Pond at risk of running dry
Twelve years after the Pakistan government launched an ambitious plan to renovate the historic Katas Raj temple complex, the shrine’s sacred pond is at risk of running dry because of excessive groundwater use by nearby factories.
A series of pipes carrying water from a nearby source have helped fill up the Amrit Kund or main pond at the temple complex located in the Kallar Kahar range of the Potohar plateau, some three hours south of Islamabad. But experts say this is, at best, a temporary solution to a much larger problem.
Three cement factories located in the vicinity of the complex have reduced the groundwater level to a point where it is almost impossible for most residents in the area to find water even after digging deep wells. The well at one side of the Katas Raj complex has run dry and, in the summer of 2017, the sacred pond itself was on the brink of running dry.
Senior BJP leader LK Advani
KATAS RAJ:
had inaugurated renovation works at the temple complex — believed to be more than 2,300 years old and linked to the epic Mahabharat — during a visit to Pakistan in June 2005. Despite the allocation of several crores of Pakistani rupees by successive governments, the work was never completed.
According to Hindu mythology, the sacred pond at Katas Raj was formed by a tear that fell from the eyes of Lord Shiva after the death of his wife Sati. A second tear created a pond at Ajmer, Rajasthan. It is also believed that the Pandavas spent several years at Katas Raj during their 14 years in exile.
It was only after Pakistan’s Supreme Court intervened over the poor upkeep of the temple complex last year that the Punjab government tried to fix the problem by laying pipes to bring water from a source to the pond.
But even this source could run dry in summer, putting the pond in danger, residents said.