Afghanistan's Historic Hindu Temples Busy For Navaratri

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Afghanistan's Historic Hindu Temples Busy For Navaratri

source:http://www.hindu.org

 

KABUL, AFGHANISTAN, October 5, 2005: With the onset of

the nine-day festival period of Navaratri, Kabul's

ancient Hindu temples are buzzing with a record number

of devotees of all faiths. The focal attraction is

Asamai temple. Hundreds of Afghanistan's Hindus and

Sikhs as well as Indians employed in reconstruction

projects pay their obeisance there every day. The hill

is named Asamai after Asha, the Goddess of hope said

to be residing on the hilltop since time immemorial.

Legend goes that the Akhand Jyoti or continuous fire

there has been burning uninterrupted for over 4,000

years. Amazingly, both the temple and the jyoti have

survived numerous bloody wars for supremacy over

Kabul, says this article. Two large halls with a

capacity of about 1,000 persons form part of the

Asamai complex, commonly used for religious

congregations on festivals like Navaratri and Diwali.

Kabul boasts another ancient temple complex--Harshri

Nath--with temples devoted to Hindu deities Siva,

Saraswati and Ganesha. The Harshri Nath temple

attracts several Hindu families who returned to Kabul

over the past four years. Several Sikh families also

visit the temple every week to pray alongside Hindus.

Kabul's third temple is located in the Shor Bazaar

area once the hub of the trade in clothes, currency

and dry fruits that is dominated by Hindus and Sikhs.

Dedicated to God Siva, the small temple miraculously

survived severe shelling during the Civil War, even as

the entire Shor Bazaar was reduced to rubble. Though

the local Hindu and Sikh population has dropped to

about 5,000 from close to 20,000, the temple is a

favorite with scores of Indians currently engaged in

reconstruction work.

 

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