KARACHI: Many family members of deceased Hindus whose ashes were kept in urns for years with them or at the Hindu cremation ground (Shamshan Ghat), in Old Golimar until they could be taken to India for immersion in the Ganges River came to the Shri Panch Mukhi Hanuman Mandir on Sunday to bid them final farewells.
Four days ago, on Wednesday, a large number of devotees had also gathered at the Shamshan Ghat for prayers for the urns. Those wishing ashes immersion or Asthi Kalash Visarjan of their loved ones in Haridwar, India, had come to deposit their ashes at the Shamshan Ghat as it was mandatory to have the cremation ground slip and death certificate of the deceased along with each urn.
For Suresh Kumar, it was a sigh of relief to learn that the government of India had finally issued visas for the ashes of some 400 cremated Hindus in Pakistan so that their remains may be transported to India to be scattered onto the Ganges. His mother would finally find peace.
Seel Bai had passed away on March 17, 2021 following which her family applied for Indian visas as they wanted to take her ashes to Haridwar. “The visas were taking too long. Still we decided to wait as Maha Kumbh was also approaching in four years,” Suresh said.
Shri Ram Nath Mishra Mahraj leaves for India with jars carrying ashes of 400 Hindus
Explaining a bit about the aspect of Maha Kumbh, Suresh said that it is a rare event, occurring only once in 144 years. “It marks the completion of a cycle of 12 Kumbh mela. This year it occurs from January 13 to February 26, opening a narrow window of 45 days for us to carry out or complete our religious rituals, which include our funeral rituals,” he said.
Asked what they would do if the visas don’t come at all, Suresh said that then they also have the option of immersing the ashes in the River Indus. “But Ganga is our first choice as it is a holy river, which will cool the ashes and provide eternal peace to the departed soul,” he said.
“Ganga flows directly from the Himalayas and is pure. The other rivers are quite dirty and polluted but the Ganga is used only for religious purposes. The Maha Kumbh mela is attended by millions of visitors every day.
“We were fortunate that Shri Ram Nath Mishra Mahraj, president of the Shri Panch Mukhi Hanuman Mandir Committee in Pakistan, who had also been trying for an Indian visa, was finally issued one along with the permit to take with him all the ashes of our dead, who we had cremated in the last nine or so years. We had stored the ashes at the cremation ground hoping for this day,” he said.
Sahil Kumar and Komal Suresh had also come to the temple to see off the ashes of their elders. Sahil lost his father in September and Komal lost her mother in November.
Sahil’s father, Jagdesh Kumar, and Komal’s mother, Vimla Kumari, were brother and sister, who passed away within two months of each other. Both their older children, the cousins Sahil and Vimla had also applied for India’s visa but were unable to make any headway. For starters, they didn’t have any relatives or acquaintances in India who would sponsor them. So with Maha Kumbh coming up, they also decided to wait, hoping for some miracle.
“The miracle happened when Baba Mishra was issued his visa. When we heard about it, we immediately approached him to also take with him my mother’s and maternal uncle’s ashes to India,” said Komal, who added that they were not this fortunate when their maternal aunt had passed away some years ago. “At the time her ashes were scattered over River Indus near Sukkur Barrage,” she shared.
Her cousin Sahil also said that his father was undergoing regular dialysis in his final days and would often say to him that if he didn’t make it, he was to try his best to take his ashes to Haridwar.
Shri Ram Nath Mishra Mahraj had also travelled to India in 2011, when he took with him 135 urns, and in 2016, when he took 160 urns, to be scattered over the Ganges. This time, he is going to India after almost nine years and the number of urns he is taking with him has increased to 400. There were four Edhi Foundation ambulances lined outside the Shri Panch Mukhi Hanuman Mandir in Soldier Bazaar No 3.
Each ambulance had 100 urns. The urns had been transferred from their earthen pots to white plastic jars with red lids, since they are easier to carry that way. The earthen pots were considered too delicate for long-distance travel.
The Asthi Kalash Yatra or procession of urns departed from the Shri Panch Mukhi Hanuman Mandir on Sunday after a round of prayers led by Shri Ram Nath Mishra Mahraj for the Cantonment Railway Station from where the ashes were transported via train to Lahore and then Wagah.
Speaking to the media, Shri Ram Nath Mishra Mahraj said that he felt humbled and grateful to be chosen by their gods for performing the great feat of bringing peace to so many departed souls.
He said there were still several days left before the Maha Kumbh Mela ended so they will be praying for at least another two weeks for the departed souls after reaching Haridwar where the ashes will finally be immersed in the Ganges.
Published in Dawn, February 3rd, 2025
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