Hello Ladies & Gents,How are we this lovely Evening ? Now everyday my study its an distinction that comes from the distant, misty past,which is no less than a thousand years ago.Everyday I bring to you all those completely wiped out pages from the Sands of Time. which reveals the jagged remnants of a bridge between two huge major religions which flourished during those times namely Buddhism & Hinduism. Now this journey of mine is almost like an journey of an Monk,to nearly all the sites which were once in the Indian subcontinent.I know answers to questions that remain unanswered,I will try to answer and will try to find answers,without stopping for once.I will go on to the very depths of this entirely lost pages to give back this world what we all have missed out on.To show an ancient thread which once stood at its highest peak of its glory.So lets take an looksie shall we.I Give You All......... Katasraj temple :- Katasraj Mandir (Urdu: کٹاس راج مندر, Devanagari: कटास राज मंदिर) is a Hindu mandir or temple complex situated in Katas village near Choa Saidanshah in the Chakwal district of Punjab in Pakistan. Dedicated to Shiva, the temple has existed since the days of Mahābhārata and the Pandava brothers spent 12 years of their exile at this site (Katas ).The Hindu sacred place “Katas” is located in the salt range at a distance of 18 miles in the south of Chakwal. The mention of Katas is found in “Maha Bharat” which was written in 300 BC. The etymology of this place as narrated in the old edition of “Tarikh-e-Jhelum” is that according to Brahaman’s belief, Shiv Devta wept so profusely on the death of his beloved wife Satti that two holy ponds one at Pushkar of Ajmair and other at Katak Shell came into being with his tears. In Sanskrit, the word “Katak Shell” means chain of tears which later on was pronounced as “Katas”. According to Gen. Cunningham, Katas was considered the second largest holy place in Punjab for Hindu pilgrims after the Jawala Mukhi. The Pandava brothers built the temples of Satghara. Legend of Katas :- An interesting story about nearby Katas Raj, where a Shiv temple and other historical monuments are located. Katas was earlier the name of a sacred spring which is believed to have been created by a stream of tears that flowed from Lord Shiva’s eyes following the death of his wife.In fact, two streams of tears flowed. The other holy lake was created at Pushkar in Rajasthan. There was an important university housed at Katas in which the education of Sanskrit was imparted. There are seven temples in the east of the sacred spring. These temples, it is believed, were constructed by the Pandavas. Another legend says The five Pandava brothers, heroes of the Sanskrit epic the Mahabharata, stayed here for four of the 12 years they spent in exile. The lake in the complex is believed to have magical powers and is supposed to be where Yudhisthira defeated the Yaksha with his wisdom, bringing his brothers back to life. Yet Another legend says :- Yet another version of the Shiva legend involves the death of Shivas horse Katas instead of that of Sati his consort. Some legends also state that very first Shiva Ling (Sihv-Ling) was in Kattas. Katas is a very sacred place for the Hindus. It is located on a hill six kilometers from Choasaidan Shah of Chakwal district. The place is mentioned in Mahabharata and according to Hindu religious belief, both Katas and the Paskar (Ajmer) are the eyes of Shiva. Paras Nath Jogi breathed his last here. Jagat Guru Nanak Ji also visited Katas and had set his foot here on the 1st of Visakh. This place came to be known as Nanaknawas. It was the abode of contemplation for larger groups of mystics, ascetics and Jogies. In the absence of proper markings or sign boards it is difficult to separate one place from the other. It has great historical significance because it was the place where Al-Beruni attempted to measure the circumference of Earth, studied and learnt Sanskrit, wrote his renowned “Kitab-ul-Hind”. Even today groups of Hindu pilgrims come from India to visit it regularly to worship. It is said that Al-Baruni also spent some period at Katas to learn Sanskrit in a linguistic university which, at that time, was established here. During his stay at Katas and Nandana Fort, Al-Baruni wrote a famous book “Kitab-ul-Hind” which depicted the religion, scientific knowledge, and social customs of Hindus. A prominent scholar Panikar stated that this book as a study of foreign civilization and culture not only touched the peaks of Muslim scholarship, but also due to impartial analyses it is a high ranked literary composition. Al-Baruni during his stay at Katas not only learned Sanskrit but also performed various geographic experiments and eventually succeeded in discovering the radius of the earth.
Posted on: Sat, 20 Sep 2014 13:50:03 +0000
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