religious places and make them more beautiful, mesmerising and attractive. No doubt about it that developing these places will help preserve our history. Last but not the least, people who think touring Sindh is a waste of time, they are missing out on an experience of a lifetime. Take my advice, make the plunge, give your own country a chance and I assure you, you will not be disappointed.
The writer is a social and political activist based in Lahore. He can be reached at [email protected]
Published in Daily Times, September 15th 2017.