Want India-pak corridor linking temple: BJP leader
I will request the
Prime Minister to open the Hinglaj corridor that it will help thousands of devotees of Hinglaj Mata to visit the temple in Pakistan and also promote tourism between the two countries
TARUN VIJAY,
Former BJP MP
BARMER: Former BJP MP Tarun Vijay demanded that like the Kartarpur corridor, the government should launch the Hinglaj corridor between India and Pakistan to connect Barmer to the Hindu shrine Hinglaj Mata temple in Balochistan.
“I will request the Prime Minister to open the Hinglaj corridor that it will help thousands of devotees of Hinglaj Mata to visit the temple in Pakistan and also promote tourism between the two countries,” Vijay said in Barmer on Tuesday when he came to offer prayers at a new Hinglaj Mata temple in the border town.
The BJP leader was part of the delegation that visited Hinglaj Mata temple in Pakistan in 2006 along with former union minister Jaswant Singh.
The Kartarpur corridor, a road link for Sikh pilgrims to visit the famous Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara in Pakistan, was launched in November 2018.
The temple of Hinglaj Mata, a Hindu goddess, is situated in Lasbela district of Balochistan and is among the 52 ‘shakti peeths’ of goddess Sati. The Hindu Khatris consider the deity as their ‘kul devi’ (family deity). It is estimated that there are 1,50,000 Hindu Khatris in India and 80% of them are in Rajasthan and Gujarat.
The community brought ‘jyot’ (divine flame) from the Pakistan temple to India on Wednesday and it has been placed at Barmer’s Hinglaj Mata temple. BJP leader Tarun Vijay and Congress leader Manvendra Singh offered prayers at the temple on Wednesday.
Manvendra Singh was also part of the delegation in 2006.
Kanhaiyalal Dalora, spokesperson of Brahmakshatriya Khatri Samaj in Barmer, said that devotees of Hinglaj Mata have strong faith in her. Every devotee wants to visit the temple in Pakistan at least once in their lifetime.
“Due t o bi t t e r r e l at i ons between the countries, very few are able to fulfil their wish. Many of the devotees are unable to go because they cannot afford the travel,” he said.
“Keeping this in mind, the community has decided to bring the ‘jyot’ (eternal flame) from the main temple in Pakistan to place at the newly built temple in Barmer district so that devotees can pay their respect to the goddess,” said Dalora.”
He further said that recently, they have arranged to bring the ‘jyot’ from Pakistan to India by the Thar Express, a weekly train running between Indian and Pakistan through Rajasthan border.
Dalora added that the community had been organising a week long function to place the ‘jyot’. Apart from Khatri community, thousands of devotees from across the country are participating i n t he f unction. On Wednesday the ‘jyot’ was finally placed at the newly built temple.