New Delhi, Jan 22
A three-member archaeological team from Pakistan will visit various
historical sites in India over the next 10 days to get an
understanding on how to renovate the ancient Katasraj temple near
Lahore.
Led by the director general of the Punjab Archaeology Department
(PAD) Oriya Maqbool Jan, the team, which arrived in India over the
weekend, will visit the Taj Mahal, Fatehpur Sikri, Ajmer Sharif and
go to Pushkar and Ajanta-Ellora among other places.
Jan said the Punjab government was keen on procuring pictures and
idols from India. Artisans would be hired to prepare replicas for
conservation of the Katas temples and stupas that would be completed
in February. The budget allocated for the three-phased project in
Chakwal, 60 km from Lahore, is Rs.51.06 million.
The historic Katas temple complex, one of the most sacred Hindu
religious sites dedicated to Shiva, houses the satgarha, a group of
seven ancient temples, the remains of a Buddhist stupa, a few
medieval temples and havelis, all built around a pond considered
holy by Hindus.
Hindu mythology has it that Katasraj and Pushkar (in Rajasthan) are
the two eyes of Lord Shiva.
The sprawling Katasraj shrine is believed to have been constructed
at the site visited by the Pandavas during their 14-year exile.
The renovation of the complex was inaugurated by Bharatiya Janata
Party (BJP) leader L.K. Advani during a visit to Pakistan in June
2005.
Advani is believed to have asked Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon
to allow the Pakistani officials to also visit the shrines at
Tirupati, Vaishno Devi and Akshardham to get a better understanding
of how to develop the area.
For the first time in decades, Pakistani authorities are making
arrangements for the celebration of Mahashivratri at the temple on
Feb 7.
During his recent visit to Pakistan, External Affairs Minister
Pranab Mukherjee assured an all-party political delegation that the
Archaeological Survey of India would extend all help in the
restoration work.
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