The Shri Swami Narayan Mandir,

Karachi Karachi is the capital city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Sindh, Pakistan. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, largest city in Pakistan and 12th List of largest cities, largest in the world, with a popul ...

() is a

Hindu temple A Hindu temple, also known as Mandir, Devasthanam, Pura, or Kovil, is a sacred place where Hindus worship and show their devotion to Hindu deities, deities through worship, sacrifice, and prayers. It is considered the house of the god to who ...

that is the only Swami Narayan temple in

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

. The temple is notable for its size and frontage, over on the M. A. Jinnah Road in

city. The temple celebrated its anniversary of 216 years in April 2004. There is a sacred cowshed within the premises of this temple. The temple is located at the centre of a Hindu neighbourhood in

. The building that housed a ''dharmshala'' (guest house) for visiting devotees has now been converted to the office of the City District Government.

Independence of Pakistan and India and after

The temple became a refugee camp in 1947. The original images of Swaminarayan were removed and taken to

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

during the turbulent times of

independence Independence is a condition of a nation, country, or state, in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the status of ...

. One

murti In the Hinduism, Hindu tradition, a ''murti'' (, ) is a devotional image, such as a statue or icon, of a Hindu deities, deity or Hindu saints, saint used during ''Puja (Hinduism), puja'' and/or in other customary forms of actively expressing d ...

that was originally at this temple is now located in Khan Village,

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; Literal translation, lit. 'Land of Kings') is a States and union territories of India, state in northwestern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the List of states and union territories of ...

. People who wished to settle in India from all over

Sindh Sindh ( ; ; , ; abbr. SD, historically romanized as Sind (caliphal province), Sind or Scinde) is a Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Pakistan. Located in the Geography of Pakistan, southeastern region of the country, Sindh is t ...

awaited their departure to India by ship at this temple. The temple was visited by Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of

during this period. Page 52 In 1989, for the first time since the independence in 1947, a group of sadhus from the Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Ahmedabad visited the temple. Since then, small groups from the

Ahmedabad Ahmedabad ( ), also spelled Amdavad (), is the most populous city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ahmedabad district and the seat of the Gujarat High Court. Ahmedabad's population of 5,570,585 ...

temple pay this temple a visit every few years in a pilgrimage.

Festivals and events

According to the Pakistan Hindu Council, Swaminarayan Jayanti, Ram Navami, Janmastami, Dussehra,

Diwali Diwali (), also called Deepavali (IAST: ''Dīpāvalī'') or Deepawali (IAST: ''Dīpāwalī''), is the Hindu festival of lights, with variations celebrated in other Indian religions such as Jainism and Sikhism. It symbolises the spiritual v ...

and almost all of the main religious festivals are celebrated by Hindus in this temple.

Holi Holi () is a major Hindu festival celebrated as the Festival of Colours, Love and Spring.The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) p. 874 "Holi /'həʊli:/ noun a Hindu spring festival ...".Yudit Greenberg, Encyclopedia of Love in World ...

is celebrated with the holi bonfire lit at the centre of the temple grounds, followed by the play with colours. Janmashtami is celebrated with singing bhajans and sermons on

Krishna Krishna (; Sanskrit language, Sanskrit: कृष्ण, ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme God (Hinduism), Supreme God in his own right. He is the god of protection, c ...

, while on

, devotees light lamps and candles to welcome

Rama Rama (; , , ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the seventh and one of the most popular avatars of Vishnu. In Rama-centric Hindu traditions, he is considered the Supreme Being. Also considered as the ideal man (''maryāda' ...

from his fourteen-year exile, at the end of which he defeated

Ravana According to the Mahakavya, Hindu epic, ''Ramayana'', Ravana was a kingJustin W. Henry, ''Ravana's Kingdom: The Ramayana and Sri Lankan History from Below'', Oxford University Press, p.3 of the island of Lanka, in which he is the chief antag ...

and young men burst crackers at the temple on the occasion. The

festival celebrations that take place at this temple are the biggest in Karachi. The temple also doubles as a marriage venue. In 2008, a mass wedding arrangement was made for 20 poor couples.

Hinglaj yatra

The Hinglaj yatra starts from the Swaminarayan Temple complex here annually.

Gurdwara

In the Swaminarayan Mandir complex in

where a small

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

community lives, a

Gurdwara A gurdwara or gurudwara () is a place of assembly and place of worship, worship in Sikhism, but its normal meaning is "place of guru" or "home of guru". Sikhism, Sikhs also refer to gurdwaras as ''Gurdwara Sahib''. People from all faiths and rel ...

has been created for the small

Sikh Sikhs (singular Sikh: or ; , ) are an ethnoreligious group who adhere to Sikhism, a religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Guru Nanak. The term ''Si ...

community. The Gurdwara Sahib houses three sets of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji in the Palki Sahib. There are pictures of the Gurus and a small shrine devoted to Guru Nanak Dev Ji. There is a Hindu bell in the Gurdwara Sahib as well. The whole compound is protected by a security guard to protect the small number of Hindu families.

Gallery

File:Karachi Gurdwara IMG 7778.JPG, Interior of Gurdwara in Swami Narain Mandir Complex, Karachi File:Karachi Gurdwara IMG 7779.JPG, Exterior of Gurdwara in Swami Narain Mandir Complex, Karachi File:Karachi Gurdwara IMG 7780.JPG, Exterior of Gurdwara in Swami Narain Mandir Complex, Karachi File:Karachi Temple Gurdwara IMG 7781.JPG, Exterior of Gurdwara in Swami Narain Mandir Complex, Karachi

References

External links

The official Swaminarayan Sampraday websiteYouTube: Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Karachi
{{Cultural heritage sites in Sindh , state=autocollapse Religious buildings and structures completed in 1849 Swaminarayan Sampradaya Gurdwaras in Pakistan Hindu temples in Karachi 1849 establishments in British India Heritage sites in Karachi