City's cremated Hindus will finally find moksha

India issues visas for 400 urns containing ashes to be immersed in the Ganges

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KARACHI:

The Ganges River, which flows through several Indian states, is considered an embodiment of all sacred waters in Hindu mythology. Revered as the most holy river in Hinduism, the Ganges is believed to possess purifying properties that cleanse sins and facilitate the liberation from the cycle of life and death (moksha).

This is the reason followers of Hinduism - no matter where they live - bring the ashes of their cremated dead to India to immerse them in the Ganges. But it's not easy for the Hindu community of Pakistan as the Indian government takes an eternity to issue visas to families to perform the last rites of their loved ones.

The ashes of more than 400 cremated Hindus laid in earthen urns at Sonpuri Crematorium, near Old Golimar, and at different temples of Karachi for years with the community waiting for visas to take them to Haridwar, in the Indian state of Uttarakhand, for immersion.

Their years-long wait has finally ended. The Indian government has issued visas to the community. The urns containing ashes will be transported to the Wagah border crossing from Karachi's Cantt Station on February 2, from where they will be ferried to Haridwar in the form of a procession.

This development comes after an eight-year delay, primarily due to the sponsorship requirement from the Indian diplomatic mission in Pakistan, which required the visa applicant to furnish a reference letter from a relative or acquaintance permanently settled in India. Most Pakistani Hindus, who cannot provide such a reference, face difficulties in obtaining visas to immerse the ashes of their loved ones in the Ganges.

One of the urns contains the remains of a man who passed away in 2011, marking a 14-year wait for his final rites. The immersion ceremony coincides with Maha Kumbh Mela, a sacred Hindu congregation occurring once every 144 years, adding religious significance to the occasion.

Maharaj Ram Nath, the chief pontiff at Shri Panjmukhi Hanuman Temple, expressed gratitude for the long-overdue approval from the Indian diplomatic mission, saying that the news has rejuvenated the spirits of Hindu families who had lost hope over the years.

A large congregation of devotees gathered at the Sonpuri Crematorium to perform pooja for their departed loved ones before their ashes embark on the sacred journey. As preparations continue, the arrival of more urns at the temple continues.

Hindu communities, predominantly living in Karachi's historic areas such as Soldier Bazaar, Ranchhor Line, and Ramaswamy, as well as in other districts including Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas, Tharparkar, have long struggled to transport their loved ones' ashes to India due to stringent visa policies. The challenge of sending ashes to Haridwar is not new. In 2011, Maharaj Ram Nath transported 135 urns, some of which had been awaiting immersion since the 1947 Partition. Some urns contained the ashes of three generations - father, son, and grandson - whose final journey to the Ganges had been delayed for decades.

Another convoy of 160 urns was sent in 2016 following continued negotiations with the Indian High Commission. Both previous trips were undertaken through the Wagah border, from where the ashes were driven in a convoy to Haridwar. A total of 295 urns were immersed during these two trips. Maharaj Ram Nath has urged both the Indian and Pakistani governments to display greater flexibility and sensitivity toward the religious rights of minorities. He stressed the importance of allowing Hindu families in Pakistan to fulfill their last rites without unnecessary bureaucratic delays.

Upon arrival at Haridwar, devotees will perform a 15-day worship ritual before the ashes are immersed in the Ganges. The immersion will be performed alongside hundreds of thousands of pilgrims participating in the Maha Kumbh Mela, symbolising a spiritual union between the living and the departed.