RAWALPINDI: The Hindu community on Sunday offered special prayers for the martyres of the 1965 war.

The prayers were held at the Krishna Temple in Saddar Bazaar on the occasion Janmashtami, the birthday of god Krishna.

The community celebrates Janmashtami in the Bhadoon month of the Bikrimi calendar which this year coincided with the Defence Day of Pakistan.

“We always pray for the prosperity of the country and this year we celebrated Janmashtami and Defence Day by holding special Pooja for the protection of our country,” said Jag Mohan Arora, the president of All Pakistan Hindu and Sikh Welfare Association.

He said the Hindus in the twin cities paid tributes to the martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the defence of the motherland. He said special prayers were held for their services to the nation.

“This year, the community belonging to the Bahai faith also joined the Hindus for the celebration of the birthday of Krishna,” he said. He informed the gathering that Christians had also arrived at the temple to show that all the residents of Pakistan were united for their homeland.

In the small temple, there was a lot of activity as the main hall and prayer room were decorated with lights and buntings. All the participants were wearing colourful dresses.

The function started with prayers (Pooja) of Krishna whose pictures at prayer room were decorated with garlands. They recited versus from Geeta, the holy book of the Hindus containing the speeches of Krishna. The celebrations were followed by the distribution of sweets and fruits.

Jai Ram, a priest, explained that Hindus had been celebrating Janmashtami for more than 5,000 years. “The festival gave us the message to stand for truth.” He said lord Krishna always stood up for the truth and the festival symbolised the victory of good over the evil.

Jaq Mohan Arora told Dawn that the festival started on Friday and ended on Sunday night with special prayers. The Hindus also kept fast for 24 hours before the final day.

He said lord Krishna was the incarnation of truth, awareness, love and peace. He said that there was a dire need to spread the message of love and peace in the world.

Published in Dawn, September 7th, 2015

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