Sindh Minority Affairs Department, under the direction of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, has announced a bus service to facilitate Pakistani Hindus who cannot afford the travel expenses of the pilgrimage to Shri Hinglaj Mata.
This was announced by Sindh Minister for Minority Affairs Giyan Chand Esrani at Swami Narayan Mandir while inaugurating the construction work of the development scheme for Guru Nanak Durbar in Karachi.
Hinglaj Yatra is the pilgrimage to the cave temple of Hindu Devi – Shri Hinglaj Mata – on the Makran coast in the Lasbela district of Balochistan. More than 250,000 people take part in the Hinglaj Yathra every year.
Sindh Minority Affairs Department stated that the bus service will begin on July 15. Gyan Chand Esrani said that lunch will be provided to the pilgrims during the journey, while those pilgrims who want to stay there for a couple of days during the pilgrimage will be provided with resting facilities by the department.
He said that the application for the pilgrimage would be sent to the Director of Minority Affairs through District Panchayat. He also announced the construction of a hostel for poor girl students at Swami Narayan Mandir.
Hinglaj Mata is one of the three Shakti Peethas in Pakistan, the other two being Shivaharkaray and Sharada Peeth. Over the last three decades, the place has gained popularity and become a unifying point for Pakistan’s Hindu community.
The temple Shri Hinglaj Mata is in a small natural cave, in a narrow gorge in the hilly area of Lyari Tehsil in Balochistan. It lies within the domain of the Hingol National Park, lying on the west bank of the Hingol River.
