You want to add this to your winter bucket
list
It is true that sometimes the
lack of information and at others lack of access to pretty places to visit leave
Pakistanis with no choice but to resort to food for recreation. Not that I mind
resorting to food at any given time of my life, my heart the traveler never
stops wanting to discover not just the world, but more of Pakistan. Without a
doubt, there is no dearth of natural beauty as well as history in our beautiful
country and mano ya na mano, there
are several opportunities to be out-doorsy, especially when the weather is a
treat during winters. My day trips around Lahore and
Karachi and longer ones to Bahawalpur in Punjab and Kund Malir beach in
Balochistan have left me convinced that when you have the will to ignore a few
unpleasantries on the way (such as bathrooms) , Pakistan is an ideal place for
tourism. In the summer, there is ample Switzerland-like beauty in the North and
in the winter, a plethora of historical sites to visit across the country.
So, to feed the perpetual tourist
in me and to avail the good weather that Punjab sees for a short while, on a
recent trip to Islamabad, I made my tabeeydaar
husband take a detour to Katas Raj Temples, something I had been wanting to
do for AGES. And what a great decision it was. The Katas Raj complex, which
houses about 10 Hindu temples, lies just ahead of Kalar Kahar and is accessible
through a proper pakki road. We
reached an hour before sunset and a hailstorm had just ended – the entire area
was beautiful and the dhula dhula sama
simply breathtaking. The leaves painted in autumn colours looked wonderful.
Lush green hills lined the outskirts of the area, looking nothing less than the
Scottish countryside. The Katas Lake displayed shades of blue and green. And
the grey sky, not letting in the harsh sunlight, created just the right photo
opportunities (keep reading for saboot).
What is this place all about? Well, it
is one of the holiest sites in the world for Hindus (with an active Shiva
temple) and allows you to flip through various chapters of history during your
visit. The temples relate accounts of the past 5000 years, from acting as hosts
for Ram and Sita to witnessing the rise of Mughals, the advent of the British
and Ranjit Singh's victory of the area. Empires and rulers exchanged hands over
centuries, making their own architectural contributions to the complex.
The story goes that the Katas Lake
was formed by Shiva shedding tears on the passing away of his wife (as told by
our tour guide). One tear fell here and the other in Ajmer in India, forming
the Kushkar Lake. Two tears, two lakes and one interesting story.
Every year, Hindu pilgrims from all
over India and Sindh in Pakistan travel to the holy shrines to celebrate the
festival of Shiva, with pooja, ritual
dances and bhajans adding colour to
the atmosphere. Pilgrims also bathe in the holy pool as a part of the
festivities.
Today, these temples stand mostly
financially abandoned, with the government doing less than little to protect
these historical gems. As it is true for any other historical site in Pakistan,
the age old wall arts have been destroyed by graffiti which is extremely
saddening (unless you want Aslam or Rahim’s mobile numbers – the walls are
almost like the ‘fraaandship’ yellow pages I tell you). It is a beautiful,
peaceful place nonetheless, definitely worth a stopover, especially during this
beautiful weather. Here’s some practical information in case you plan
to visit Katas Raj temples soon.
 |
| Nestle advert for you |
10 Things to know:
1. On taking the exit
at Kallar Kahar and driving on to the Chooa Saidan Shah road (yeah, it’s a
weird name for sure, mostly because of Chooa, reminding me of chooha) in about 25 minutes time you
reach the temples.
2. This detour
takes 1 hour going and coming.
3. You will spend about an hour’s time or a little more touring the place and taking pictures.
4. Tour guide is
available at an unfixed cost – khushi se
jo aap dena chaahein, de dein. He will tell you stories of all the temples.
I am not sure how correct they are but surely are interesting enough to make
the tour worth it. Therefore, hiring one is highly recommended.
5. As of now, there is no café to have a cup of tea or a
snack after the tour involving lots of stairs. Therefore, fuel up at Bhera in terms of food and relieve yourself as well in
terms of bathroom requirements.
Special Tip for those who
are not on the M2 that often – the best araam gah at bhera, at least for me, is
the KC Grill (KC for Kitchen Cuisine). The food is decent and the bathroom the
best you will get on the motorway. You will find toilet paper as well soap in it
(happy dance).
6. If you are dying for tea/coffee after your tour, in 25
minutes you will reach the Kallar Kahar exit again, where you can buy refreshments from the petrol pump. (I
was in a blissful state on my way back because luckily I had Oreo Cheesecake
from Hotspot with me for this drive. Tip applicable only in winters. DO NOT try
this in the summer unless rotten cheesecake is your secret weakness.)
7. With ageing bones like mine and a herniated disc in my
spine, I don’t think a day trip from
Lahore JUST to Katas and back is worth it. The total travel time from Lahore to
there is 3 hours. The thought of going back was kind of a killer so I was glad
we did this on the way to Islamabad. For those residing in Isloo however, a day
trip is do-able. [For young school and college students, one could push it to
be a day trip since with junk food, good music and each other’s company they
will be happy to spend all that time in the bus.]
8. Personally I think the temples look the most beautiful
during rain which gives the dramatic background and the dhuli dhuli look which I love. So, the best time would be rainy winter days or then barsaat to make sure the day is cloudy. The area is, of course,
uncovered so a trip during dry summer months would be torturous and
aesthetically unpleasing. It will also take a toll on your fair and lovely
skin.
9. A stopover at the Khewra
Salt Mines can be coupled with this to make the trip even more educational. An electric train takes tourists deep
inside the mines to experience the grandeur and learn a thing and a half about
salt mining. Since we have already toured those before and taken pictures with
the Minaar e Pakistan and Iqbal’s statue inside it, we let it be this time. The
stalactites and stalagmites, salt pools, light shows and salt sculptures are
quite spectacular.
10. Avoid going on a
Sunday so random peeps don’t photo bomb your pictures.
*This story was published in the Singapore based Fuchsia Magazine.
