Only a few visitors to Rawal Dam would know that an old building near the reservoir was once a Hindu temple – a reminder of the Rawal village that disappeared under the water when the dam was constructed in the late 60s.

Despite preserving the national heritage and local culture, the Capital Development Authority (CDA) and the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) have failed to preserve the building.

There were many temples in the area, including Saidpur and Rawal villages, most prominent of them being the temple at Saidpur.

The temple near Rawal Dam is in the possession of the ETPB and has been closed for many years.

The local Hindu community has been demanding the opening of the temple for worship as there are none in the federal capital and the community members have to go to Krishna Temple in Saddar, Rawalpindi.

“A temple was locally called Shawala. Usually, farmers constructed such small temples around their farms to start work after worshiping there,” Jag Mohan Arora, a representative of the Hindu and Sikh communities in twin cities, told Dawn.

He said his family had been living in Rawalpindi and Islamabad for two centuries and visited Saidpur Ramkund Temple for worship.

“In Raja Bazaar, adjacent to Taleemul Quran Mosque, there is Shawala temple which is now surrounded by shops and markets. There are dozens of Shawala temples in the Potohar region.”

He said before the partition of the subcontinent, Hindus mostly lived in the Rawal and Saidpur villages. “There were two or three temples in the area near Rawal Dam but only one temple has survived.”

He said before the establishment of the ETPB, most of the old and vacant buildings of Hindus and Sikhs were given to Kashmiri migrants but later the board leased them out.

He said many Hindus who came to Islamabad from Sindh demanded the construction of a temple but they did not know the historical significance of the local temples.

“We want the opening of Saidpur Village temple for worship because it has historical significance as lord Ram, his wife Sita and brother Lakhan arrived at that place and stayed in a pond which is called Ram Kund,” he said.

The Hindu community does not want the taking over of the building but the government should allow them to offer religious rituals there.

When contacted, ETPB Rawalpindi Deputy Administrator Mohammad Asif said the temple at Rawal Dam was constructed in 1883.

The temple has been non-functional for over 70 years and the Hindu community never approached the ETPB for its opening.

He said due to shortage of funds the ETPB was unable to preserve the old structure.

He said the area around Rawal Dam was near the Diplomatic Enclave and the opening of the temple for worship was not possible due to security reasons.

He said the ETPB was making efforts to preserve the Hindu and Sikh worship places and keep them intact. He said the population of Hindus in the twin cities was not large and the Krishna Temple was enough for them to worship in.

However, about the Saidpur village temple, the official said it could only be opened by the federal government for the Hindu community for worship purposes.

He said the ETPB was also protecting gurdwaras of the Sikh community located in the garrison city and its surrounding areas.

“Many buildings are in the custody of the education department and the ETPB has been trying to get them back,” he added.

Published in Dawn, March 11th, 2018