February 18, 2007	Sunday	Muharram 29, 1428

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ISLAMABAD, Feb 17: A UK-based culture and heritage society will build a museum, library and a shrine at Katas Raj Temples in Chakwal that has historic and religious significance and is considered to be the second holy place of Hindu community in Pakistan.

“Katas Raj is of extreme significance to Hinduism and would attract millions of devotees from around the globe should we launch joint ventures to conserve it”, said Brij Mohan Gupta, Chairman of the Hindu Cultural and Heritage Society.

He is here on the invitation of Tourism Minister Nilofar Bakhtiar to attend ‘Maha Shiv Ratri’ festival that ended on Saturday at the historic site located in the Salt Range some 30 kilometres South of District Chakwal.

The society also aims to work in partnership with Katas Raj Heritage Board in restoration of this shrine according to Hindu traditional design, format and layout.

“We can provide religious experts, professional expertise as well as seek permission by the authorities to allow us to draw up detailed restoration plans for the site,” Mr Gupta said at a luncheon hosted by Managing Director Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation.

He said the Society, which proposes to organise groups of devotees from UK and Europe to worship at Katas Raj shrine on regular basis, also want to build a library, museum and a shrine there.

He said this would create employment for people living in and around Chakwal District.

Speaking on the occasion, MD Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation Salman Javed said Pakistan had been the cradle of many great ancient civilisations including Gandhara and Indus.

He said festivals like of Katas Raj would increase religious tourist flow to Pakistan, that has many religious archaeological sites of Buddhism, Sikhism and Hinduism.

The word Katas is derived from Sanskrit language that stands for “String of Tears” or “Weeping Eyes”.

The government has initiated a major heritage conservation project to restore the 5,000-year-old temple of Katas Raj situated at the base of the Potohar Plateau in Salt Range.

The newly established Katas Raj Heritage Board has been an initial grant of Rs10 million to begin restoration of the shrine which is associated with both Shiva and Pandva Brothers.

“I sincerely feel that it is a gesture of not only immense symbolic, but realistic value for the entire Hindu community of the world that such a project to restore the ancient and historic Hindu Shivite shrine at Katas Raj is undertaken by the Government of Pakistan”, Gupta said.—APP

Our Chakwal correspondent adds: The celebration of Maha Shiv Ratri ended at Katas Raj in a colourful reception hosted by the Chakwal District Government on Saturday.

Ruling Pakistan Muslim League top leadership including the party chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, federal ministers attended the reception.

Speaking at the reception Director General Archaeology Department Punjab Oria Maqbool Jan said that the Punjab Government have allocated Rs109 million for the preservation and revival of Katas Raj and the work has been started on this project that would be completed in three years. After completion, more facilities would be available for the Hindu pilgrims at this historic place.

District Nazim Sardar Ghulam Abbas in his address of welcome said that the district government was making efforts to improve facilities for tourism and preserve archaeological sites.

Minister for Religious Affairs Ijazul Haq was confident that more pilgrims from both countries would visit religious and cultural places in near future.

The leader of the Yatrees Shardari Lal Goswami while speaking on this occasion demanded that visa restrictions from both sides must be relaxed and the people from both sides should be allowed to visit their holy places freely.

Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs Maj (retd) Tahir Iqbal said the suggestions floated by Gen Pervez Musharraf has completely changed the whole scenario of the subcontinent. He was confident that all the issues between Pakistan and India would be settled amicably.

PML chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain in his presidential address was of the view that for the last 56 years both Pakistan and India had used all their resources for military purposes but now things were improving on both sides.