QUETTA: Hundreds of thousands of Hindus attended the annual festival at the Hinglaj Mata temple in Lasbela, which concluded on Sunday.

The devotees, including women and children, arrived from all over Pakistan and abroad for the three-day pilgrimage at the temple located in the mountains, around 140km west of Uthal.

It is considered one of the largest pilgrimage sites in Hindu civilisation.

The opening ceremony of the religious festival was held on April 2.

According to the organisers of the religious festival, a record turnout was witnessed this year, with around 200,000 pilgrims attending the festival across three days.

Three-day event concludes with record turnout of pilgrims

Pilgrims participated in various religious rituals, including the sacred bath in the Hingol River, offerings at the Chandragup mud volcano and worship inside the Hinglaj Mata cave temple.

The Shri Hinglaj Mata Welfare Mandli had set up round-the-clock food and drink stalls (Bhandara) for pilgrims, especially those who arrived barefoot, to fulfil their spiritual vows.

Senator Danesh Kumar, Lasbela Deputy Comm­issioner Humaira Baloch, Lasbela SSP Atif Ameer, tribal elders and senior government officials visited the festival and reviewed administrative and security arrangements.

Senator Kumar, who attended the closing ceremony, said the successful Hinglaj Mata festival and the participation of thousands of Hindu pilgrims proved that all minorities were enjoying religious freedom in Pakistan.

He said the Hindu community has three elected representatives in the Balochistan Assembly, with him representing the community in the Senate.

He said the Balochistan government made foolproof security arrangements for the festival and over 1,100 personnel of army, Frontier Corps, police and Levies were deployed for the participants’ safety.

He said the Lasbela district administration exten­ded full cooperation to the organisers.

The Provincial Disaster Management Authority had made extensive arrangements for the event.

Pakistan Coast Guards also held a four-day free medical camp where male and female doctors treated pilgrims and provided free medicines.

The 5,000-year-old temple holds great reverence for Hindus worldwide. In 2006, former Indian foreign minister Jaswant Singh also visited the temple during his goodwill visit to Pakistan.

The annual festival at the holy site is a spiritual cornerstone for Pakistan’s Hindu community and a powerful symbol of interfaith harmony. Local Muslim tribes host and assist pilgrims, reflecting a long-standing tradition of religious tolerance and coexistence in the region.

Published in Dawn, May 5th, 2025