1200 years old Valmiki temple to be renovated in Lahore, Pakistan [TKB World]

A 1200-year-old Hindu temple in Lahore, Pakistan will be renovated. This temple was illegally occupied, a long legal battle was fought to get it vacated. The Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB), a federal body that oversees places of worship for minorities in the Pakistan, took possession of the Valmiki temple near Lahore’s famous Anarkali market. Apart from the Krishna temple in Lahore city, the Valmiki temple is the only one open in Lahore.

ETPB spokesperson Amir Hashmi told the news agency that the Valmiki temple would be renovated under the master plan in the coming days. He said that on Wednesday, more than 100 Hindu, some Sikh and Christian leaders had gathered at the Valmiki temple. Hindus performed their religious rituals and had langar.

An ETPB official told Dawn that the temple land was transferred to the ETPB in the revenue records, but the family had filed suit in the court in 2010-2011 claiming to be the owners of the property. He said that apart from going to trial, the family also built a temple only for Valmiki Hindus. This left the trust with no option but to fight the case in court.

The temple was attacked in 1992
In 1992, after the demolition of the disputed structure of the Babri Masjid in India, an angry mob stormed the Valmiki temple and vandalized the idols of Krishna and Valmiki. The utensils and crockery in the kitchen were broken and the gold was confiscated, from which the idols were decorated. Along with this, the building was set on fire, demolishing the temple.

ETPB looks after about 350 religious places
An ETPB spokesperson told the Pakistani newspaper that a one-man commission set up by the Supreme Court submitted its recommendations to the government, stating that the temple should be renovated to provide better facilities to the Hindu community, but the matter was in court. The ETPB was unable to start the restoration work of the temple. The ETPB looks after the temples and lands left by the Sikhs and Hindus who migrated to India after the partition. It oversees 200 Gurdwaras and 150 temples across Pakistan.