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| Mukherjee invited to attend Shiva puja in Lahore | | | BL KAK
NEW DELHI, FEB. 2: In an interersting turn of events, Islamabad has invited India's Minister for External Affairs, Pranab Mukherjee, to attend first puja (prayer) since 1947 on the premises of the restored shrine of Hindu God, Shiva, located at the famous Katasraj temple complex in Pakistan on February 16 on the occasion of Mahashivratri. The puja is being organised by Pakistan's Punjab government.
According to diplomatic sources, invitation to Pranab Mukherjee is part of Islamabad's efforts to promote friendly ties between the two countries. Pakistan's Punjab government headquarted at Lahore has let it be known that the plans to celebrate the Hindu festival of Mahashivratri at the Katasraj temple complex are part of a development project for Hindu sites in Pakistan.
India and Pakistan had agreed to jointly work on the development of the historic Katasraj temples in June 2005 during a visit to Katasraj by India's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, LK Advani. It will be the first time since 1947 that a puja is being held at the temple, whose renovation work was opened by Advani during his 2005 visit.
The conservation and restoration of the Shiva temple inside the Katasraj temple complex is nearing completion in the first three-year phase of renovation of the entire complex that has cost the Pakistani government Rs 60.3 million. According to reports from Lahore, as per the development plans of the temple complex, the Shiva shrine and its surroundings are being restored keeping in mind the religious sentiments of the Hindu pilgrims.
Embankments are also being built around the edges of the pond in the complex. These reports reveal that steps are being taken to provide boarding and lodging facilities for the pilgrims by upgrading an existing building near the Kallar Kahar-Chou Saidan Shah Road.
Located on a hill six kilometres from Choa Saidan Shah in Chakwal, Katasraj temples have historic and religious value for the Hindus. The temples have apparently been mentioned in Mahabharat, a Hindu epic.
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