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October 13, 2005
A town of temples
Text and photographs by Tanveerul Islam
The rugged hills of the Salt Range have the power to leave visitors spellbound. Outstanding among its historical and natural wonders is Katas, an archaeological hamlet which lies about two kilometres west of Choa Saidan Shah on both sides of Kalar Kahar-Choa Road that passes through this medieval town.
Katas has been sacred to Hindus since times immemorial for religious and cultural reasons as it houses the temples of Shiva, Vishnu and Kali Devi, the gods of Hindu mythology. It must certainly have been bustling with devotees in the past with offerings being given at the altars of the lords of creation and destruction. Today, most of the temples are in a dilapidated state except for the magnificent Satghrrah temples standing on a plateau above the sacred pond.
There was a time when there were seven such temples but only three have withstood the ravages of time. Satghrrahs have been attributed to the Pandva brothers who stayed here for some time during their twelve years exile, as the Mahabharta legend has explained. However, their architectural style bears resemblance to the Kashmiri temples built during the Karkoota and Virmashahi dynasties (939-625 AD) in Kashmir.
Harri Singh Nalva, one of the commanders of Ranjeet Singh, had built a mansion adjacent to the historic pool. Though the corridors and compounds have become dilapidated, some of its parts have survived the test of time and negligence of the concerned authorities.
There are a number of smaller temples on the eastern side of the pool, including the altar of Shiva, (Shev-Lung) where even now infertile couples among the Hindu Yatris perform rituals on their annual pilgrimage to the site. Meditation chambers with mosaics on ceilings
and walls are scattered all over the area.
It has been proven that Aryans settled here, too. Ashoka the Great built a stupa here, as the famous Chinese historian Haven Saung who visited the area in the seventh century, mentions it in his travelogue .
The place was declared an archaeological site by the government in the early fifties but nothing substantial has been done to preserve and renovate the temples.
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