Shri Varun Dev Mandir ( sd, شْرِيْ وَرُڻَ ديوَ مَنْدِرَ ,श्री वरुण देव मंदिर, ) is a

Hindu temple A Hindu temple, or ''mandir'' or ''koil'' in Indian languages, is a house, seat and body of divinity for Hindus. It is a structure designed to bring human beings and gods together through worship, sacrifice, and devotion.; Quote: "The Hin ...

located in Manora Island in

Karachi Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former c ...

Sindh Sindh (; ; ur, , ; historically romanized as Sind) is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the southeastern region of the country, Sindh is the third-largest province of Pakistan by land area and the second-largest province ...

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

. The temple is devoted to Lord Jhulelal (

Varuna Varuna (; sa, वरुण, , Malay: ''Baruna'') is a Vedic deity associated initially with the sky, later also with the seas as well as Ṛta (justice) and Satya (truth). He is found in the oldest layer of Vedic literature of Hinduism, su ...

), the deity that represents water in

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...

. Daily Times article on Varun Dev Temple
/ref> He is the chief governing deity of all the Seas-Oceans and the Sindh river. Sindh river is the only river known to be associated with him; as per the hymns dedicated to him in RigVed. Rig vedic hymns dedicated to Varun Dev
/ref>

Construction

According to a legend, it was around 16th century when a wealthy sailor by the name of Bhojomal Nenshi Bhatia bought Manora Island from the Khan of Kalat, who owned most of the land along the coastline at that time and then his family commissioned a temple on the lay terrain. The exact year of the temple's construction or foundation is not known but it is widely believed that the current structure was renovated in around 1917–18. Inscription in devnagri script says,
/ref> ''Om, Varun Dev temple''. The inscription in Sindhi on front gate says, ''dedication from sons in the sacred memory of Seth Harchand Mal Dayal Das of Bhriya''. Bhriya is a town in Naushahro Feroze District,

Current status

Currently, this temple belongs to the

Pakistan Hindu Council Pakistan Hindu council () is the representative body of all Hindus of Pakistan which was formed in the year 2005 by Ramesh Kumar Vankwani. History The Pakistan Hindu Council was founded by the Ramesh Kumar Vankwani, Hindu activist and member o ...

Evacuee Trust Property Board The Evacuee Trust Property Board, ( ur, ) a statutory board of the Government of Pakistan, is a key government department which administers evacuee properties, including educational, charitable or religious trusts left behind by Hindus and Sikh ...

has done to protect or preserve this ancient heritage. Today, the temple is in a dilapidated state as humid winds are eating into the structure and the rich carvings on the walls of the temple are slowly eroding. There have been efforts to protect and preserve the structure by the Sindh Exploration and Adventure Society (SEAS) under a US government-funded project.Daily Times - US consul general celebrates successful completion of Varun Dev Temple project
/ref>

References

{{Hindu temples in Pakistan Hindu temples in Karachi

Construction

Current status

See also

References